The Shape of Water is director Guillermo del Toro’s 10th and latest feature that tells a visually rich and emotionally visceral work of cinematic art. In this dark fairytale, del Toro makes it clear that this is a celebration of the silver age of Hollywood; borrowing the artistic stylings and designs of cold war spy thrillers, 1950’s sci-fi alien “body snatcher” films, and Universal’s Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954 ). I suppose one could describe The Shape of Water as a “dark reimagining of Beauty and the Beast fused with The Little Mermaid (and also Lovecraft). I can’t say I go out of my way to see too many romance dramas in theaters, in fact, the last romance I did see was Crimson Peak; del Toro’s 2015 9th feature film (also a romance/horror movie mashup). In many regards, TSoW is similar to CP in that they’re both love stories but told through the lens of a classic horror movies responsible for del Toro’s affinity and passion for the art of film. In many ways, one could even perceive this latest entry into del Toro’s filmography as a cinematic love letter to the film genres Guillermo holds in his heart; similar to what the Coen Brothers did for Hail, Caesar! (2016 ). I’ve been missing a Grade-A Guillermo del Toro movie like coke after lent and needless to say, del Toro delivers. The Shape of Water is visually stunning and wholeheartedly delightful with a dark and imaginative twist on Guillermo’s age old question of, “what if they lady being hauled off by the Creature in the iconic poster for the original 1954 was actually attracted to the Creature.”
The Shape of Water stares Sally Hawkins as Elisa Esposito, an industrious mute custodian for a secret government laboratory at the height of the Cold War. The facility receives a half-man, half-fish creature played by Doug Jones, as the subject of Elisa’s intrigue, fascination, and infatuation. And before you ask, yes; the relationship gets saucy. Overall TSoW follows a classic melodrama narrative of unrequited love similar to Cinderella, but with the rolls of the prince and princess reversed, and the prince is also an amphibian. The plot can be a tad predictable but for the most part the final cut’s just so delightfully charming and brilliantly made that one can’t help but succumb to its mellifluous delight.
One of the challenge’s that comes with reviewing a Grade-A del Toro picture is deciding which of the film’s strongest accomplishments should get highlighted and what gets overshadowed. The Shape of Water simply has too many positives that listing all of them would result in a boring block of asinine appraisal so I’ll just name a few: First off, Dan Laustsen’s camera work is sweeping, magnificent, and creates a visually ethereal effect which at times makes you feel like your watching a dream. Hawkins is enchanting and hauntingly empathetic whilst communicating almost exclusively through sign language and facial expressions. Richard Jenkins is charismatic and saccharine as Giles and Octavia Spencer, like always, is an absolute gem as Zelda Fuller. The Creature’s costume is an unequivocal spectacle of makeup, prosthetics, lighting, framing, and design and was (for me) the highlight of the film. I was also throughly blown away at how well del Toro is as a “show don’t tell” director; there are loads of segments and scenes in TSoW where huge chunks of information (such as narrative, motivations, character development, etc.) are given to the audience almost entirely through the visuals.
With that being said, I should mention that TSoW is far from perfect. At times I couldn’t help but feel that some parts of the film were paced or fast or ended too quickly. For instance, (and without spoiling much) there’s a scene in the middle of the film where the Creature runs off and Hawkins’ character goes to get him back and she does in, like, a minute. In contrast, I also thought some scenes would’ve benefited from being shortened or cut out altogether, especially with the Soviet spy subplot. Admittedly these complaints could be fixed with a bit of editing, but in general, it’s nothing detrimental to the film as a whole. But my biggest issue with TSoW, falls on its antagonist Richard Strickland (Michael Shannon), who’s this movie’s equivocal Gaston. Albeit his character fits right in with the story del Toro is telling; but I can’t help but feel like Shannon’s more inhuman actions would’ve been all the more impactful had they not revealed him to be such a dislikable psychopath so early on. Anyway, that’s all the issue I take with TSoW, and if they seem meager and unimportant to then you’d be right. Ultimately there’s just not that much wrong with The Shape of Water, otherwise it’s a pretty solid merman wish-fulfillment fantasy.
At its core, The Shape of Water is a pastiche to all of what Guillermo del Toro loves about cinema, and humanoid-amphibians (seriously, this is his 3rd movie where a fishguy's in the main cast and the 2nd movie to show a fishman in an interspecies relationship; am I the only one seeing a pattern here?) but the final result is an emotional Romeo and Juliet-esque experience with all the charm and emotion of a top-shelf Disney musical with all the beautifully twisted imagination of del Toro unfettered. The Shape of Water is dark, yet sincere. A sweet, but far from sappy modern fairytale which is honestly (in my opinion) what Guillermo does best (i.e. Pan’s Labyrinth). Even if you’re not inherently a fan of cinematic romances so long as you’ve got a pumping heart in your chest I guarantee you’ll find yourself enamored at the big screen love of a woman and a sinewy seahunk, for aren’t the strangest love stories also the most lovely?
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