The Shape Of Water is an ominous dark romance that acts as a love letter to classic cinema.

Rating: 9/10 (24 February 2018)

All rise! Guillermo Del Toro, you have earned the right to sit among the greatest directors of modern cinema. Although, his masterpiece 'Pan's Labyrinth' is a greater accomplishment, this twisted period love story cements his talents. A mute cleaner in a secret facility encounters an enchanted sea creature and rapidly falls in love with it. With it currently being tortured and threatened to be executed, she takes it upon herself to kidnap the asset before it's too late. Del Toro is a director who excites me. Why? Because he is one of the few that boldly utilises creativity to paint canvases filled with magic and memorable imagery. His directing style is always so competent, to a point where I eventually forget I'm watching a film and actually believe I'm there in the picture. What he has crafted here is a beautiful tale that captures romance elegantly. Conveying themes of human destruction, solidarity and most important true love. A human falling for an amphibious creature, it does sound ridiculously childish yet Del Toro confidently sprinkles violence and gore to camouflage the inconceivable plot...to actually make it believable. Yes, our protagonist conveniently falls for the creature rather too quickly (and that's my only major criticism) but as the story unfolds we find the two are more connected on an emotional level. Rather touching I must say. The constant classic films in the background, Desplat's vintage score and the nods to silver screen traits (like monochrome tap dancing) heightens the cinematic appeal of the narrative. Sally Hawkins gives a luminous and powerful performance using just actions which conveys her emotions eloquently. Richard Jenkins provided great comic relief that honestly surprised me. Michael Shannon always plays an antagonising villain. In fact, all the cast members were fantastic. I literally could go on and on about how much I adored this experience. It's not just a film, but a journey and one that I will remember for a long time.