Laberinto del fauno, El (aka Pans Labyrinth) * 1/2
(First Viewing)

In 1944 fascist Spain, a girl, fascinated with fairy-tales, is sent along with her pregnant mother to live with her new stepfather, a ruthless captain of the Spanish army. During the night, she meets a fairy who takes her to an old faun in the center of the labyrinth. He tells her she's a princess, but must prove her royalty by surviving three gruesome.

Everything I had heard about this movie is VERY misleading. It's not really a fantasy movie. Crap, 3/4 of the movie deals with the Spanish 1944 time period, which I felt they spent too much time exploring. I would have liked to have seen a more fantasy driven movie than a period piece/"fantasy." It shouldn't surprise me though as I'm not a fan of Guillermo del Toro's work. Blade II was enjoyable but Hellboy was grossly overrated.