"Pan's Labyrinth" is a simple but heartful film that beautifully combines dark fantasy, mild horror and semi-realistic war drama in a truly unique atmosphere. It has been criticized for being a bit too simplistic and melodramatic, but if you take it as the allegoric fairytale it is supposed to be, I actually found it as one of the few successful attempts at transposing such a genre into adult cinema. The simple narration and archetypal characters reflect classic fairytale storytelling, while also managing to teach the values of rebellion and sacrifice without resulting tediously didascalic.

Ofelia's fantasy world has often been misinterpreted as an imaginary refuge from the horrors of war, or as a visual representation of war seen through the eyes of a child. However, as Del Toro Said himself, the faun and the other creatures are not a figment of Ofelia's imagination, and are supposed to exist within the film's reality. This made me think about how grown-ups tend to come up with elaborated explanations and expect overcomplicated developments from something that just wanted to tell a story.

My only complaint is that the creatures just appear like in a catalog with very little to say. It's a pity considering that Del Toro obviously spent a lot of time and effort to meticulously flesh out the hauntingly beautiful aesthetics and set the tone with his fluid direction and immersive sound design.