Not disastrous, but failed to match the high expectation set.

Rating: 7/10 (16 January 2018)

IMDB users appear incredibly divided over The Shape of Water, with many hailing it as a masterpiece and others dismissing it as a horrendously overrated piece of film making. I believe the film lies towards the former, but fails to reach it by a considerable margin.
As the lead role, you may expect Sally Hawkins to deliver the most accomplished performance in the film. However, that acclaim definitely lends itself more to Michael Shannon's ruthless and compelling depiction of "patriotic" agent Strickland, which I believe is unparalleled by another member of the cast.
Guillermo del Toro delivers some favourable, though not entirely innovative or exceptional cinematography and direction (including a moderately effective score).
The Shape of Water deserves praise for it's largely successful composite of comedic and serious, violent moments.
There aren't a tremendous number of overt flaws with The Shape of Water, it merely fails to deliver consistently high quality material.