Sad but enjoyable

Rating: 8/10 (27 January 2008)

It's been a while since this movie came out on DVD. At first i wanted to see it in the theater, but it just never happened. And then i wanted to catch it as soon as it came out on DVD. That didn't happen either. But now, finally, i saw it.
I can start by saying that i'm somewhat of a fan of Guillermo del Toro. Of course most of the movies i've seen from him have been either horror or action. But there has always been a distinct sense of style that i have appreciated about his work. Here he really takes that style to the next level. The first thing i noticed about this movie was the overall visual style. It looks simply gorgeous, be it in the fantasy world or the regular world.
I was a bit skeptical of this movies theme at first. The whole idea of mixing fantasy and reality is something that i feel rarely works. My skepticism was mostly proved wrong by this movie. Mostly the mix between fantasy and reality works very well, and it's well integrated to the point where you are sometimes wondering what is real and what is not. Still del Toro manages to keep the "real" elements of the movie stark and convincing, which is not an easy task.
I guess what surprised me the most here was how sad and tragic this movie was. I expected something fairy-tale like, but what i got was a mostly sad and at times very violent story about something tragically real. I actually felt sad after watching the movie, it was a lingering feeling that i don't have very often. I was also surprised at how graphic the movie was, it really is a movie only for grown-ups. And probably not for all grown-ups either.
To try and summarize this. Did i like the movie? Yes, i did. There is a lot to like here. There are strong emotions, beautiful visuals, magnificent acting, a gripping story and a good mixture between fantasy and reality. I found it to be somewhat overly graphic at times, and almost depressing in how bleak it was. But i still enjoyed it very much. I recommend it. 8/10.