The Shape of Water: Review

‘The Shape of Water’ is one of my most anticipated films of 2018 as a whole. I am a huge Guillermo Del Toro fan with the Pan’s Labyrinth and Hellboy 1 & 2 being some of my all time favourite movies. When I first saw the trailer I was immediately in awe, my interest was at full attention.This review is pretty late as I have now seen this film 3 times in cinemas.

I can’t really keep going with out stating this out right here, as it will soon become very obvious. The reason this review so late is because I utterly adored this film and wanted to give it time before I review it just to be sure I wasn’t just being bias and overwhelmed but the views I had and have never diminished. It is without a doubt already one of my all time favourite movies, so with that out in the open, I will get in to the specifics of why this is the case.

Right off the bat, the first thing that will immediately come to your attention is the cinematography. Guillermo Del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy) and Dan Lausten (Silent Hill, Mimic) came together to deliver a film which rarely goes with out scene that could be paused and framed in an art gallery. Using lighting effects and colour theory to their advantage to not only depict a stunning visual, but to add depth to the story with these subtle elements.

Speaking of Del Toro, his direction through out ‘The Shape of Water’ is flawless, each action done for a reason, it is very obvious that this is a project that Guillermo has had in mind since childhood. Each element of the film flows seamlessly under his direction as a result of this, the visuals fit with the music, the actors all embody their roles perfectly and the world within this film feels completely fleshed out.

The actors performances are all award worthy, Sally Hawkins (Godzilla, Submarine) gives one of the most heart filled performances I have ever seen without saying a single word. She conveys a wide range of emotions all through her mannerisms and facial expressions and it is a joy to watch again and again. Doug Jones (Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy) as the amphibious man is incredible, similarly to Hawkins portrays a wide range of emotions only with his mannerisms. Their romance as it blossoms through out the film had me completely invested. I fully cared for these characters because their performances where so strong, they did not feel like just characters. Michael Shannon (Man of Steel, Nocturnal Animals)was a truly intimidating antagonist, delivering what I feel is his best ever performance. He too was completely fleshed out and had me on edge, angered and shocked through out the feature. I could rave on and on about all the other great performances but this review would go on way too long.

The script works in tandem with the actors and direction to create an enthralling story from start to finish, taking it’s time in places where needed and ramping up the intensity as the story progresses. My one knit pick with the script is that I just wish there was more time spent on Elisa (Sally Hawkins) and the amphibious man first getting to know each other as this section of the film passes rather quickly. Perhaps this is me just wanting more time with these characters but that is the only thing that comes to mind as far as issues with the film go.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention how incredible and ethereal the films soundtrack is. Each song is filled with wonder and whimsy as well as tension and fear when needed! Alexandre Desplat (The Grand Budapest Hotel, Godzilla) did an other worldly job with these compositions and he really added to the setting of early 60’s USA with his addition of re-arrangements of songs from that period!

The last thing I want to explain, is why I am reviewing this on a horror blog. Despite Del Toro’s track record, the inclusion of a monster and moments of tension and dread, this is not what most people would consider a horror movie but a romantic fantasy thriller. Despite this, it is still a highly relevant film to horror due to it’s influence and roots coming from 1954’s ‘Creature from the Black Lagoon’ (and other horror films of that period) as well as the overall nature of the horror of Michael Shannon’s intense and menacing performance as the film’s true monster in Col. Strickland. Perhaps ‘The Shape of Water’ is not a horror film in the modern sense, but I feel it is in the traditional Universal monster sense and in the way it moved myself as a huge horror and monster movie fan.

I’m going to give ‘The Shape of Water’ 98%, a near perfect movie!

Have you seen the movie? What did you think about it? I know I have a very high opinion of this movie but I know not everone will feel the same way and that is fine. Share your thoughts on ‘The Shape of Water’ below! and if you haven’t seen it yet, you should. Check out the trailer below!