This is a great review. I wanted to comment on one small point:

"Also, at times it seems as if del Toro has fallen in love with the visual spectacle he's created and forgets to concentrate on the storytelling."

I'm not sure that this is a fault. It is true that del Toro's movies are highly visual, and their narratives are not always dialog-based. (That is, visual clues are not always accompanied by credulous characters exclaiming, "Why look! Isn't that the handkerchief that Federico Luppi used in Act I? Whatever could it be doing in the courtyard next to that unexploded ordnance?"

Movie viewers have become lazy. We expect everything to be explained to us; we've grown accustomed to being beaten over the head. Most comic-based summer blockbusters--for instance "Spider-Man"--can be very entertaining but are so action-driven that any attempt at subtlety seems out-of-place.

I'm not a huge comic-book fan, but I do know that many of today's author/artists, such as Mike Mignola, have brought a surprisingly literary aspect to their oeuvre.

I love del Toro's work because it exploits both senses available to filmmakers--sight and sound--to the greatest extent possible.

Jeff your summarization of the film's content cracked me up. Creature goo?

Jeff, you rock my world. I love your reviews and the way you summerize. (I liked 'creature goo') For me, you always do a great job.
Thanks!!!