An overly fusion of Shindler's List and Cinderella

Rating: 7/10 (7 November 2006)

I'm not that sensitive. I watch horror flicks in numbers, but I was really disgusted by those overly naturalistic scenes like one with hammering a nose into brain with 10 fast blows of a bottle in very color and detail. Isn't this too much? Why? Was it the only way to express an explicit brutality? Of course, not - check Shindler's List to compare the sense of proportion in both.
At the same time ELDF is as naive as Snowflake with all those pans, and fairies. Yes, I've got that idea of paralleling, and contrasting the two dimensions. Bravo, huh, but so charmingly naive.
I do believe that real talent doesn't need employing epatage and shock, and ELDF strengthened my beliefs once again. This energy could have been saved for elaborating on depth of characters and situations rather.
Good points ahead. Except for brutality scenes and the toad the imagery was brilliant. That blind creature will stay in my imagination for long. I only wish they had advanced in that surrealistic path some more... Performance was fine, within 2D framework the actors had been given.
Well, yes, this is a high class movie with lots of talent and imagination invested, but at the same time with heavy lack on depth and sense of proportion. I'm really looking forward to Del Toro impressing me in more positive way next time. Best regards.