Based on 1334 votes and 304 reviews
So when Troy McClure does it, it's sick; but when Sally Hawkins does it, it's beautiful and romantic?!? WTF?!!?
The most romantic film of the year.
Del Toro bounces back after what others would call a weak film, Crimson Peak, I enjoyed that film. This film plays out like The Creature from the Black Lagoon but is much more beautiful and a labour of love by the director. The film balances a horror film but also a mystery and love that is not commonly shared in this day and age. I'm shocked Del Toro has never made a film at Universal as he has the scope and ambition to remake the Wolfman or Frankenstein something unique. I hope this wins big as it deserves all the focus it is receiving by audiences and critics.
This is a gorgeous movie. A luscious cinematic confection, with a thoroughly engaging and original story made even better by the beautiful performances it hosts. Richard Jenkins was a standout for me, giving a deep humanity and humor to what could have been a mere supporting role. The actors all gave tremendous credibility to this fantastic story, and worked so very well together as an ensemble. Beautifully directed and shot, it has to be seen to be believed. So glad I saw it on the big screen.
Sally Hawkins shines beginning to end. If you require characters to care about, you will find them in this film including the water bound male lead. Despite its watery environment, SofW sizzles hotter than some of its dryer counterparts. Yes, it is primarily a watery romance but friendship takes a strong second seat. This film gives you people to love as it portrays villians to hate, I will watch this again on DVD.
My favorite movie of 2017 and maybe the only I've seen multiple times in the theatre. Del Toro's visuals, the fantastic score and a fantastic performance delivered from Sally Hawkins without having her even utter a word all tie together into the strangest and most delightful cold war love story to ever exist.
Awesome film!! Love everything about it, and more!!
Bizarro film takes HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP and turns it into a romance. Much too tasteful to succeed.
Beautiful transforming love story Justice and love triumph!
Excellent human-humanoid love story with extra credit to Sally Hawkins and Octavia Spencer.
Gorgeous to look at. Amazing storyline. Great film about a girl who falls in love with a fish and you actually believe it! Guillermo is breaking barriers for all the horror and monster genres!
Phenomenal movie-wasn't even interested in seeing it. So glad I did!
A beautiful movie.
I went to this movie expecting to really dislike it. The story just seemed too bizarre. So glad I went. Yes...the plot is bizarre, there are so many things that I thought were great. I've now seen all but one of the best picture nominees for this year....and without a doubt, this would be the one I would vote for.
Wonderful. Engrossing. Clever and Satisfying.
Guillermo will win the oscar this year! And he deserves it. About time monsters got a little respect out there.
A tremendous, beautifully well-acted drama, with magic and mystery. Sally Hawkins is stunning, in particular, but the entire cast is awe-inspiring. The story has some challenges, and could have been stronger, but this is still one of Guillermo del Toro's best works to date.
In an age of Marvel and Fast and the Furious it's just oh so refreshing to come across a piece of film that is actually art as well. The Shape of Water is by no means a perfect film, regardless of it's Oscar nominations. In fact, at it's core it's a very excellent retelling of Beauty & The Beast. In film, and life, it's never about the destination. The journey is the story. This story has a journey. One that will keep you interested and wondering and maybe even spark some inspiration deep inside you that you never knew you had. This is a story of humanity and love and maybe moreover, who exactly gets to define what either of those things are. I haven't seen all of the Best Picture noms, but I have changed my mind from Three Billboards to Shape. Three is more than deserving. The story and performances are stellar and deserved of recognition. Sally Hawkins however, steals the show. He performance as a meek, caring, loving mute is simply masterful. The emotion expressed in her face and through every sign (sign language) can be felt by the audience. She seems to transcend what it means to connect with a character when all you can do is feel what they feel instead of simply agreeing or disagreeing. If Shape ends up taking Best Picture, I will not be disappointed. If any of you out there are on the fence about seeing this film, remember that it is a beautiful love story and not an action movie about a fishman. Don't watch trailers and immerse yourself in the world Del Toro creates. You will not be disappointed.
Loved it although it was slow to start.
Weird fetish movie.
One word: beautiful.
The Shape Of Water is truly what it means to create a perfect film. It's a story that would work in no other medium. No other director could make this material seem plausible, let alone phenomenal. Every actor could not have been better cast, there isn't a frame of the film that could be removed or added that would make it better. This is what it means to be a great film, this is the kind of art we so rarely get to see but when we do it's truly magical and will never be forgotten.
A love story that actually makes perfect sense. Never sloppy, though a little predictable, but the music line-up, the vintage air, and the screenplay is monumental. It draws us all back to how perplexed and entangled love is, yet it is still our refuge. I didn't like the feel of relief in the end, but it was still heart-warming and the best romantic stories in decades.
Yeh, it is qwerky, but it is beautifully done. Definitely worth consideration for Best Picture.
Del Toro revisits his Pans Labyrinth days and creates one of the most beautiful love stories ever told in cinematic history.
Are you kidding me, oversexed wacky story about horny monsters, what's next.
Never listen to national critics. This is a about infatuation, love and sex between a woman and creature from the black lagoon creature.
Del Torro got to produce it, write it, direct it etc. Must be nice to have the power to make a movie exactly as you feel like making it. So many movies are made by committee these days and go off track. Has a 1930's vibe set in 1960. Old school background music which I loved and sort of an Indiana Jones flavor thrown in. Excellent aqua man type character. Well acted and high production values. A little over the top at times. Also could have used a bit more bite and drama but worth seeing.
There is much that is right about The Shape of Water. The cinematography is magical. The opening scene alone is worth the price of admission for its dreamy, surrealistic rendering. The entire film has a bluish tint that is in keeping with the movie’s aqua theme. The setting is the 1950s, replete with 1957 Chevrolets, popular music, and references to Bonanza and Gilligan’s Island.—fun for those of us old enough to remember the 50s. The love story is strangely endearing—not nearly as slimy and horrific as I imagined. It’s a solid film. I give it four out of five stars; and I would not squabble with others who would give is a solid five-star rating. What disturbs me about the movie is what has troubled me about our culture as a whole: the ubiquity of fantasy. All the top-billed films these days are fantasy. So are the bestselling books. Even the political news is referred to as fake or fanciful. The problem with so much fantasy is that we risk accepting the fantastic as a substitute for reality. It is not. When a teen goes on a shooting spree, it is not because he is a fantasy superhero; it is because he is delusional—and that is the reality of it. Because The Shape of Water is fantasy—very much like all the hugely popular Marvel movies of the day—the characters tend to perfectly good or perfectly evil. Consequently, we all know how the movie will end before it gets started. There are also a few nuances that less sophisticated audiences may miss but are important to point out. The film is really about the value of all beings: the socially awkward, the mute, even the monstrous. That is a nod to all the maladroit people in the world (especially teens) who don’t quite fit in and, yet, would like to be valued in a society where beauty, talent, and power trump eccentricity. The problem is that some may internalize the message as being something nefarious—like an endorsement to be racist, anti-social, xenophobic, misanthropic, or, worse, sociopathic.
The story, acting, music and cinematography are excellent. It is my favorite movie of the year. It deserves to win an Oscar for best picture, direction, and best actress.
This film lives up to its hype. It fits well with the popular theme of what it means to be human, but does this in a unique way as compared to others, like the resurgence of Blade Runner. Not only is this film aesthetically beautiful, the writing is incredible and Sally Hawkins' performance is compelling. A must see.
Brilliant, smart, visually impeccable, touching, sensible, emotional and amazing. The Shape of Water deserves all the praises and more, once again Guillermo Del Toro create a marvelous narrative so sensible, dark and fantastic that make the audiences feel everything in it, the cast also delivers a impeccable work (Sally Hawkins deliver one of the best performances of the decade). A masterpiece. (5/5)
An absolutely brilliant take on the 'what makes a monster, what makes a man' narrative.
Beautifully done. Artistic with lots of symbolism. Bring your imagination.
Yes is a fiction movie. Lol.
Fiction!
It had the perfect ending.
Absolutely loved every aspect about this movie. Magical ...
We loved the movie.
BIZARRE!!! Was it artistic or is that what some want you to believe? Violence, bestiality, you get it all here folks. Do not waste your time - SERIOUSLY! Academy award nominations - what a joke and insult to good movies. Can't rate with a number as choice doesn't go sub-zero.
Movie was very artistic. Weird but interesting.
This movie is completely ridiculous from start to finish. I think the people who rated it favorably were either movie critics or on something. Do not waste your time or your money.
A strange and offbeat fantasy tale with a nice European flavour. It's Amelie meets E.T. - definitely worth a watch, but conservative viewers are advised to be broad-minded. :)
I liked it all. sensitive, beautiful, and love overcomes hate.
Beautifully crafted, acted and narrated movie. It depicts all the worst and best of human soul in a very well told cinematographic tale.
I thought I wasn't really going to like this film, but because it got 13 Oscar nominations how could I skip it? (Even if I was worried about a sex scene with the amphibian.) Well, I am so GLAD I went. This was a multi-layered story with excellent performances . Michael Shannon was amazing as the bad guy, as he usually is; Richard Jenkins as the gay friend (an unexpected treat--earning him an oscar nom!); Octavia Spencer playing a character you've seen her play a few times, but she won the Oscar for it so you know she nails it this time too (and got an another oscar nom). And then, Sally Hawkins, as a mute, who carries the film without saying a word, deserving of her oscar nom. The cast is brilliant. Naturally, you have to suspend your disbelief from beginning to end for a movie like this, although they try to make it as true to life as possible. Some scenes really test your ability though. That's OK---this was a great film---it checks all the boxes why we go to the movies (which is what I also said about Slumdog Millionaire.)
Great movie if a little vulgar and risque at times. Great work in the costume and props department, makes me want to make my own amphibious man costume. Most of the vulgarity helps drive the story, but some is just completely unnecessary. The story manages to go into some details, without overly dragging the movie along.
After being released in December 2017, this film FINALLY made it around to the desolate corner of the world I inhabit, and I couldn't be more thrilled! While the trailers do glimpse the premise of the film, they also fall far short of revealing the true humanity (both heartfelt and horrifying) on display by the time the credits roll. Sally Hawkins and Richard Jenkins embody the fragility and insecurity and aloneness we all feel (or have at times felt), and their redemption in the arms of an unlikely (soul) remind us that life is about our relationships with (and treatment of) each other.
Storytelling at it's very best. Simply magical, dazzling with wonderful characters, acting, story and a super fantastic soundtrack. Doesn't fail on any level.
The most worst and ugly movie I have ever watched!