The Shape of Water

The Shape of Water is a well-written and beautifully executed film that truly lives up to its expectations. Guillermo del Toro brings his signature visual style and emotional storytelling to create a unique blend of fantasy and romance. While I wouldn't call it a masterpiece, it's a film that's captivating and deeply engaging. Sally Hawkins delivers a standout performance as Elisa, conveying so much emotion without a single spoken word. Her connection with the creature is the heart of the story and feels surprisingly genuine. The supporting cast, especially Michael Shannon as the intense antagonist and Octavia Spencer as Elisa's friend, help round out the film with strong performances. The visuals are stunning, with the use of water imagery, lighting, and color creating a dreamlike atmosphere. The production design captures the Cold War-era setting perfectly while adding a touch of magic to the world. The story itself is simple yet layered, exploring themes of love, loneliness, and acceptance in a way that feels both fresh and timeless. Overall, The Shape of Water is a beautifully crafted film that's well worth watching. It's not perfect, but it's a memorable and heartfelt story that stays with you long after it ends.

I appreciate that this probably isn't to everyone's taste - but I really enjoyed it. Set in 1960s America this is a story about a mute woman "Elisa" (Sally Hawkins) who ends up working as a cleaner at a top secret military facility where an aquatic creature is being held captive/experimented upon. Over the course of the film, she befriends him and they establish a bond despite the cruel treatment he is receiving from a truly unpleasant "Colonel Strickland" (Michael Shannon). Octavia Spencer is also superb as her close friend who interprets for her and ends up being her partner in crime. This is story about humanity (and inhumanity), trust, hope and ultimately vengeance filmed in a magnificently enigmatic fashion by Guillermo del Toro and scored by Alexandre Desplat.

My girlfriend and I called it "the Fish F***er Movie" and that is really what it is...but it's also green, very, very green. Ever wondered how Abe from Hellboy had sex? Well this movie explains it. But honestly, it isn't bad. It's a total period piece. It's beautiful, I mean it is very beautiful, and it has a story. But, yeah, the thing about it is that it's beautiful AND has a story. The English Patient, Brokeback Mountain, they were just beautiful and beauty alone with no story behind it is boring. The Fisk F***** Movie had both. And, yeah, the story is something we are used to. It was the good, friendly monster that had to be rescued by the mean nasty government plot and, especially if you are a child of the 80s, it works. It's a plot that we've seen over and over again...only in kids movies. This Fish F***er movie, the plot is made for adults, so less adventure and fart jokes and a lot more beauty slightly deeper issues, issues that equate homosexual and racial issues to being the outsider that matters...in the right way. Not the immature and racist way that we see in Black Panther and Get Out... ...so it's refreshing to see that handled subtly and politely and still make the point. Subtle and polite hardly go hand in hand with a serious point now days. The Shape of Water was able to hint at a point, still entertain, and, well, do it in a way that was so beautiful it was mesmerizing.