The Shape of Water

Starring: Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Olivia Spencer, Michael Stuhlbarg, Doug Jones, David Hewlett, Nick Searcy
Directed by: Guillermo del Toro
Rating: R
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
2017

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A janitor (Sally Hawkins) forms a relationship with an aquatic creature (Doug Jones) being help captive by the government.

Review:

Tim: On the one hand, I was excited for The Shape of Water to have won 4 Academy Awards- Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Score, and Best Production Design. A fantasy film like this doesn't often win the big awards. It felt like a great celebration of Guillermo del Toro and his unique vision. On the other hand, as much as I went into this hoping to love it, I couldn't quite get there. I thought this was an exceptionally good movie. It's well made and effective. I don't believe it's a great movie. That puts me at odds with the majority of critics, but it's how I felt.

The story is certainly a unique one. It's really a love story between a woman and an aquatic creature. It's ambiguous enough to keep you guessing and even at the conclusion of the film, we're left with some really big unanswered questions. I liked all those aspects of the film, but they didn't quite gel as much as I would like. I found myself intrigued by the characters, but I didn't have a deep connection with them. It's been a near constant complaint I've about about del Toro's films (there have obviously been exceptions). It feels like his characters are slightly underdeveloped or too one-note. To some extent, we get that here. Sally Hawkins does a very good job in the lead role. It must have been difficult to carry as much of the movie as she does without uttering a single word. The most remarkable thing about her performance is that I continually forgot she doesn't speak. While mute, she still conveyed so much through her performance that it feels like she's communicating the whole time (and she is, even though it's not through the conventional channels). I was very happy she was nominated for Best Actress. While I was impressed with her performance, I didn't feel a deep connection to her character.

I liked Richard Jenkins' performance (he's so underrated) and he deserved his nomination for Best Supporting Actor. It felt like his character was underdeveloped, though. He had a fascinating past but we don't get enough time with him. His story needed to be explored in greater depth, but he exists on the periphery. The scenes at the diner are some of the most powerful, heartbreaking of the film- but they never have a chance to take up much time. It felt like that was a missed opportunity. I have to say I was disappointed that Octavia Spencer was nominated for Best Supporting Actress. I didn't think her performance was anything special. It feels like lately she's been doing the exact same thing in every role she's in. She gives a fine performance, but it was identical to several others in recent years. It's less acting and more of doing the exact same thing. I thought her impact on the film was minimal. I have to say I was even more disappointed in Michael Shannon. This was the perfect role for him- he plays antagonists exceptionally well. Unfortunately, his character felt too one-dimensional here. It felt like this was an opportunity for a more complex villain. We didn't get it. Shannon played him to too much of an extreme. I do want to comment on how much I loved Michael Stuhlbarg's performance. The guy has been quietly showing up and just killing these smaller supporting roles. He's fantastic here. Doug Jones was good as the Creature. I don't know much I can judge his performance, but it worked well. As a whole, the cast was both good and bad and it's hard not to fault del Toro for some of the weaker aspects of the film.

I mostly enjoyed the story and how it built to its conclusion. I have to make a few complaints (and remember, I really, really liked this movie!). The scene in the bathroom was cool visually, but there's no way you can fill a room up with water like that. It just felt illogical. It felt like realism was thrown out the window for a cool visual effect. I also have to comment on the ending. I didn't love it. I did enjoy the ambiguity of it, but the whole final confrontation felt anticlimactic to me. I didn't feel any great sense of suspense. It was fine, good even- but never great.

I know I've criticized a lot of things about this film. I'm trying to explain why the Academy Award Best Picture winner didn't end up on my list of the top 10 of 2017. I'm surprised, but that's the case. Now, while I don't consider this a great movie, I do consider it a very, very good one. It would be a close battle between this and Pan's Labyrinth for the best film del Toro has ever done. It's an exceptionally well made movie. I very much enjoyed it. I don't want the fact that it's not as great as expected to make it seem like this isn't thoroughly entertaining. It's a movie I very much liked and would watch again. It's just not as great as so many people claim.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Pan's Labyrinth, A Monster Calls