Cat lovers probably wanna skip this one!

Rating: 6/10 (8 April 2018)

"The Shape of Water" is a film that is not for everyone. First, I must warn any die-hard cat lovers NOT to watch the movie, as there's a very explicit scene where a cat has its head bitten off! Second, if nudity bothers you, please find another picture to watch, as there is significant nudity...much of it full frontal nudity...and more than you'd typically see in a rate-R picture. This is not so much a complaint...more something the viewer should be aware of before they try watching the story.
The story itself is a very dark and rather nasty tale about an amphibious creature who has somehow been captured by the US government. Instead of trying to communicate with it, the guy in charge mostly tortures it and plans on having it dissected. At the same time, Soviet spies want to kill it because somehow they think he's a potential weapon to be used against them(??). However, a mute and sexually frustrated cleaning lady falls for the creature and decides, with the help of her gay friend, to rescue the 'thing'.
So did I like it? Not especially. Although I love how unusual and creative the film was, so much of it was filled with nasty and awful characters (something Guillermo Del Toro loves, I know)...but too nasty for my taste. In other words, the guy playing the boss was almost cartoonish in the way he was written....and instead of seeing him as a villain, he seemed a bit more like Boris from "The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle"! Strange but not especially enjoyable...and I am feeling a bit tired of the director's overwhelming need to show such extreme and realistic violence. And so, as is too often the case, I wonder how a movie in recent years received the Best Picture Oscar when it's not enjoyable to watch.

FYI--A decent Florida Key Lime Pie is NOT fluorescent green like it was in the movie. I assume the director used this color as a commentary on the era and the way colored dyes were more the norm...especially since he also chose to have green Jello in another scene.
Also, while the lead was played by a woman who was hearing and learned a few signs in order to communicate in the movie, it seems like a lost opportunity not to have a deaf actress play the part. It's odd that Hollywood often talks about causes and inclusion but also often misses opportunities like this.