The Shape of Water Review

Directed by Guillermo del Toro

Written by Guillermo del Toro and Vanessa Taylor

"Unable to perceive the shape of you, I find you all around me. Your presence fills my eyes with your love, It humbles my heart, For you are everywhere."

When imaginative director Guillermo del Toro was a child, he never understood why Kay and The Gill Man from The Creature from the Black Lagoon never got together in the end and so, all these years later, The Shape of Water was made. I think we can safely assume this is his answer to that childhood wonder and it's quite possible that The Shape of Water is what del Toro's remake of The Creature from the Black Lagoon for the Dark Universe would have looked like. Although, del Toro seemed to have full creative control here, where he wouldn't have with Universal. The Shape of Water has heavy hype and a total of thirteen Oscar nominations, but does it live up to them? Let's dive in.

The story focuses on a mute woman called Elisa (Played by Sally Hawkins), who works as a cleaner at a secure laboratory. This lab capture a humanoid fish creature believed to be a god. Elisa grows fond of the creature, like really fond. And as they build a touching relationship in secret, a new presence in the laboratory played by Michael Shannon plans on hurting the creature and eventually killing it to learn it's secrets, so it can be used against American's enemies. It's very much a Beauty and the Beast tale that reveals the real monster to be man. It's not the most original baseline but del Toro makes it his own thanks to his creative voice and inspiring visuals. The Shape of Water is a lovingly crafted, romantic creature feature unlike anything else you'll see this year.

(Source: Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Sally Hawkins is amazing in the role of Elisa, as she gives a very emotional and heartfelt performance. The character is a romantic, she's a little dorky, shy and instantly likable. She's also not your usual leading lady, which is always great to see. Del Toro is always good at casting bad guys and Michael Shannon couldn't look better in the role. He's cold, calculated, ruthless and proud. You could easily compare him to Vidal in Pan's Labyrinth but Michael Shannon's performance sets him apart. Doug Jones, the master creature actor himself is as always, wonderful. It was great to see him get a billing in the opening of the movie too. As for the creature he plays, who is so great to watch, I felt he could have used a little more development on the human side. It's a bit of a nitpick but he dosen't really seem to learn much more than two phrases in sign language (One being "egg") and not to bite living things in the face. This won't justify a romantic relationship for a lot of people. Moviegoers have compared him to Abe Sapien from Hellboy, another del Toro movie but believe me, he feels nothing like him and is believable as an entirely different creature, who just happens to be blue. The rest of the supporting cast is great, Octavia Spencer is always likable and Richard Jenkins gives his most endearing performance in a long time.

(Source: Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Once again the vision of del Toro shines brightly throughout The Shape of Water and the aqua, classical and almost Art Deco aesthetics are lush and magical. Not every set is as beautiful as each other but it's that right balance of fantasy and real life that del Toro is a master of. The effects are as wonderful as you would expect from a del Toro creature feature and the creature specifically is not only creative but feels very real. He is a great collaboration of strong make-up effects and strong suit acting.

(Source: Fox Searchlight Pictures)

The soundtrack is so unique and very memorable. As soon as the movie starts, the music will strike you and stick with you for days. Alexandre Desplat has crafted del Toro's greatest accompanying soundtrack since Pan's Labyrinth. The music mixing with the setting and style of The Shape of Water forges something unforgettable and undeniably pleasing to any lover of art, as a lot of del Toro's work does.

The Shape of Water is one of Guillermo del Toro's greatest works of film and considering I pretty much hold all of del Toro's movies in high regard, that's a big compliment. It's classic, pre-Hollywood del Toro with what is possibly his best team of creators and actors yet. This film needs to be seen on the big screen so you can really absorb this enchanting, classical world.

Rating: *****

Better Than > The Devil's Backbone Worse than > Pan's Labyrinth

Main pros -Strong Cast -Great mix of characters -Georgous asthetics -Impressive creature effects -Unforgettable soundtrack