"The Shape of Water" movie review

“The Shape of Water” by Guillermo del Toro is a fantasy tale which touches upon themes like acceptance of those that are not like us, compassion winning over cruelty – themes that seem particularly relevant today. I can see why it was so loved by the critics and the awards shows. However, I found the entire experience quite underwhelming.

The movie’s protagonist is Elisa (Sally Hawkins), a mute woman who works as a cleaner in a government laboratory in Baltimore. Her friends include her closeted next-door neighbour Giles (Richard Jenkins) and her co-worker Zelda (Octavia Spencer). When the lab gets an amphibian creature which has been captured by the cruel Colonel Richard Strickland (Michael Shannon), Elisa forms a bond with the creature. How their relationship develops and the lengths that Elisa will go to in order protect the creature is the main focus of the movie.

The movie hits all the standard tropes but works best when the subtle touches come into play. The visuals are beautiful and it is great to see Guillermo del Toro’s imagination come alive. The movie is a cinematic triumph and uses the medium of cinema very well. The performances are also good throughout.

The issue I had with the movie is that for a fantasy movie, it felt very much by the numbers. Especially with Michael Shannon’s character, he is so purely evil and has no redeeming qualities – it is to Shannon’s credit that his performance is able to bring some humanity to the role. It is set in the cold war and is a period drama so it feels old and dated – unfortunately I also got the same feeling for the movie in general. The ode to the movies and the luxurious pace has a feeling of indulgence, though that is not necessarily a bad thing. The biggest problem for me was that the movie lacked freshness, which made it a bit boring for me. Granted it is a romance and fantasy, but the treatment could have been more engaging.

All in all, I felt I could have given “The Shape of Water” a pass. As I mentioned, I understand why the movie is such a darling with the critics – but as an audience it felt a lot more “meh”.

"Black Panther" movie review

Marvel continues its successful run of solo superhero movies that work on their own, and at the same time gels well with the larger MCEU. A big reason for this is that they select writers and directors who lend their own distinctive touch to the stories. And with Ryan Coogler, Marvel has once again made a brilliant choice – he has made Black Panther with a distinctive voice and has probably helped usher in a new era in superhero movies.

Black Panther picks up after the events of Captain America: Civil War – following the death of his father King T’Chaka, Black Panther T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) inherits the throne of Wakanda and assembles his trusted team including his bodyguard Okoye (Danai Gurira), his sister and agent Q Shuri (Letitia Wright), his confidant W’Kabi (Daniel Kaluuya) and former lover Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o). Things get serious when T’Challa tries to capture Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis) who is working with Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan), who seems to have a connection with T’Challa that threatens to bring up stuff from the past.

The biggest strength of Black Panther is that the movie hits pretty much all the right notes. Each character is well defined, especially the supporting characters – the female characters in particular are so great, it is so refreshing. Wakanda, the new world in the ever expanding MCEU, is beautifully rendered. The movie is visually stunning, with excellent action set pieces and the cool stuff like the new technologies, etc. are a lot of fun. The performances are all rock solid – it is a great ensemble cast that delivers, irrespective of the screen time. The soundtrack by Kendrick Lamar is just perfect. And of course, with Michael B. Jordan’s Killmonger, Marvel has tackled their villain problem – Killmonger is not a generic villain with a generic motivation. It is a rich, nuanced character with a good backstory and motivations that make you question right and wrong – and of course the performance is one of the biggest highlights of the movie.

On the flip side though, I felt the movie could have been longer – not the worst problem to have. There could have been more backstory to the characters, especially Killmonger. And with the supporting characters, a lot of them seem to overshadow Black Panther – despite Chadwick Boseman’s screen presence. The final act also gets a bit cliched, especially with Martin Freeman’s bit.

But these are minor squabbles in what is a memorable movie. And it is an extremely important movie for a variety of reasons – the diversity angle in particular, especially given its timing. Ryan Coogler has made a movie that is entertaining, thought provoking and just so woke – you can’t help but ignore it. The movie deserves the success it is getting, and I hope it goes on to mint a lot more at the box office.