I really liked this film. In fact, it was my favorite film of the year, beating out "Children of Men," and "The Queen,"
Guillermo Navarro ASC, did an extraordinary job with this.
I had assumed the Faun was CGI. I know the mouth wasn't though, Doug Jones, the actor who played the Faun and the Pale Man, has said that he operated the lower portion of the face while puppeteer manipulated the top. The lower body was.
I really like the low key lighting. I'm generally a big fan of it, frankly.
Effects are where Del Toro's roots are in cinema, and I've read an article stating that he designed how each effect was going to be executed.
On another note, I saw an interview with Charlie Rose (the other interviewees were the other "Big Mexicans," Cuaron and Inarritu.) Anyway, Del Toro admitted that he doesn't " even know how to use a light meter." He said he just looks at the monitor, and asks his DP if the appropriate areas are dark, what's the brightest spot in the frame, etc.
What do you guys think about this? I was frankly shocked.