Review of The Shape of Water (2017) by Felix M — 19 Dec 2017

**Slight disclaimer: My "reviews," are really just gut reactions that I can remember and jot down. Forgive the sloppy styling, grammatical errors and general upheaval of my writing. While I do try and write something cohesive and obeying film review etiquette, mostly, I say fuck that. What I love about theater going, is the surge of emotions I experience, especially during a particularly bad or a truly great film. I try (and likely fail) to translate that feeling into my writing but hey, I warned you. You can stop now and I'll never know.

The Shape of Water.

Watched 12/16/2017.

Guillermo Del Toro is like the cool big brother I never had. His films have marked major highlights of my young life. The first R-Rated film I ever snuck into was Blade 2, the first review I ever wrote for the middle school newspaper was Hellboy, I took one of my first dates to Pan's Labyrinth. The man, his stories and his monsters have inspired me and captured my imagination for years. His newest The Shape of Water, does it again and in one of my most enjoyable film experiences of 2017.

I'm not going to reveal much in this review. This film, it's beauty and wonder should be best enjoyed head first. If I try to explain everything, you'll know just what to expect. Jump in, take the plunge and go see this film. Del Toro's stories have always struck a balancing act of mixing fantasy and fiction between the harsh and real. The Shape of Water expands on these themes, in possibly his best way yet. This is first and foremost a love story unlike one I have seen before, and I don't believe many filmmakers could have pulled this off the way Del Toro does.

I applaud Doug Jones for his dedication to his role as the creature. I can only imagine the torment he endured wearing a massive suit, especially doing practical effects. Most of the water effects we see in the film are done in camera. When we see him in the water, that's Doug Jones. The creature is breathtaking, and the use of actual makeup and tangible textures all blend perfectly. In a time when most would just use a completely CGI monster, Del Toro's love and artistic eye payoff. It would be a disservice to Jones, natural stature and wonderful acting to blanket him with CGI. And while most don't know what Jones actual face even looks like, he is a great actor. The way he communicates and reacts to the world and people around him is a perfect balance of human and beast. It's pure magic. This film is propelled by non-verbal acting, it's a gamble in a time when most movies lean on bad dialogue to constantly remind us of the plot.

Sally Hawkins is a different side to the same coin. While she doesnt wear a monster suit, her character is completely mute. She communicates by sign and body language. She is stunning in this film. Her face is expressive and genuine. The range of emotions she casts without speaking a single word is some of the best acting I have ever witnessed. She completely captured me. In a film where an amphibious monster is a main character, you'd think we would just want to see him all the time, but Del Toro and his wonderful cast and crew are so masterful that each character and their story, matters. It's like in any Godzilla flick, all I want to see is Godzilla, I don't care about the little melodramas that play in between the chaos and destruction, mainly because the filmmakers don't care either, it's just fluff. Give me that giant radioactive lizard beating Ghidorah to a bloody pulp for 90 minutes.

In Shape of Water, I love the creature, but I also love Hawkins and Octavia Spencer and I really love to hate Michael Shannon. The film doesn't use the creature as a crutch and that's the difference with Del Toro's work, he makes everything around the creatures and monsters just as important, just as beautiful and just as real.

There is a lot to unpack with The Shape of Water, and I will most certainly see it again. In a reality in which fantasy films are essentially remakes and reboots, Shape of Water is a completely original, whimsical yet harsh, beautiful tale. It surpasses the typical monster movie genre and pays homage to the classic, giant pieces of cinema Del Toro (and my dad) grew up with. It's a breath of fresh air...or in this case a glass of clean water (you like that?).