Review of The Shape of Water (2017) by Isaac J — 03 Mar 2018

Rating: A-.

Guillermo del Toro proves that his visuals are as impeccable as ever. Such a beautifully directed film, with so much vivid colors and wonderful production design. The editing is flawless, the score is magical and the cinematography is incredibly gorgeous.

Sally Hawkins (Elisa Esposito) has a phenomenal performance. She is able to transmit her feelings in such a classy way and without saying a single word throughout the entire movie. Oscar-worthy display as well as the rest of the fantastic cast. Michael Shannon (Strickland) and Octavia Spencer (Zelda) are great, but Richard Jenkins (Giles) is right up there with Sally. An all-star cast delivers perfect performances that carry a meaningful, romantic and unique story.

Unfortunately, not everything is perfect. The tone and the pacing are a bit unbalanced, but my main issue is the cheesy and predictable third act. Even though the story alone justifies watching this film, some people might find creepy the relationship between Elisa and the Amphibian Man (Doug Jones).

Still, it is a brilliant screenplay with a lot of important messages and del Toro does an outstanding job directing The Shape of Water, which will surely get him a win at the 90th Academy Awards. It does not do enough for entering my Top10: Best Movies of 2017, but it gets a well-deserved Honorable Mention.