Fun retro story with great visuals

Rating: 9/10 (17 July 2018)

Guillermo del Toro, knocked his newest film, The Shape of Water, out of the park. The film is a magical ride from scene to scene that mesmerizes the viewer with amazing cinematography, beautiful visuals, and an astounding soundtrack. That's not all; the acting in this film is fantastic. Sally Hawkins, Michael Stuhlbarg, Doug Jones, and Richard Jenkins are all amazing in this film, but my two personal favorites were Octavia Spencer and Michael Shannon. Octavia was hilarious in this movie as well as a great supporting character to Hawkins since her character was mute. I thought Shannon did a great job creating a compelling villain. You hated his character for the things he did, but you couldn't help but love watching him.
Another thing I loved about The Shape of Water is how it played with genres. It was mostly a sci-fi/fantasy romance, but also included thriller aspects and (spoiler) musical aspects. I always love when films cross genres, and this film does it wonderfully. It is really what makes the film as unique as it is (that and del Toro's style as well).
I still haven't discussed the story, which was also fantastic. The plot, which flows very nicely and keeps you entertained throughout, reminds me of an old monster movie turned love story. The film has a strong message about relationships and people who are different, which makes this film very timely. Overall, I loved this film and would recommend this to anyone, since I think that there is something that everyone can take out of this film.