Hmm

Rating: 7/10 (19 April 2018)

Great cinematography and effects. Great performances from the whole cast. The premise seems to come straight out of old Hollywood, sort of an amphibious King Kong. The movie begins interestingly, but the second act lags and feels awkwardly paced, but the momentum picks back up and the ending is beautiful. The symbolism is heavy handed. The music feels out of place for a film set in Baltimore during the height of the Cold War.
I think this is a flawed film. What it achieves in cinematography is somewhat undone by the editing. The successes of its conception are flawed in their execution. The performances are solid. Sally Hawkins is a strong lead, Octavia Spencer and Richard Jenkins shine, and Michael Shannon and Michael Stuhlberg play their parts perfectly. Shannon is a great antagonist, he plays creepy repression to a T.
My wife hated it and I completely understand why. I liked it. I much preferred Phantom Thread, which should have won Best Picture, or at least Best Director for Paul Thomas Anderson, but Guillermo del Toro has made a strong, strange film with The Shape of Water.