I guess I've outgrown Guillermo del Toro

Rating: 6/10 (1 February 2018)

I loved "Pan's Labyrinth," so expected to love this movie, too, especially as it boasts the talents of Michael Shannon and Richard Jenkins. But... I hated it. (I was really disappointed, because a week ago I saw the equally ballyhooed "Call Me By Your Name," which I also expected to love, but also hated.) Shannon gets the gold star for his performance, which was not hurt by having the best lines in the movie, and Jenkins shines in a multilayered role. But Sally Hawkins struck me as a mite too twee (and her ASL was sloppy) and Octovia Spencer was squandered in a role a nobody could have played. Del Toro's penchant for mixing nauseating gore into his films does not work here; this amphibious love story was ruined by all the violence and gore, which was used to much better effect in "Pans Labyrinth," a film that was, after all, set amid the violence of Francoist Spain. The gore/violence factor made sitting through "Shape" for over two hours (too long for most movies) a chore, despite the lovely use of color and retro settings that made me recall my childhood. There was just too much ick factor in this film for me to give it a higher rating.