The Shape of Water: Del Toro's Passion Project Is Breathtaking

Pay attention, Hollywood. Pay very close attention to what your audience is telling you. Look at what movies people are buzzing about. Don't just pay attention to numbers. Yes, if you look at the highest grossing movies of 2017 it takes until the 12th movie down (Dunkirk) before we get something original. But look at the top 30-- Get Out, Split, Coco, Girls Trip, Baby Driver... we're willing to see original films. The best movies of the year aren't remakes or sequels or spinoffs or prequels (though Marvel did have a banner year). The best movies of the year are the original movies. And among them is definitely The Shape of Water, Guillermo Del Toro's passion project. He wisely gave up helming a sequel to Pacific Rim in order to bring us this gem that's not going to cross the top 30 in money, but will be remembered longer and appreciated better than a Pirates of the Caribbean sequel.

The Shape of Water is a BEAUTIFUL movie. I don't just mean the imagery and the set design and the make up and the overall look of the movie, but the story and the characters and the heart as well. Everything about this movie is pure beauty. Say what you will about Del Toro's past films, he knows how to present a movie. Crimson Peak, in my opinion, was a bit of a misfire, but it was gorgeous to look at. The Hellboy movies might be a bit junky in their own right... but they're fascinating to watch. Del Toro can sometimes go all over the place with his writing, but every once in awhile, everything clicks and we get movies like Pan's Labyrinth and now, The Shape of Water. 

During the Cold War in the early 1960s, Elisa Esposito (Sally Hawkins) is a mute woman working as a night shift janitor at an Aerospace Research Facility called Occam with friend Zelda (Octavia Spencer). During a clean-up, an amphibious being called The Asset is brought in and held captive in the facility. The Asset is guarded by hard-nosed General Strickland (Michael Shannon). Elisa and the Asset form an (unspoken) bond and after she witnesses how poorly he's being treated (tortured), she hatches a plan with her friend and neighbor Giles (Richard Jenkins) to help the Asset escape the facility. Here's where it gets kinda weird and it's really one of those things you won't be able to accurately explain right-- Elisa and this amphibious fish creature... kinda... fall in love. I know! It sounds crazy and weird and gross and how could it possibly be beautiful? I don't know. But Del Toro is the guy to pull something like that off. Because it really is beautiful.

Del Toro's vision is unparalleled. In Pan's Labyrinth, during a dark war he's able to bring light. He was able to craft a gothic-fairy-tale-love-story-horror-movie with Crimson Peak. And here, he's able to bring the feel of being submerged in water to a Cold War era fantasty-monster(ish)-movie. Everything is presented in sea blues and teals and there's a bounce to the movie. It's almost hypnotic to watch. And, once again, his monster is crafted brilliantly. I love watching brand new Del Toro creatures because they're so intricate and complex and brilliant to look at. This is the guy who should be making a Star Wars movie. So, even if you aren't feeling the lady bangs a fish plotline of the story... there's always something to look at.

The performances are terrific as well. I love what 2017 has been doing as far as bringing female actors to the forefront and writers actually writing strong roles for women. For the first time in a long time the Best Actress Oscar category is not going to be an easy one to choose. There's going to be a fight for the award. Between Meryl and Francis McDormand and Saoirse Ronan and Judi Dench and Jessica Chastain... now comes Sally Hawkins (and she doesn't utter a single word). Hawkins gives such an emotionally resonant performance, she sells the story that sounds difficult to pitch with a straight face. You cheer for her, you root for her, you pity her, you are enthralled with her and it's because of her performance. It's subtle, but poignant. It's quiet (obviously), but beautiful. I'd never really seen her in anything before this, but I'm looking forward to seeing her in a lot more in the future (pay attention Hollywood!).

Everyone else is perfection as well. I love me a good ole Michael Shannon villain. And I'm not talking about over-the-top General Zod type crap. I'm talking about an understated just nasty human being who's been written well with depth and layers and shadows of terror lurking underneath those terrifying eyes of his. Octavia Spencer provides some comic relief, but she's the best person for the role. She knows she's there to bring some levity to the screen, but she's also portraying a complex character herself. It's wonderful that she's the translator for Elisa in the 60s. She gets the most lines in a time when most African-American actresses would've been silenced. Richard Jenkins is always a treat to have in a film and it's no different here. In a role that was originally written for Ian McClellan, Jenkins gives us a performance that convinces (at least me) that there was no one else better for the role.

What I'm trying to say is that this movie is not very commercial and it's going to be difficult to convince those who aren't privy to Del Toro's work to trust the surreal storyline, but I'm telling you this is one of the best movies of 2017. There's something in here for everyone and it's nothing short of breathtaking. It is a Del Toro movie, so amid the gorgeous imagery and brilliant characters and fascinating love story is some serious violence. This is the type of fantasy that I enjoy and Del Toro, when he's on, can be the one to deliver some of the best. With The Shape of Water let me just tell you: he's on... and then some.

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