A gorgeously shot, classic yet original story.

Rating: 8/10 (27 January 2018)

Going into this film, I had already heard a lot of the award season buzz, so I knew that there were at least some really good parts about it. And that buzz was not wrong; this movie is spectacular. Literally, this film is a spectacle. The visuals of this movie are gorgeous- the colors pop brilliantly, the shots are stunning and unique, the lighting is dynamic and intriguing, and the effects are incredibly impressive. The Amphibian Man looks fantastic. He really looks like he's there, and the combination of CG and Prosthetics work incredibly well together. What carries this film, along with the effects, are the performances- the whole cast of this film is brilliant. Sally Hawkins gives an outstanding performance as Eliza. She's poignant and sympathetic and stunning, and the angle of her being mute really carries her performance, and also carries her relationship with the Amphibian Man. Michael Shannon's performance as well, as well as the reflection of his character against the setting of the 1960's, is really enlightening and interesting. His last line is my favorite line in the movie. The problem's I have with this film mostly stem from the third act, where things start to get a little cheesy and predictable, but the ending is still very well earned. This movie has elements of a a great fairy tale, and has a lot of potential to become a classic story. 8.3/10