Pan’s Labyrinth is about a young girl's childhood fantasies set against the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War. Mexican director Guillermo del Toro’s attempt at mixing fantasy and reality fails miserably. One reviewer summed it up when he described this film as "too adult for children and too simplistic for most adults - with nothing of serious import to say about war or innocence". I would go as far as to say it is the most simplistic treatment of the Spanish Civil War I have ever seen. Watch Land and Freedom by Ken Loach if you really want to see a film about this subject. I’m no fan of the fantasy genre but there has to be something better than this out there. I’m also aware that this film is very popular and that my view is a minority one. But Pan's Labyrinth relies heavily on special effects and grotesque visual images that today’s commercial cinemagoers have perhaps come to expect. Meanwhile, the dialogue is of little importance and we get heavily stereotyped characters like the army captain - war is about good guys and bad guys, with no shades of grey. Despite this, Pan’s Labyrinth takes itself very seriously. I can't recall one single humourous moment or any other viewer as much as having a chuckle. Yet, it’s all quite laughable really.