Life is But the Shipwreck of Our Plans

Rating: 9/10 (19 December 2017)

Whether it be Creature from the Black Lagoon, Beauty and the Beast, Edward Scissorhands, or even Her from a few years ago, movies about forbidden love are a common theme in romantic films. And if done right, they could be extremely effective. The Shape of Water stands as a fresh take on that tale, and yes it works really well as a romance between a government controlled creature and a mute custodian.
Driven by emotional performances, The Shape of Water feels simple in premise considering we have seen similar stories (mentioned above) almost every year. But it all comes down to execution. Director Guillermo del Toro frames this story as a good guy-bad guy situation, but certainly rounds out each character with emotions and just enough depth to care about every scenario.
In that way, the original screenplay by GDT and Vanessa Taylor could be among the best written this year. Every scene has importance and the 2 hour runtime is perfectly paced. There are also several actors who turn in Oscar caliber performances including lead Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Octavia Spencer, Richard Jenkins, and Michael Stuhlbarg. I would have to go through the other films and put together a list of Oscar predictions, but all actors mentioned above have a chance at a nominations.
GDT has a knack for making gorgeous looking films and The Shape of Water is no different. Everything from the creature played by Doug Jones to the production design and cinematography, this is easily one of the best looking films of the year. To that note, I don't really have a complaint with the film. Performances, writing, directing, visuals, and romance are all way above par. These uniquely executed films are always something I will cherish, and I'm glad GDT was able to bring this to screens, especially before the Fox-Disney merger. It really makes you wonder if we will even get these types of movies once that deal goes down. One can only hope.
9.0/10