Jack Moore (ElectroBoy)

Having dazzled mainstream viewers with Blade 2 and Hellboy Mexican director Guillermo del Toro returns to his roots for this deeply impressive adult fairytale that rates as one of the best films of 2006. Set in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, Pan's Labyrinth follows the fortunes of young Ofelia (Ivana Baquero), as she travels with her pregnant mother (Ariadna Gil) to stay with her new stepfather Captain Vidal (Sergi López) at a remote outpost. But while Vidal spends his days ruthlessly pursuing anti-fascist rebels in the woods, Ofelia discovers the entrance to a strange labyrinth in the forest and befriends a mystical faun named Pan (Doug Jones), who informs her that she is the rightful heir to his kingdom. In order to regain her place, however, the young girl must complete a number of dangerous tasks. But as the line between the two worlds blurs, Ofelia finds herself torn between caring for her sick mother and unborn brother and fulfilling her unusual quest. Pan's Labyrinth derives its inspiration from a number of sources, including - most obviously - the Grimms' fairytales, Alice In Wonderland and some of the imagination of Jim Henson. But it also owes much to the work of Spanish painter Goya (in particular, his gory creation Saturn Devours His Children), the illustrations of the director's favourite Victorian illustrator, Arthur Rackham, and del Toro's earlier work such as Cronos and The Devil's Backbone. As such, it's a very adult tale that features some truly disturbing imagery, a consistently melancholy tone and some extreme moments of violence. But it's an emotionally enriching experience that has some very important things to say for anyone willing to listen. The depiction of the hell of war is particularly memorable and occupies a large part of proceedings, serving as a timely comment on some of today's human rights abuses as well as a reminder that monsters aren't merely confined to fantasy. Yet the triumph of the human spirit and man's capacity for bravery and sacrifice is just as effectively relayed via some of the actions of Ofelia and the rebels hiding in the woods. The director draws some exemplary performances from his Spanish cast, with young Ivana Baquero providing a fearless presence as the determined Ofelia and López revelling in his role of evil incarnate. The most striking thing about Pan's Labyrinth, however, is its look, which succeeds in mining the depths of del Toro's wonderfully vivid imagination. The film juxtaposes the ugly with the beautiful in exemplary fashion, creating a world that's fun to explore and impossible to forget. Some of his creations, too, are incredibly striking, such as Pan himself, a horrific Pale Man (both played by Doug Jones) and an over-sized toad that Ofelia must confront and defeat as part of her journey. All combine to create an experience that is truly unforgettable, a film that confronts the horror of war and fascism within the cleverly constructed confines of a fantasy adventure. It's bold, inspired filmmaking that deserves the maximum praise.

"The Dark Knight" is pure adrenaline. Returning director Christopher Nolan, having dispensed with his introspective, moody origin story, now puts the Caped Crusader through a decathlon of explosions, vehicle flips, hand-to-hand combat, midair rescues and pulse-pounding suspense. Nolan is one of our smarter directors. He builds movies around ideas and characters, and "Dark Knight" is no exception. The ideas here are not new to the movie world of cops and criminal, but in the context of a comic book movie, they ring out with startling clarity. In other words, you expect moralistic underpinnings in a Martin Scorsese movie; in a Batman movie, they hit home with renewed vigor. None of this artistic achievement denies the re-energized Warner Bros./DC Comics franchise its commercial muscle. Those bags of money in the movie's opening bank heist are nothing compared with the worldwide boxoffice haul "Dark Knight" will take from theaters. Repeat viewings are a certainty. Repeat viewings might also be a necessity. That adrenaline rush comes at a cost: With the film's race-car pace, noise levels, throbbing music and density of stratagems, no one will follow all the plot points at first glance. Not that the story with its double crosses and ingenious plans isn't clear, but to enjoy the full glory of these urban battlefield strategies, multiple viewings are required. "Dark Knight" revolves around notions of the yin and yang between Hero and Villain and of those gray areas where social conscience and individuality collide. Thinking logically, Nolan and his co-writer/brother Jonathan, working from a story by Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer, imagine that the heroism of Bruce Wayne's Batman (a returning Christian Bale) is a double-edged sword. Cleaning up the streets of Gotham City turns the crime cartels into an even more dangerous beast that, once cornered, resorts to its own doomsday machine: the maniacally clever and criminally amoral Joker (the late Heath Ledger). And vigilante justice is nonetheless "justice" from outside the law. So who or what polices him? Running for cover, the mob head (Eric Roberts) first takes refuge with a Hong Kong crime mogul (Chin Han). Then when Batman takes him down, he and his fellow mobsters hold their noses and in desperation settle on a man who knows no rules and plays everyone against one another. The Joker relishes the assignment precisely because of his "admiration" for the Dark Knight. In one key confrontation, the Joker purrs to Batman, like a bride to a groom, "You complete me." The criminal clown, his makeup designed to emphasize his facial deformations, sees in a man dressed up in a bat suit "a freak like me." Seemingly on the side of good are the city's White Knight, District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart); his girlfriend/Assistant DA Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal) -- and, if you recall from "Batman Begins," Bruce Wayne's longtime love -- and police Lt. Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman). But loyalties are easily dislodged by threats or money. The Joker's true purpose, besides amusing himself trying to outwit Batman, is to see if he can "turn" the White Knight to his dark side. One wishes Nolan had cast a different actor than Eckhart as this White Knight. Although very good at playing duplicitousness and irony -- witness "Thank You for Smoking" -- Eckhart never quite seems the crusader presumably intended. The Joker, though, sees everyone as two-faced, even Batman, in his estimation. When confronted by pure evil -- and there is a kind of purity to the Joker's rule of no rules -- what can a vigilante do but violate his own moral code? The Joker means to push Batman beyond those limits. With six major action sequences shot with Imax cameras, Nolan pushes his own cinematic envelope. If the action in "Batman Begins" received ho-hum reviews in some quarters, this won't happen with "Dark Knight." Batman flies around the skyscrapers of Gotham and Hong Kong, rips through any number of villains with his martial arts, tears through streets in his armor-clad, two-wheeled Bat-Pod and has more tech backup than James Bond. While all modern movie action is visual-effects driven, the stunt work in "Dark Knight" looks like it's happening on the streets and not in a computer. Bale again brilliantly personifies all the deep traumas and misgivings of Batman's alter ego, Bruce Wayne. A bit of Hamlet is in this Batman. Ledger's performance is a beauty. His Joker has a slow cadence of speech, as if weighing words for maximum mischief and contempt. He moves languidly as if to savor his dark deeds, his head and body jerking at times from an overload of brain impulses. Michael Caine's butler extraordinaire, Alfred, and Morgan Freeman's scientific genius, Lucius, have settled into their dutiful roles as oases of the expected when all else is unexpected. Gyllenhaal is not exactly wasted, but she can't do much with a tissue-thin heroine. Oldman as the all-too-human cop is a quiet triumph in superb character acting.