Review of The Shape of Water (2017) by Netflic — 18 Dec 2017

This latest movie from director Guillermo Del Toro is creating a lot of buzz. It has been nominated for Golden Globe in 7 categories and expected to win it's main prize. No doubt that it will be in the Oscar's list as well.

The movie is listed as a mixture of 5 different genres but I would describe it as a pseudo-realistic fairy tale for adults.

It is a love story between a mute woman who cleans a high-security government institution and a semi-human, semi-amphibian creature that US Army caught in an ocean for research.

This artsy film recreates an atmosphere of Cold-War-era America with enchanting visuals and music and it is pleasant to watch most of the time.

So I understand why so many people praise it. On the other hand, in my opinion, the hype is not justified. The movie is not targeted to children. Yet all characters are caricaturish: either all-out villains or all-out do-gooders.

There are many annoying details that scream of poor directing. And don't even get me started about cliches: you can hardly find one that is missing here.

There are three superb actors that have almost nothing to play due to a primitive script. But they still manage to impress.

So, after all, I am glad that I saw it. It *is* charming, but your mileage might vary.