The fantasy movie of the year!

If you know me, I like fantasy. Books, movies, TV shows. I like them all. Well not actually all of them. I hate Eragon both the movie and the book. The book is full of fantasy clichés and a movie made out of a book full of clichés has got to be bad. Add wooden acting and horrible castings you'll get something like Eragon. The main character is supposed to be a young boy, not a guy who looks like he's at least 25 years old. I've gone to the conclusion that Eragon is the movie I will definitely miss the first time I saw the trailer. John Malkovich or not there's no way I'll see it and judging from the reviews the movie got so far, I decided right.

Ok, let's get on with the best fantasy movie of the year rather than lose ourselves in, possibly, the worst fantasy movie of the year.


So you're probably dying to know what it is? Well it's this little movie called "Pan's Labyrinth" from writer/director Guillermo del Toro. The movie is set in fascist Spain in 1944. Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) has to moved into the house of her tyrannical stepfather who is trying to snuff out the rebel forces in the region. Ofelia hates her new life and becomes immersed in the magical world of the surrounding forest where she encounters fairies and a faun who tells her that she is the long-lost princess they have been waiting for.

I know the synopsis doesn't sound that good but the movie is so much more than what I've written above. It's a mix of history, fantasy, horror, suspense and drama. It is as original as "Spirited Away" was in 2002. Forget those boring movie based on popular fantasy books. This movie is so stunningly made and so imaginative that it hurts.

The cinematography is great, the special effects are topnotch (not so surprising since it comes from the director of Hell Boy). The score? It's so simple, in the form of a lullaby, both sweet and sinister at the same time. The acting leaves the wooden actor from Eragon eating the dirt. I'm not kidding here. All of the actors in the movie are so good. I think I've found the worst villain ever. Forget Sauron or Voldemort, the villain of the year is Captain Vidal.

One thing though, this movie is definitely not for kids. It's more like a fairy tale for adult. There's blood and gore and terrifying characters, which are what you should expect from a movie with a civil war backdrop.

"Pan's Labyrinth" has been nominated for quite a few awards and I wouldn't be surprised if it's nominated for one or two Oscars. In fact, I'm gonna be very disappointed if it doesn't make it to the nominations list. We'll have to wait and see then. In the mean time, here's the trailer. Enjoy!