beautiful and twisted, but mainly beautiful

Rating: 9/10 (18 January 2014)

The way Del Toro balances this story between the cruel reality of the Spanish civil war and the wonder of this realm he's created is perfect. This is one of the purest fantasy movies I've seen, and it's beautiful throughout, even in scenes without Ofelia and her imagination present. Behind the gloom is a strong family tale; Ofelia's love for her mother, the struggles Mercedes goes through with her brother, and Captain Vidal's strained history with his father. This instills heart to what could easily be nothing more than a florid piece, regarded purely for it's dress-up (which is incredible).
The performances were also great. Ivana Bacquero and Maribel Verdu were standouts, but it's Sergi Lopez's embodiment of evil as Captain Vidal that leaves the biggest impression. As far as movie villains go, he'd have to be up there with the best. Credit is due also to Doug Jones, the man who is usually behind the amazing costumes in GDT films. His movements as The Faun and The Pale Man ranged from powerful and intimidating to absolutely terrifying. Extra credit too for learning Spanish.
This film is a remarkable achievement, not just for Spanish cinema but cinema as a whole. It should be remembered as one of the most riveting pieces of dark fantasy. Guillermo Del Toro is a genius and master of this genre, and the people behind the scenes who work with costumes, set designs, FX etc. are incredible.
A movie I would recommend that's similar in terms of dream-like fantasy and a completely visceral feel is a 2006 film called The Fall. I wouldn't rate it as highly as Pan's Labyrinth but it's definitely a good film in it's own right, and worth checking out.
Sweet, thanks for reading yo!