Based on 1334 votes and 304 reviews
This movie is crap
Beautiful, poetic, and romantic. Plus a fantastic and scary monster! The set design, lighting and colors are beautiful as well. Great acting all around. If you are a fan of sci-fi and fantasy, even suspense you get this here. A movie well worth seeing.
It was interesting and kept my attention. Loved the creature and the feelings with the lady. WAs also had funny parts. Great ending !
"The Creature from the Black Lagoon" as only Del Toro could imagine it, where the real monster is man. Sally Hawkins and Michael Shannon are fantastic, as always. A modern fairy tale that is just the right degree of darkness. Not a boring moment. Fabulous!
Imaginative, extremely well acted, excellent dialog and great on the eyes.
Excellent human-humanoid love story with extra credit to Sally Hawkins and Octavia Spencer.
A great fantasy. Sally Hawkins kept drawing us in. Her boyfriend, well... A god from the Amazon, Aquaman. Breathe.
Imaginative, absorbing, visual and oddly romantic, this film was a surprise and a good surprise at that. Who would have thought you could feel for two mute main characters, one a cleaner, the other a fish? Hats off to the film makers for pulling this off with humour and excitement thrown in for good measure
Darkest Hour and TSOW - my favourite 2 films of 2017.
This movie may be better on second viewing, but as it played out exactly as I expected, an underwhelming feeling lingers. On too many accounts del Toro restrains himself which leaves the film feeling restless as it falls short in succeeding the same emotional hits that his previous films have. But even a weaker del Toro film is still a thousand times better than most blockbusters.
Amazing movie! The normals are dysfunctional and the outcasts are pure love. Like no movie Ive ever seen.Must see!
Gorgeous filmmaking. Loved the originality in all. Imperfections are subtle. Too on the nose with thematic threads in B and C stories. Might have done better to explore fewer subplots and backstories. Overall impressive and I would watch again because it's just glorious visually. Cannot conceive of anyone else but Sally Hawkins in that role!
It's the best auteur driven "mainstream" film out there, that may not outlive Del Toro's previous masterpiece Pan's Labyrinth but may actually be a better film, having been sculpted from pure soul and an outsize imagination.
Wave after wave of brilliant film making encompassing every area of manufacturing such a work was brilliant. This movie deserves every accolade it receives.
This movie has a little bit of everything in it i.e. romance; friendship; crushes; secrets; family dynamics; emotional darkness; white lies; mild thriller bits thrown in for good measure and humour. Will it win Best Picture of 2017?.... it might due to its absolute uniqueness! I would give it a 3.75% rating.
The story was sweet. I can see the same person who bashed SW because they have women is posting in here. No again please. Weird story but sweet.
TSOW is a beautifully told story of a woman having feelings and an affair with a fish man. WTF? I guess beastiality is alright if told with great CGI and tenderness.
Movie had potential but did not deliver. Needed a severe editing. Great theme of love between a human and a creature—both misunderstood, but a mishmash of unconnected plot elements. We have racial inequality, put downs of the handicapped, women’s “roles” , Soviet spying, treatment of creatures etc. Any one of these would be worth exploring, but not all of them at once. Most of the nudity was not necessary (for example the married couple lovemaking) and I really don’t see why movies cannot be made without the “F” word used in every second sentence. That was not how the sixties were! The man who ran the lab was just totally mean with no redeeming qualities. Octavia Spencer played the only realistic character and one we could identify with. Disappointing!!
The Shape of Water is a wondrous, sublimely beautiful film that is bursting with heart and overflowing with ideas. It is a unique creation, a testament to the vision of its director Guillermo del Toro. Set in 1962 Baltimore it's a multi layered film that operates on many levels. It is fantasy, romance and even a spy espionage thriller. Without giving too much away a sea creature from South America has been captured and brought to the US. A cleaner at the facility forms a strong bond with the creature. What develops is a film that will sweep you away with its heart and beauty. Emotion overflows and combined with the incredible design it blew me away. Performances are all outstanding but special mention should go to Hawkins, Shannon and Jenkins in their roles. They are truly superb. The score only adds to a film that is an ode to inclusion ,acceptance and love. It is infused with melancholy and hope, making for a very special two hours of cinema.
It's just fantastic that Del Toro's movies have such deep layers that go beyond the joy that a story like "The Shape of Water" provides. You can watch it just for the amusement or you can actually see beyond that and simply learn.
There was far too much nudity in this film, to the point of making it cheap when the idea was to make it starkly in contrast with the dark world surrounding it in richness. It also was a little tiresome and cliche that all of the protagonists were blatantly weird compared to the rest of society, or shunned. Doing so made anyone normal appear to be a villain, though that is generally not realistic. Other than this the film was fantastic, mostly because it is a visual marvel, the power of the dialogues given in ASL, and Michael Shannon's portrayal of a man who has everything and yet really has nothing inside really shined throughout the film.
just another fairy tale? we should also look at a film in costume, visuals, cinematography, music, production...
Rubbish
Shallow film is pretty and glossy but counterfeit. This doesn't hold water.
Beautiful setting and color palate, makeup and design (hats off to the Creative team on that one!), coupled with strong characters of substance (whether you like them, identify with them, or not). The Plot, on the surface, appears to be one of forbidden love. But the story is really about seeing beyond differences, stereotypes of an ideal, or going with the norm of the time; to find oneself, to find the capacity to understand, accept and love, regardless of yourself or of the other person/people; and find that in return, not just in the girl and the creature; but for the roommate, or her co-worker, or the scientist as well. they all had an element of this in their individual character arcs.. was interesting. Also, an interesting choice for its setting to be at the end of the 50s/beginning of 60s - during a time of cold war conflict and conspiracy, but it provided a great catalyst to bringing the characters together, a purpose for their being there, and a why to their motivations as the story played out. In all, I really enjoyed the movie...Any perceived sexuality or sensuality was handled tastefully, predominantly implied vs. actually shown. Well done.
It’s sci-fi, has comedy, romance, drama, and action. It has something for everyone with an exceptional cast and directorial skills that will pull at your heartstrings and your hair. It made my heart smile!
Successfully addresses controversial subject matter.
I really enjoyed this movie....Sally Hawkins plays an amazing part. It is filmed beautifully and the attention to detail is on point.
I had no expectations for this movie. And, I really liked it! It is completely different than most movies you see these days.
The movie is a surrealistic, romantic and sometime satirical film which takes the old grade Z "creature from the black lagoon" flicks of the 50s and brings them into modern concerns (albeit in 1962 setting) and adult themes. A Cold War setting, a picture of early 60s racism and the struggles of loneliness are sub- themes that blend in well.
A beautifully unusual film. A fairy tale for adults.
Over all a good movie, but it's gets a solid 9.5 on the weirdshit-o-meter.
If Pan's Labyrinth is a nightmare, dark and overwhelming and fantastic, then The Shape of Water is a daydream. The entire film seems to float. It goes neither fast nor slow. It does not plod nor rush, and yet it somehow feels much shorter than its 2 hr run time. Although it does not shy away from violence, Shape of Water seems much less interested in the violent aspects of humanity than its predecessors. The core of this movie is really love. It is much more a romance than a horror film, more in line with Crimson Peak than say Hell Boy, Cronos, Blade, or even Pan's Labyrinth. This isn't a bad thing. It is actually quite beautiful. Del Toro, here, is sweet and thoughtful. He delves into sex in a way that he has not done before, and although there is more of it than I expected, it is always done tastefully and with purpose. It is romantic rather than a salacious movie. All in all, I loved it and could stand to see more films like it.
Creature of the Black Lagoon by way of Cinemax shot in the style of Amélie....and its good.
In general is a great movie to see, but in detail there is some weird situations :) , but well it is just a Tale
I saw "The Shape of Water" last night. It was absolutely phenomenal. I must give Sally Hawkins for playing a challenging character, who played a deaf Janitor who befriends a Gill-Man. And I also must give credit to Richard Jenkins who basically had some funny lines. I smell a potential Best Picture winner.
Guillermo del Toro's most accessible film to date. On the paper, this premise is so bizarre that, I imagine, even the most talented and imaginative filmmaker would have a hard time turning this into a watchable film. This is a story only del Toro could pull off. And he did it so brilliantly. It is a dark fairy tale, a beautiful love story, and a love letter to classic movies from the 40s and 50s. Sally Hawkins is just marvelous and her performance is what made this unusual romance work. I'm simply in awe. Loved it!
Good movie. :)
One of my Top Two films of the year! When it's over, you'll say, "What did I just see?" You'll be glad you did and you will never forget it! A love story like none other. 13 Oscar nominations, my vote for Best Picture, Director and Actress. You must see it twice!
Disturbingly Beautiful. Well what Can I say.... A love story like never seen before. Sally Hawkins needs to win an Oscar at least once in her career because the description "Outstanding" is minimal for her level. The story is absolutely beautiful, even the small hidden details about each character makes them individually unique. I just wish there was more contact between them. I wanted to see more in this infinite love story. The ending was phenomenal!!
BEST MOVIE OF 2017 - NOTHING COMES CLOSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If you like Magical Realism, this is an amazing movie. Suspend your disbelief and go in with an open mind. This movie stays with you, much as the brilliant Pan's Labyrinth by the same director (Benicio del Toro). Should get best picture and many other awards!
Best film of the year. It is part thriller, part science fiction and part romance. The cast is uniformly brilliant in bringing out the depth of feeling from the characters. The audience clapped at the end. This film was made to be seen on the big screen. I loved it.
Such an original, beautifully acted and scripted film. The entire thing is just so well done! It's a fantasy of sorts so you have to suspend reality/belief, but it is unlike anything you have ever seen and the world needs more love and kindness these days. Lovely, lovely film.
Loved it, highly recommend!
What? Is Hollywood now pushing a cross species love agenda? What’s next animal porn?
NOT TO BE MISSED! VISIONARY. A LOVE STORY LIKE NO OTHER. BRAVO!
Lovely and strange, The Shape of Water is a thoroughly unique and entrancing film, if one that could have used a little more subtlety and a little less violence. Sally Hawkins is captivating as a mute woman who befriends a fish man, and their relationship is the film's highlight. The film becomes a water ballet of romance, but the relationship goes from 0 to 100 really fast, not allowing for much growth before pure love takes over. But the film is gorgeous to behold and the plot, while rather predictable, is engaging and magical, making room for some charming musical detours. Supporting actors Octavia Spencer and Richard Jenkins turn in solid work and Michael Shannon is demented as the villain of the piece, however, del Toro occasionally lets his campy and over-the-top tendencies get in the way. The film is needlessly violent in a few scenes and a sense of quiet intimacy would have put the film on another level. As such, the film never reaches the emotional heights it intends to. Still, there isn't anything quite like The Shape of Water in cinemas currently and the actors and lovely score deserve recognition here.
This is a very "out there" movie. In many ways, it defies explanation. But there's something so remarkable and beautiful about it that it doesn't really matter. It's a very simple story, and one that you have seen a hundred million times, but the way Del Toro's use of film language, the clever script and Sally Hawkins' magnificent performance keep things from being stale. The fish man is also very well done, employing the combination of practical and digital effects to make him seem just human enough to sympathize with him, and alien enough to make him seem otherworldly and unique. If I had to nitpick, there are a couple scenes in the beginning of the film that don't really lead to anything, but they're only about a minute long each, so it doesn't detract much from the film as a whole. Overall, it's a very strong film and really deserves recognition and admiration.
Finally I got to see this today and it was way better than I thought it would be. Super cool!!! I'd see this again.