The Shape of Water (2017)

 

By now it is no secret that director Guillermo Del Toro really likes his monsters, as he well should. More than that, whenever he gives in to his monster fantasies the visuals are pretty stunning and at times the story becomes a fairytale with some dark edges. Heck, pointing to 'El Laberinto del Fauno' should be enough to make people see what the best version of this take could become. 

'The Shape of Water' is a little different, in that it is in more ways than one a direct sequel to the Universal classic 'Creature from the Black Lagoon', down to the design of the gill man. He already used this for 'Hellboy', but here it is even more clearly modelled after that classic design and for monsterfans, this should make all giddy as a schoolgirl. 

Not everything works here, though, even if there is quite a lot of enjoyment and beauty to be found. 

Elisa is a mute girl who works as a nightshift cleaner at some shady government lab of sorts. She is always teamed up with Zelda, who does the talking most of the time. They work well together and are good friends. At home, Elisa is also very close with Giles, an older artist who struggles with his work and with his sexuality, as being a gay man in the 1960s isn't always easy. 

It often still isn't nowadays, but you get the point. 

When a creature is brought in by the obviously evil Strickland (a gleefully sadistic Michael Shannon), Elisa is instantly fascinated by it. She discovers the creature is actually very empaphetic and responds to her kindness, as Strickland and others of course torture and abuse the being. Elisa hatches a plot to kidnap the gill man and save him from certain death, helped a little by Giles, Zelda and an unexpected scientist who turns out to be a Russian spy. 

You know, because espionage, Cold War, the usual.

This film feels and looks like a fairytale set in more modern times. The cinematography and colourpalette are beautiful to look at. Del Toro has always been a keen visualist and this one is no different. The look, the feel and the design are top notch. Double kudos to the gill man, who is clearly an updated version of the Creature, but more sleek and humanoid. Once again, it's Doug Jones who portrays him and mr Jones is always on point in any suit you stick him in. You'll probably also love Octavia Spencer as Zelda, because she feels like the true heart of this film and her banter is irresistible. 

But some things are a little off. Yes, Michael Shannon is the bad guy and he is good at it, but he is so obviously an amalgamation of all things 'bad' that it does become a bit silly. He is of course a racist, misogynist, military prick and we have seen villains like this a million times over. He just isn't memorable and feels forced. 

Giles is also a character that feels a bit out of place. Somehow it seems as though they needed to hammer home the idea that Elisa is an outcast of sorts and that she only has other outcasts as friends. I wouldn't know why, as she seems to be doing pretty well and her only 'abnormal' trait is that she is mute and has scars on the sides of her neck. By the way, the reason she has those scars only becomes apparent at the end and it is a little too convenient. 

This is a beautiful film though, without a doubt. The story however is too clean, too predictable and too easily aimed at wooing people. It is, in other words, very safe. You know what is coming and the rather black-and-white potrayals are a bit much. But does that mean you shouldn't give this a chance? 

No. You should definitely give this a watch. It is enjoyable if you try to ignore the clichéd characters (some of them at least). If you have a thing for monsters and creatures, this is absolutely recommended. But don't be surprised if the by-the-numbers plot doesn't do it for you.