Forewarning: If you haven't seen Pan's Labyrinth yet I suggest you do not read any of this. It may ruin your experience when watching the movie and will spoil some of the story for you.

Pan's Labyrinth, where to start? I have to say I have never seen such an amazing movie or unique as this one. So much depth and emotions portrayed in the movie it left me stunned at the end. Ofelia, played by the on and only Ivana Baquero, carried the movie for me. I was amazed by the professional acting this young girl was able to portray on the screen. There are so many elements that make this movie one of the best, let's take an overview of Pan's Labyrinth . . . .

The Story

Unique, original, simple, and wonderful. I could go on forever explaining how excited I was to finally see a movie with an original story and finally a REAL fairy tale that tells it like it is. While watching the movie for the first time, I never expected what to expect next as each frame of the movie passed across the screen. The story captivated me, the characters felt so real, and the ending caught me by surprise like never before.

Ofelia

What a character and what an adventure she has to go though. As the movie progressed I really started to like this character. I felt so sad seeing her have a stepfather that didn't love her, her mom was dying, and she had no one to turn to when she cried and needed help. Sure Mercedes was there from time to time but Ofelia was truly on her own to complete the quests the faun gave her to do. And in the end she gives up that she is to save the life of her baby brother. She gave her life up for the life an innocent and never had a second though of being selfish. Now that is a Character, honest, kind, and willing to sacrifice her own needs for others. It doesn't get much better than that I'd say.

Emotional Impact

Pan's Labyrinth left me stunned after watching it for the first time. At first I was like "good movie" but as I procesed the images and story in my mind during that evening I started to realize this was more than just a movie . . . . . it was my favorite movie. I watched it again the samme night. This time however I watched it with the audio comentary. It really explained a lot and make me realzise Ofelia's situation: a young girls who wants to be hapy and have a loving family. She has an amazing imagination and in the end while she could be killed her imagination will live on forever. I cry now evrytime I see the ending of Pan's Labyrinth, I can't help it. Realizing and seeing a yong girl be shot and then slowly dying and transporting into her kingdom where she becomes a princess makes me cry. It such a beautiful emotional moment . . . . words cannot describe the feelings.