Oddly Beautiful

Rating: 7/10 (19 December 2017)

The Shape of Water is Guillermo Del Toro's latest blend of fantasy mysticism and gritty realism. Set around 1960, Sally Hawkins stars as a mute janitor at a research facility who falls in love with a creature that they pulled from the Amazon. This is beautifully played over a cold war backdrop with outstanding supporting performances, like Octavia Spencer as the sassy coworker, Michael Shannon as the sadistic boss, and Richard Jenkins as her struggling neighbor. It is firmly reminiscent of Del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth, without feeling too similar.
There were several moments when it dipped into being unnecessarily crude for a few cheap laughs that felt out of place. They also took her relationship with the creature to a place that kind of undermined the beauty of it and weakened the film as a whole. Del Toro definitely played into the R rating by diverting a touching love story to places that didn't help develop it.
The Shape of Water is Del Toro's best work since Pan's Labyrinth and features beautiful cinematography and very strong work by the entire cast. However, it never manages to break through into being a truly great film despite showing the potential.