At the Oscars this year, The Shape of Water took home best picture. (along with best director and best production design) I’m fine with that! The Shape of Water is a great film from Guillermo del Toro that is worthy of the win. No spoilers ahead, but I will talk about the basic premise
Elise is a mute who communicates via sign language. She works as a cleaning lady inside a secret government facility. She eventually starts communicating with a creature that’s being used for experimentation.
Director Guillermo del Toro is one of few directors where I can recognize his style. From Hellboy to Pan’s Labyrinth, he has managed to visually dazzle us with the level of creativity put into his characters. The Shape of Water is no exception. I understand that even if a movies characters & visual style is creative, that doesn’t mean it’s good film. (I’m looking in your direction Zack Snyder!) That’s just the icing on he cake though.
The Shape of Water also manages to successfully develop a bond between two characters who can’t verbally communicate with each other. Think of how difficult that is!? For the film to be successful, Del Toro had to make the viewer feel something for these characters all without a spoken word. Casting for a role like Elise must have been no picnic. This could have fallen completely apart if a bad casting decision was made.
Overall, The Shape of Water has some bizarre moments, but it’s a film worthy of a best picture win. Glad the academy got this one right.
Score: 8.5 / 10
Pros
+ another great looking Guillermo Del Toro flick
+ Good storytelling
+ Believable characters
Cons
– The security at this “top secret facility” sucks.
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Categories: Anything involving Hollywood & TV
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