A twisted fairytale

Rating: 10/10 (4 January 2011)

Pan's Labyrinth is such a great story, and beautifully delivered. The young girl, Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) carries you through the film, and does a wonderful job, I fully believed her character throughout the film, which made the story even more emotional and touching. Visually it amazes me, particularly the scene with the 'Paleman' who is such as interesting and unforgettable character that he'll stick in your mind forever. Not only is the scene breathtaking visually, but raised the tension, until my heart was literally beating through my chest. Pan's Labyrinth is dark, magical and mysterious and leaves you wanting to see more and more, unfortunately, you don't ever see much of the mythical world that the faun tries to bring Ofelia (who according to the faun is a princess from the underworld) back to, which is a shame, as so much could have been done aesthetically! Not only do the magical creatures such as the faun, the fairies and the of course the forever disturbing Paleman interest me, but also the brutality of Ofelia's new step-father, who is shockingly violent throughout the film, only making it even more deep and interesting. Overall its a great film, but I must admit wont suit everybody's taste, but in my case, I could watch it over and over again.