Pan'sPan'sSynopsis from www.rottentomatoes.com:
Pan's Labyrinth is Alice in Wonderland for grown-ups, with the horrors of both reality and fantasy blended together into an extraordinary, spellbinding fable. Told through the eyes of a little girl, Ofelia, whose imaginary world is inhabited by nightmarish creatures, Pan's Labyrinth is a visually imaginative and allegorical take on the fears she faced in Spain during WWII.

Review:
This film actually lived up to all of the hype surrounding it. It was at times gruesome, but I believe it was needed so you understand why Ofelia has created this imaginary escape for herself. What is most intriguing about her world is that it is not devoid of its own horrors, eventhough she created it to escape from the real life horror and despair of her real life. In her imaginary world she holds some power over her own destiny, as opposed to reality where she is watching everything crumble.

The film is superbly acted on all fronts. Sergi López as the Captain is so evil you want to reach through the screen and kill him yourself. He plays the role with zero restraint. Maribel Verdú as Mercedes and Ariadna Gil as Carmen both shine. As for Ivana Baquero as Ofelia, she is mesmerizing. As she is in almost 80% of the scenes in this film she carries the emotional weight on her tiny shoulders without fail. This should be a star making film for her.

For anyone who is leery of subtitles, don't be. Most of the action and fantasy sequences have very little dialogue, so you don't miss the visuals.

This one a definite Must See!