Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

The religious undertones were incredibly strong. All of Ophelia's choices were moral choices. She screwed up once, but was given a second chance. At the end, she gave her life for her brother, which arguably is the ultimate good. She got to escape a horrible, war ridden world to go home to her father (God) in his kingdom (Heaven). This movie was one of hope, and the purest explanation I've ever seen of Christianity. That's why there was a heavy theme on innocence, and the simple brutality of life.Maybe the director didn't mean that, but that's how I took it. Don't let this review ruin the movie if you don't like or believe in religion. It's ambiguous, I'm just inclined to think of it like that because of my experiences.It was a great movie, very morbid like life itself, but not without hope. Definitely recommend.

Guillermo del Toro is one of my favorite directors and he spun together history, politics and fantasy so seamlessly I was left in awe. I originally didn't want to watch this movie because of the subtitles but I was drawn in so completely to the plot and the characters that within mere minutes I didn't notice. The movie is brilliantly layered with plot, content, history, politics, brutality, fantasy and metaphors. A young girl finds an escape from her abysmal existence and I was mesmerized from beginning to end. Must watch.

Guillermo Del Toro's dark fairy-tale is at it's best when it delves into its own twisted fantasy and our young protagonist comes face to face with some of the most unique creations within the genre, and yet the civil war backdrop plays just as important a role in shaping the overall story. 'Pan's Labyrinth (2006)' provides a surprisingly brutal stark contrast to the sense of wide-eyed wonder we feel whenever the lead steps into her newfound world of fawns and fairies, a world which isn't actually all that much safer. The tangibility of both these aspects is commendable considering one was created from scratch and the other was recreated from a war-torn era over fifty years ago. It is the believability of the world that makes the stakes seem all the more real, considering that danger is almost constantly present even in the places where the protagonist goes to escape - or seek a remedy for - her real-life woes. A layered, magical and mature piece that almost demands dissection. 7/10

Pan's Labyrinth is one of the few movies I rate with a straight ten: a fantastic and unusual story, an outstanding cast (Ivana Baquero is incredible good as Ofelia), a superb cinematography and directing - simply put, a movie without any flaw. Everything composed like a well-balanced opera or a play by Shakespeare.Guillermo del Toro did with this movie one of the finest moments in movie history. Pan's Labyrinth belongs to me in the same league as movies like Metropolis, Apocalypse Now, Godfather etc.A must-see. Especially for every lover of the unusual, fantastic and strange.