* Don't bother ** Rent it *** Matinee material **** Worth seeing ***** Exceptional

With its gnarled trees, wooded mazes and talking fauns, it would be easy to mistake Pan's Labyrinth as a children's fairy tale, something safe for ages 8 and above. Don't. This beautiful and chilling effort from director Guillermo del Toro, contains as little fairy dust as V for Vendetta and almost as much violence as The Departed.

The plot centers on Ofelia (Ivana Baquero), a lonely Spanish girl whose mother, Carmen (Ariadna Gil), has recently married a Captain in Franco's army, shortly after Franco assumes power in Spain. The film begins with Ofelia and Carmen, pregnant with the Captain's child, making the tedious journey to join him at his spooky command outpost in Northern Spain.

Their efforts to be well-behaved and pleasant are lost on the Captain (Sergi Lopez), whose only concern is his not-yet-born son and hunting down the revolutionaries in the mountains who are circling ever closer to the manor.

As Carmen experiences one of the most complicated pregnancies on film record, Ofelia takes solace in her books of fairy tales. When a fawn appears to her and tells her she is the reborn princess of a forest king and must complete three tasks to prove her identity, she jumps at the chance to escape from her daily existence.

Pan's central theme of obedience without questioning is interwoven in both stories and the dialogue is especially strong. One reason this film works is that del Toro doesn't allow the viewer to become too distracted by Ofelia's fantasies, which are well done but still the less interesting part of the movie. Viewers spend just enough time interacting with ugly otherworldly creatures before returning to the far more horrifying manor, where guns and knives illustrate the sharp contrast between the two storylines.

Lopez is careful not to go over the top as the Captain. Instead, he succeeds in infusing his character's words and actions with a terrifying cruelty that, given the circumstances, it isn't hard to believe humans are capable of. Questioned by a doctor as to how he can be so certain Carmen will give birth to a son, he answers simply, "Don't fuck with me."

Pan's Labyrinth is a terrific film, but viewer beware: It doesn't shy away from blood, gore or close-range assassination. Those who think they're buying a ticket to see Disney should reconsider taking the trip at all.

— Blythe Lawrence

blythelawrence@thedaily.washington.edu