Just like a carny sideshow, this flick is filled with obvious humbug. The story takes its sweet time getting into the meat of the matter, mostly through creating a number of set ups that will have rather clear payoffs in scenes down the line. On the plus side, this film is visually fine to look at, both from a design standpoint and in terms of cinematography (both typical strengths of any Guillermo del Toro movie). Overall, there’s enough entertainment here to let you watch it without feeling like a total mark, but one has to suspect that this could have been a more dazzling show, without resorting to any sideshow tricks.
