Fell short

Rating: 5/10 (23 December 2017)

Masterfully shot and beautifully acted, it's definitely go to be a contender for awards season, especially for makeup. I was riveted watching Doug Jones in action. Also, Sally Hawkins gave an amazing portrayal as a lonely mute, and Richard Jenkins shined on screen. He was truly the high point of the film for me.
What fell short for me was the extreme portrayal of evil. Michael Shannon was cruel enough without showing such violence. He was truly the monster. I found myself looking away a lot at the end. It was unnecessary.
The doctor was a pseudo hero in that film. He tottered between good and evil. His storyline seemed to be lacking depth. The Russians didn't make enough of a bid for the creature to ever feel that they were a viable threat to his survival. I wished they had either flushed that storyline out or eliminated the characters all together.
The love story lacked chemistry and although I hoped for the creature's release, I would've been fine with his love interest returning to her normal life with her best friend.