Today was the wide release of the extremely anticipated Pan's Labyrinth, a shocking mix of war, fantasy, and horror from writer/director Guillermo del Toro. I had very high expectations going in to this movie. I left with not all of them met, but still extremely satisfied.

Oh, where to begin? Let's start with the star of the picture, the person who takes every scene and makes it thirty times more vivid than the most advanced technical tools could produce - Ivana Baquero (who plays the little girl Ofelia). This twelve year-old girl delivers a performance so much more moving than most actresses in their prime can hope to achieve. The emotion she conveys in her small, simple gestures, such as telling a bedtime story to her unborn mother's child, make this story come to life. She is the point of bonding, the point where adults can find their inner child, and children can find their relation to the events on screen. I don't like to use the term 'brilliance,' but del Toro evokes an amazing aura from young Ivana that makes this movie so, so much more than just a visual effects extravaganza.

Saying this as sort of a disclaimer and a 'warning': there is a bit less 'fantasy' and 'labyrinth' than one is made to believe by the trailers. I'd say about 75% of the story takes place in Spain, revolving around the very real, very brutal Sergi López (who plays Capitan Vidal) and Maribel Verdú (Mercedes, the conflicted servant/maid), and the remaining 25% is about the fantasmal world where Ofelia (Ivana) is also an unproven Princess Moanna. But while this is misleading, the more I think about it - as cheesy as this will sound - the more I love this movie.

Sergi López does an amazing job in portraying the brutal captain (capitan? Whatever). From the first impression you get of him, smashing in a man's face and nose with a wine bottle, it is nonstop tyrannical brutality. He is the most vicious incarnate of evil that I've seen in a movie since Amon Goeth in 'Schindler's List' (yes, I did just make that comparison). There is an abundance of hatred towards the captain, yet there is not a second where you doubt that he is a very real and terrifying man.

The visuals? The 'labyrinth'? The plot, the storyline? All are top notch, and clearly del Toro has spent a considerable amount of time on this materpiece. The scenes are so elaborate, and the stretch of detail in every frame is astounding. The story makes me imagine that maybe if I, myself, drew a chalk doorway on my wall, that I could open a door to another world, and face the things that Ofelia does. This movie makes you want to believe. Even the gross, creepy scenes are beautiful.

I don't want to spoil the expreience by giving too much away. I don't know if I would say this is the 'best' movie of the year (hi, 'The Departed'), but it is easily a top three, easily the best foreign language movie, and everyone, except no one, should see this movie. If it is playing in your city, even if it's a thirty minute drive, I beg - no, command - you to see it. It will be the best $7.50 you will ever spend.

Rating: 10/10