The Shape of Water (2017)

[baumer]

Discuss

[GeneralKong]

My favorite film of the year so far, and I wouldn't be surprised if it ends up staying that way. The visual attention to detail is a sight to behold on its own, as expected for a Guillermo del Toro film. However, the empathetic sensibilities that underpin it and the terrific efforts of the ensemble are what ultimately set it apart, making for a work that succeeds on multiple levels. My expectations were already high, but del Toro somehow managed to surpass them.

 

A

[filmlover]

Strange and magical in the way only a Guillermo del Toro film could be. It's his best since Pan's Labyrinth. It's a really sweet story about an unlikely romance that is always beautiful to look at. Sally Hawkins has long been one of our most talented and underrated actresses, and del Toro has finally given her the chance to fully take the spotlight with a luminescent performance that conveys so much without any dialogue at all. She's given solid support from Richard Jenkins, Octavia Spencer, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Michael Shannon at his most dastardly. Not everything works (the third act pales in comparison to the first two), but this was definitely an enchanting experience. A-

[Fancyarcher]

My review.

 

https://dailyuv.com/feed/923632?location=norwich-vt

[Webslinger]

While it falls just a tad short of the haunting power of Pan’s Labyrinth, Guillermo Del Toro’s newest adult fairy tale is an incredibly beautiful, lyrical film whose unusual romance left my heart nearly melted. Del Toro capitalizes fully on a promising premise by exploring the humanity in a variety of outcasts and owning a style that makes the most of its Cold War era setting. This film takes the uncertainty and distant fear of the unknown that was prevalent in this period of American history (and arguably still in our own) and applies it to similarly feared and misunderstood characters with the ultimate message that compassion and understanding are more powerful than fear and violence. The acting and characterizations work across the board, led by an evocative silent performance from Sally Hawkins; her gestures and body language nimbly and completely convey her character’s initial isolation and gradual growth through her romance with Doug Jones’s creature. Michael Shannon sadly does not seem to be getting enough plaudits for another stellar performance in which he brings a sympathetic edge to a villainous character; seeing that his intentions are good within his own mental framework lends a layer of complexity to what could otherwise have been a simplistic villain. Character actor stalwarts Richard Jenkins and Michael Stuhlbarg are also dependable as ever as two very different social outsiders, and Octavia Spencer graces all her scenes with her characteristic warmth and spunk. All told, it’s easily Del Toro’s clearest display of his gifts as a spectacular visual director and storyteller since Pan’s Labyrinth, and among the strongest offerings of the year.

 

A-

[MrPink]

YOU WERE SPEAKING RUSSIAN, BOB

Edited December 24, 2017 by MrPink

[filmlover]

5 minutes ago, MrPink said:

YOU WERE SPEAKING RUSSIAN, BOB

Everything God Shannon did later in the movie was golden. Everyone in my audience screamed "eewwwww!" when he broke his reattached fingers off in front of Octavia Spencer.

[MrPink]

10 minutes ago, filmlover said:

Everything God Shannon did later in the movie was golden. Everyone in my audience screamed "eewwwww!" when he broke his reattached fingers off in front of Octavia Spencer.

 

Oh man the Samson monologue was a glorious piece of scenery chewing

[Webslinger]

My audience's reactions to the violence are among the most visceral I've seen in the last couple years. Then again, it was a predominantly older arthouse crowd that probably doesn't see many films with such violence. For what it's worth, I squirmed a bit, but not as often or as intensely as I did while watching Pan's Labyrinth.

 

I'm kinda surprised that it missed a SAG Ensemble nomination. The cast is terrific all the way around and it's tough to single out a second-best in show after Sally Hawkins.

[GroceryGuru]

I loved Pan's Labyrinth and even the first Hellboy was a good counterpunch to the DC VS Marvel movies. I heard good things about this, and went in with high expectations, and I left disappointed.  The same thing happened with Justice League 1 which improved after a second viewing when I was less critical but the same won't happen here. 

 

The visuals are stunning, the lab has an abundance of custodians which told me to suspend disbelief beyond the whole creature part of the story. Great setting and characters so far. The lead female, has a nude scene before we even get to know her name, she is kind to a neighbor, and she is surviving in a cruel world. Nice character and she plays it well. Michael Shennon's character is better acted and thus more interesting. the cast is fine, but he is the only one who might get a nom from oscar. 

 

I knew the premise, so finding a way to manage an escape, with the flawed to be willing coworkers, was by the numbers. For an artsy movie, they slow played that quite well. It wasn't until the first sex scene (thankfully offscreen) that I couldn't take the film seriously. Could a towel under the door crack allow an old building's bathroom to be filled shoulder high with contained water. Would they not be discovered from this or sooner? Once I can't take the film seriously a whole chain of dreck emerges, and it detracts from the art. 

 

I also needed to see M Shannon's character interact with his kids more and his wife, well less. It was gratuitous and un needed, while being a good dad would make me feel bad for this guy. Smashing his car belonged in a hangover kind of movie, and was karma but out of place in this hoping for prestige award. 

 

a C score was generous, but it was Christmas. We found 3 other films sold out, but there were plenty of seats in this over expanded film. 

 

 

[JohnnyGossamer]

Loved this but had a question... How did Shannon and others not notice Hawkins interacting with and/or breaking out the creature on the monitors? They only seemed to focus on the monitor moved in hallway where the staff exits the facility with laundry, etc. Gotta figure I missed something here... Please fill me in if possible. Thanks!

 

[The Panda]

7 hours ago, JohnnyGossamer said:

Loved this but had a question... How did Shannon and others not notice Hawkins interacting with and/or breaking out the creature on the monitors? They only seemed to focus on the monitor moved in hallway where the staff exits the facility with laundry, etc. Gotta figure I missed something here... Please fill me in if possible. Thanks!

 

Yeah, I don’t think they had a camera in the fish room, and it’s not really explained.  I just suspended my belief and thought “well it’s so secret they don’t even want it on camera”.

 

As for the movie, I really enjoyed it.  It was a sweet love story, and it had an endearing message of loneliness, status and embracing the differences of others.  Beautiful cinematography mixed with a gorgeous score from Desplat leads to a movie that almost feels like a song.

 

Sally Hawkins is a marvel in this movie, you could tell exactly what the character was thinking at every moment.  Probably the best female lead performance of the year, but I’ll have to think on that (McDormand and Ronan are also powerhouses).  The supporting cast is also great, Spencer is a solid presence, Jenkins has quite a fun character, and Shannon chews it up with his villainy.

 

Overall, I really enjoyed the whole thing, even if you have to suspend your disbelief at a few points. A-

[That One Girl]

Fuckkkkkkkkkk this is so good

[Ezen Baklattan]

This was a fucking treasure.

[Cap]

I think what I loved most about The Shape of the Water is Del Toro complete commitment to the story and fairy tale.  No halves, no holdbacks.  She's fucking that fish.  And I was like, yes, yes girl, get that beautiful fish boy.  I felt like I was watching the most poetic, weird, whimsical, and gorgeous Hellyboy 1950s AU Fan Fiction ever.  Everything about it was perfection.  And I love how Del Toro's passion for cinema oozes off the screen.  Great film.  Seating pretty on my Top 5 of the Year (waiting to see if I, Tonya will knock it out).

 

The only thing I didn't like: I wish they had cast an actual gay man to play Giles.  

[JohnnyGossamer]

On 12/26/2017 at 8:11 PM, The Last Panda said:

Yeah, I don’t think they had a camera in the fish room, and it’s not really explained.  I just suspended my belief and thought “well it’s so secret they don’t even want it on camera”.

 

As for the movie, I really enjoyed it.  It was a sweet love story, and it had an endearing message of loneliness, status and embracing the differences of others.  Beautiful cinematography mixed with a gorgeous score from Desplat leads to a movie that almost feels like a song.

 

Sally Hawkins is a marvel in this movie, you could tell exactly what the character was thinking at every moment.  Probably the best female lead performance of the year, but I’ll have to think on that (McDormand and Ronan are also powerhouses).  The supporting cast is also great, Spencer is a solid presence, Jenkins has quite a fun character, and Shannon chews it up with his villainy.

 

Overall, I really enjoyed the whole thing, even if you have to suspend your disbelief at a few points. A-

Not a bad year for creature loves stories with Okja and Shape of Water.

[Hiccup23]

This is art. The Shape of Water is everything I love about film. Best film of 2017.

 

A+

[somebody85]

Wow, what an experience. By far the most beautiful movie of the year next to Blade Runner 2049. Like that, it was every single shot man. 

Not a perfect film but still one of the years best and most imaginative. You could see how much care was put into it. I didn't want to watch this as a screener because I knew the theater experience would be a lot better so drove 40 minutes out of the way to a theater that was showing it in one small room. I don't understand why this isn't going more wide outside of the weird factor of it. This is the type of original film that people are always crying for that doesn't feel like it came off an assembly line of executives. And it should be easier for audiences to get into because it's not structured like an indie film like Lady Bird or The Florida Project. My 58 seat theater was full though so maybe that's a good sign (Molly's Game was last night too).

Perfect way to end my year at the movies.

 

A- (but I look forward in reading up on this film because the color green obviously played a significant part and I think there's more layers I would catch on additional viewings)

Edited January 1, 2018 by somebody85

[rockNrollaDIM]

Saw this a couple weeks ago and I thought this was just okay - maybe my expectations were too high or I’m just not a huge GDT fan, idk, don’t @ me. 

 

My favorite thing about it was Octavia Spencer. 

[baumer]

Incredibly over rated and has so many plot holes that you just can't take it seriously.  And when she starts having sex with the creature, it lost me for good.  There was nothing beautiful about this movie, imo.  I liked Shannon a lot but the film just kind of has no real point.  It didn't hold my attention at all.  This is definitely a film that feels kind of out of place in today's cinema.  I've never been a fan of GDT and this will do nothing to change that.

 

6.5/10