The Creature from Hollywood Lagoon

Rating: 6/10 (10 February 2020)

I'm not in the habit of reviewing commercial success films, and definitely not if they are also Academy Award winners. However, being a giant fan of horror/fantasy movies (and cinematic monsters in particular) as well as an avid admirer of Guillermo Del Toro, I suppose I should be very happy "The Shape of Water" won the Oscar for best film. Well, I'm not. In the 2018-edition, the one and only film that truly deserved to win was "Three Billboards outside of Ebbing, Missouri".
"The Shape of Water" is, occasionally, a truly beautiful and emotionally confronting requiem. Presented as a homage (or maybe even a belated sequel?) to the magnificent "Creature from the Black Lagoon", the story takes place during the gritty Cold War era and revolves around a timid and mute cleaning lady at a research laboratory who romantically bonds with a fish man-creature in captivity. Del Toro demonstrates his excellent craftsmanship via the stunning decors, the uncanny atmosphere, the dazzling use of colors and a handful of imaginatively poetic moments. And yet, there were far too many sequences that were too childish, far-fetched and preachy. Michael Shannon is a terrific actor, but his umpteenth role as an evil government agent is too much of a caricature, and so are the depictions of Octavia Spencer (as the good-hearted black woman) and Richard Jenkins (as the homosexual neighbor). If Del Toro ever deserved to win an Oscar for his fantasy oeuvre, it should have been for "Pan's Labyrinth".