The Shape of Water Movie Review

The Shape of Water (2017)

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Written by: Guillermo del Toro, Vanessa Taylor (screenplay by), Guillermo del Toro (story by)
Directed by: Guillermo del Toro
Starring: Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Doug Jones, Michael Stuhlbarg, Octavia Spencer
Rated: R
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Plot
During the Cold War era, Elisa works as a cleaning lady in a secret U.S. government laboratory, but her life is altered forever after she and a co-worker stumble upon a classified experiment.

Verdict
This is a nostalgia trip in a way. It combines the classic monster movie with a modern romance drama. The movie is expert at evoking a feeling and a mood through style and design. We see it from the monster's side of things. What unfolds is the tension between companionship or empathy and opportunity government agents.
Watch it.

Review
I love the style and the feeling it evokes. It's almost an old time big production feel. The production design is impressive. The movie doesn't set out to realistically create the time period, it captures a mood that hearkens to classic monster movies.  had to be an inspiration, the monsters look very similar. The events of that feel like a precursor to Colonel Strickland's capture of the beast.

The capture of the monster happens off screen. This movie starts with the monster brought into a lab for testing. Scientists hope the monsters unique attributes can aid them in preparing humans for space flight. This is a twist on the monster movie genre, instead making us feel sympathetic for the monster.

Eliza cleans the laboratory and happens to see the monster and form a connection. At the onset, we don't know how intelligent the monster is, but Eliza forms an instant connection. She feels similar to the monster as she's mute. She, and it, have always been alone.

All of the actors are brilliant. Richard Jenkins may just be the stand out, but Sally Hawkins is solid too. Michael Shannon is over the top, but that's exactly what the movie wants.

When Eliza begins fearing for the monster's safety she takes action. Unbeknownst to her, their's a foreign spy in the lab. I wasn't sure how this was going to end. The evolution of Eliza and the monster's relationship is surprising. I liked the way this ended. It has just a bit of ambiguity that allows you to read the conclusion a couple of ways.

After checking wikipedia, it turns out Guillermo del Toro was attached to direct a remake of Creature from the Black Lagoon. That didn't pan out, but he turned his ideas into The Shape of Water. His inspiration shines through. I picked up on it without realizing his direct connection.

This won Oscars for  Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Score, and Best Production Design. It's not the typical Oscar bait film, but it's definitely deserving of consideration and the wins.