The Shape Of Water review

I've always been a big admirer of Guillermo Del Toro. He has given us many wonderful and exotic experiences over the years and with this movie he might have just given us his masterpiece. The story follows a janitor named Eliza played by Sally Hawkins. A mute woman who finds herself sharing an apartment with an older gentleman named Giles played by Richard Jenkins. Eliza lives a pretty boring life as we're shown at the beginning. She gets up has her breakfast does various other things and leaves to go to work only to repeat the process the next day. But one day at the facility where she works a new 'experiment' turns up complete with a new form of security detail the main officer played by Michael Shannon. Eliza takes a shine to the creature after she is called into the aquarium like room to clean it up after a freak accident involving the creature and Shannon's character. That's the story in a nutshell but it is explored and developed in a way that I've never seen before. This is one of the most unique movies you'll ever get the opportunity to witness.

Onto the performances and Sally Hawkins is incredible in her rule as the mute Eliza. She plays it with such delicacy and such smoothness that you actually believe she is a mute sometimes and forget you're actually watching an actor portray the character. Richard Jenkins plays really well along side her character and the two do share a really good on screen bond. Octavia Spencer is more of a comedic relief character mainly complaining about her husband and all the stuff she has to do for him but her character also has a big heart and it really shows in some scenes. But in my opinion it's Michael Shannon who is the standout here. He plays his role brilliantly almost to the point of where even I was afraid of what he was going to do next and willing to do to not only to this creature he helped kidnap and imprison. But to anyone who stood in his way. Speaking of the creature he is also played really well once again by Doug Jones (Hellboy and Pan's Labyrinth) a long time friend and companion of Del Toro I don't know how those two managed to make the creature look as good as he does but credit to them and the make-up design team.

This movie is a love story at it's core and let me tell you it isn't like any love story you will see before or after. It might be a bit too dark for some people and some scenes might have you questioning what is even going on but trust me this movie is cinema at it's finest and already an early contender for movie of the year 2018. A must see!

★★★★★