Truly Gripping, Magical and Unexpectingly Brutal

Rating: 9/10 (28 September 2017)

Pan's Labyrinth is a truly gripping film. It shows the difference in class between the peasant resistance and the fascist military. It's a great blend of action and drama whilst managing to stay interesting to the audience. It combines history, fantasy, politics and a story into 2 hours of enthralling film. The setting is magical and transports you into a world of mystical delight.
The costume and make up team really out do themselves, making the mythical creature of a Faun look real. It's not CGI or some animations; they took the time and effort to make a Greek god, only seen in paintings into a real life being.
The Performance by Ivana Baquero is brilliant, especially as she was only 11 or 12 at the time. She has to act with CGI; she has to act scared, sad, happy, relieved and surprised. With such little experience puts on an incredible show. Also, the performance of Sergi Lopez is amazing. From the first time we meet him to the last he keeps his character, a character which is always by the book, cold hearted and emotionless, even towards a child.
Before watching the film I expected a corny story with poor performance by the lead child actor. But I couldn't have been more wrong. Even though it's sounds all cheesy story, it's actually quite dark, brutal and thrilling. There's unexpected violence completely out of nowhere that surprises the audience and gives a true insight into what the character are like early on.
Overall, Pan's Labyrinth is a must see block buster. Please do not discriminate it as it's foreign with subtitles, after a few minutes your used to it and hooked on its riveting tale.