Review: The Shape Of Water Is So Weird It's Great
- Jan 18, 2018
- 2 min read
The master of monsters, Guillermo Del Toro, brings romance between an Amazonian fishman and a mute woman. Ladies and gentlemen, things will never be the same again.
Elisa (Sally Hawkins) and Zelda (Octavia Spencer) are cleaners in a government facility in 1962. What has become routine however, is suddenly shifted when Richard Strickland (Michael Shannon) arrives, bringing with him what is known as The Asset (Doug Jones). Following an incident, Elisa is tasked with cleaning the laboratory where The Asset is housed. Over time the two, through a combination of boiled eggs and music, grow close. But when Strickland reveals plans to have The Asset dissected, Elisa must break it out, before it's too late.
This is it. 2018 might as well give up now because nothing else that's coming out is gonna top this. Not a chance. Aside from a few small quibbles, mostly throwaway lines and a very open/bizarre ending, The Shape Of Water is flawless. The human element is great. Hawkins delivers with almost no words, relying purely on aggressive sign language and expression to get her point across. Spencer is the comedic core of the film, clearly enjoying her one sided conversations with Hawkins as well as cracking a number of jokes, And then there's Shannon. What an actor, what a villain. While he's not Del Toro's best, that belongs to his other military villain from Pan's Labyrinth, he brings a presence and a creepiness unlike any other. But the people aren't the real stars, not for me anyway. The real star is the monster.
Portrayed by long standing Del Toro accomplice Doug Jones, The Asset is easily one of cinemas greatest creatures. It skirts a fine line between man and beast, at once both human and monstrous. Much resembling the Gill-man of Black Lagoon fame, as well as having more than a little Del Toro-ness, The Asset really is something else. The effects work, combined with Jones' stellar performance, create something truly special.
Throw is some great music, gorgeous visuals and a killer ending and you've got what will be, hopefully, an Oscar winning monster. Del Toro is out in force, and you owe it to yourself to see that that means.
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