Beautiful, yet disappointing.

Rating: Null/10 (23 December 2017)

I agree with the few here who have said that The Shape of Water is good, even very good, but somehow it doesn't reach greatness. Although I can pinpoint why that is. The film is very well directed, but it's working with a screenplay that is perhaps simplistic and dare I say it, pedestrian. The film should have been anything but unremarkable, but that's how so much of it felt. The romance at its core was too quickly developed for my liking, causing it to feel like the film was just going through the motions instead of stopping to let us bask in its magic. In addition to being very unremarkable, the screenplay is also filled with some questionable storylines and some unimpressive, if even dry dialogue. Visually it's on point, although I would disagree that the film's cinematography is anywhere near that of something like Blade Runner 2049, which is unfortunate because it could very well win that Oscar. The score is also very nice, although again it should have been so much more memorable. The acting is definitely the best part of it. Sally Hawkins is luminous, and although I'm not sure I would rank her as being better than McDormand and Ronan (for Three Billboards and Lady Bird respectively, all three vying for the Oscar) it's an impressive performance that is deeply heartfelt. The other biggest surprise is Richard Jenkins, who lights up every scene he is in. Stuhlbarg is fine, and Shannon is disappointing. The latter is such a talented actor, but he can only do so much with such a one-note character (again, the screenplay's fault).
Overall, it's worth it but in a pool of much more impressive award contenders like Lady Bird, Call Me By Your Name, and The Florida Project, it's a film that could have been so much more.