"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”.