A powerful fairy-tale

Rating: 8/10 (20 February 2018)

A modern fairy-tale centered around the uncanny power of sexuality. Perfect art direction, and Sally Hawkins is a force (she was the best thing about Blue Jasmine, too). The beginning was more Jeunet than delToro, a few hints of Amelie and City of Lost Children, but the movie found its voice about 20 minutes in. It positively revels in its B-movie tropes (Michael Shannon's first scene sets the tone) and takes them to extremes which were not possible back then when the originals were shot, without changing the basic sensibilities.
Was there something not to like? There's a side-plot about enemy agents which is completely superfluous; every scene we spend with those cardboard Russians is a scene wasted imho; ads nothing to the story and takes us away from the protagonists. In a fairy-tale things should be kept simple.
But overall, while not delToro's best, The Shape of Water is definitely worth a ticket.