Incongruous mix of fantasy and reality

Rating: 7/10 (19 November 2006)

Certainly in the tradition of del Toro's "The Devil's Backbone", but the fantasy elements are not as well integrated into the film's neo-realist drama. A beautiful young girl, Ofelia, superbly played by Ivana Baquero, is forced to live in a fascist compound in Northern Spain by her sick mother's new husband, Captain Vidal (Sergi Lopez), a sadistic egomaniac. After Ofelia releases a fairy from a statue, the fairy leads her to a stone labyrinth where she meets a creature who sends her on a short quest. As this story plays out, Captain Vidal's war with a bunch of freedom fighters is depicted. del Toro, who scripted, has plenty to say here, but his pacing is a little too languorous and his characters, with the exception of Ofelia and Maribel Verdu's Mercedes, are difficult to relate to. Gripes aside, this is still a worthy fantasy with elements of Clive Barker's "Nightbreed", "Hellraiser", and Jim Henson's "The Storyteller". The resolution, in which the fantasy elements and the bloody reality meet, fails to reconcile these polar opposites and the result is incongruity. The technical wizardry on display is impressive and the violence is extremely graphic at times. The cinematography, by del Toro regular Guillermo Navarro is stunning. An admirable achievement, but not without serious flaws.