Rent The Shape of Water (2017)
3.6 of 5 from 2050 ratings
1h 58min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- From master storyteller, Guillermo del Toro, comes 'The Shape of Water', an otherworldly fairy tale set against the backdrop of Cold War-era America circa 1962. In the hidden, high-security government laboratory where she works, lonely Elisa (Sally Hawkins) is trapped in a life of isolation. Elisa's life is changed forever when she and co-worker Zelda (Octavia Spencer) discover a secret classified experiment.
- Actors:
- Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Octavia Spencer, Michael Stuhlbarg, Doug Jones, David Hewlett, Nick Searcy, Stewart Arnott, Nigel Bennett, Lauren Lee Smith, Martin Roach, Allegra Fulton, John Kapelos, Morgan Kelly, Marvin Kaye, Dru Viergever, Wendy Lyon, Cody Ray Thompson, Diego Fuentes
- Directors:
- Guillermo Del Toro
- Producers:
- J. Miles Dale, Guillermo Del Toro
- Voiced By:
- Alison Brooks, Tim Campbell, Maria Del Mar, Guillermo Del Toro, Zabryna Guevara, Lisa Norton, Maurice Dean Wint, Jim Watson
- Writers:
- Guillermo Del Toro, Vanessa Taylor
- Others:
- Christian Cooke, J. Miles Dale, Mike Hill, Alexandre Desplat, Kevin Scott, Shane Vieau, Dan Laustsen, Luis Sequeira, Sidney Wolinsky, Paul D. Austerberry, Jeffrey A. Melvin, Nathan Robitaille, Nelson Ferreira, Glen Gauthier, Brad Zoern, Dennis Berardi, Trey Harrell, Paul Austerberry, Jeff Melvin
- Aka:
- Cold War Project
- Studio:
- 20th Century Fox
- Genres:
- Action & Adventure, Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- Collections:
- 2018, A History of Cinemas in Films, Acting Up: British Actresses at the Oscars, Award Winners, BAFTA Nominations Competition 2023, BAFTA Nominations Competition 2024, CinemaParadiso.co.uk Through Time, Getting to Know..., Getting to Know: Viola Davis, Lions on the Lido, New waves of Latin American Cinema, Oscar Nominations Competition 2023, Oscar Nominations Competition 2024, A Brief History of Film..., Top 10 Best Picture Follow-Ups, Top Films, What to watch by country
- Awards:
2018 BAFTA Best Production Design
2018 Oscar Best Production Design
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 25/06/2018
- Run Time:
- 118 minutes
- Languages:
- English Audio Description Dolby Digital 5.1, English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
- Subtitles:
- English Hard of Hearing
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 1.85:1
- Colour:
- Colour
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
- Bonus:
- A Fairy Tale for Troubled Times
- Anatomy of a Scene: Prologue
- Anatomy of a Scene: The Dance
- Shaping the Waves: A Conversation with Artist James Jean
- Guillermo del Toro's Master Class
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 25/06/2018
- Run Time:
- 118 minutes
- Languages:
- English Audio Description Dolby Digital 5.1, English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
- Subtitles:
- English Hard of Hearing
- DVD Regions:
- Region 2
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 1.85:1
- Colour:
- Colour
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
More like The Shape of Water
Reviews (54) of The Shape of Water
Twee and sentimental drivel - The Shape of Water review by CP Customer
This year I`ve seen two films which I found very disturbing to watch, not because of anything perturbing in the films themselves, both being utter tripe in different ways, but because they had each been pretty much universally well received. The first film was Wonder Woman, and the second The Shape of Water. Guillermo Del Toro has always been unable to resist the sentimental, and combining this with the fantastical has generally led to a highly unsatisfying results. The Shape of Water is his worst film yet in terms of this gloopy mix, with a silly and predictable story where every character is drawn on the basis of a single attribute, either good or bad, and with a script seemingly written by someone who wanted to satirize the superficial liberal values of the privileged Hollywood set. Just like Wonder Woman, I had to spend quite a bit of time after watching the film searching out negative reviews, just to confirm that I wasn`t going completely crazy. The fact that The Shape of Water won several Oscars, including for the horrible soundtrack, has left me feeling completely bewildered. What the hell is going on?!
13 out of 23 members found this review helpful.
Spoilers ... - The Shape of Water review by NP
Michael Shannon, who starred recently in the terrific ‘Can’t Come Out to Play (2013)’ plays Richard Strickland, gammy-handed Colonel in charge of studying ‘the asset’, a lone fish-creature held in captivity by the US government. Sally Hawkins plays Elisa, a mute woman who, alongside Zelda (Octavia Spencer) works as a cleaner for the project. Her next door neighbour is Giles, struggling homosexual artist (Richard Jenkins, Chicory from 2015’s ‘Bone Tomahawk’). I mention his sexuality, because alongside Elisa and African-American Zelda, these people are somewhat outcast in Baltimore, 1962, where this film is set. All except Strickland, of course, who is fully accepted and acceptable, a respectable military man – cruel, arrogant and ‘decent’: apart from his injured hand, of course.
Strickland was bitten by the humanoid amphibian creature known as ‘the asset’, in this acclaimed Guillermo del Toro directed (and co-written) partial reimagining of ‘Creature from the Black Lagoon.’ It is hugely cinematic, beautifully shot, exquisitely acted and in places, strangely moving in the way that monster/human love affairs have occasionally been over the decades. Unfortunately, the sentimentality goes overboard on a number of occasions and squashes the appeal of the fragile relationship between the unappreciated mute girl and the abused creature.
Satisfyingly though, there is no doubt that the ‘system’, the ‘establishment’ is entirely corrupt and that the higher up the proverbial ladder, the more brazenly deceitful the officials have become. As in the best traditions of horror, the unsightly creature is the one we all route for, whilst those who have given themselves the responsibility of hierarchy are, to quote Doctor Who, decadent, degenerate and rotten to the core. And how do our heroes attempt to thwart the nastiness around them? They escape, they run away. Ah, would that we could all do that …
This is a terrific and typical del Torro fairytale, child-like and affecting, with only the occasional sex-scene or moment of graphic horror violence to make the children audience members wince. It’s a long ‘un at just over two hours, but such is the spectacle, it never outstays its welcome. Lovely.
9 out of 12 members found this review helpful.
Twoddle - The Shape of Water review by DH
This is the typical rubbish that the Oscar panel chooses for best film. It lost me at the start. A research lab bringing in its most incredible find which would have been in total lockdown but no, 2 cleaners are allowed to carry on mopping the floors to have a good look.
What?!
It just got worse and worse with some ridiculous side lines and a song and dance scene which makes your jaw drop open.
Avoid, it is not worth your time.
8 out of 21 members found this review helpful.
Critic review
The Shape of Water (aka Cold War Project) review by Mark McPherson - Cinema Paradiso
Guillermo del Toro deserves a lot of credit as a genre director that can immerse the viewer so deep into his world that we find ourselves invested in its characters and beauty. Consider the premise of The Shape of Water, a bloody romance between a mute woman and a fish monster that connect mentally and sexually. To describe the film in such a way may conjure up hilarity for the visual or eye-rolling for taking the absurdity seriously. And yet del Toro is able to achieve the seemingly impossible, crafting a touching tale of romantic monster love where a woman gets freaky with a scaley creature.
Another pleasing aspect is how del Toro can play with visuals so well. When we first see the apartment of our protagonist, it’s staged in such a way that you’d believe it took place in France or Italy before she exits the building to reveal she lives in Baltimore during the Cold War. The apartment belongs to Elisa Esposito (Sally Hawkins), a mute that works on the janitorial staff of a secret government laboratory. While mopping up some blood and a finger, she discovers a prisoner of the lab; a humanoid amphibian played the always-a-monster actor Doug Jones. He doesn’t speak but that’s okay. They seem to connect just fine over eggs and jazz. It isn’t long before love blooms, an escape is hatched and a weird love scene happens in her bathtub.
Much like Guillermo del Toro’s previous films, The Shape of Water dances around blending genres, fusing a monster romance with a bigotry allegory, brutal displays of blood, and a spy picture. Sometimes it’s a monster movies with a classicly creepy soundtrack that fits the era. Sometimes it's a terrifying horror film, complete with a finger dug into a bullet wound. And sometimes it’s a genuine tale of empathy and understanding, where the kindly and closeted gay next-door neighbor Giles (Richard Jenkins) can relate to Sally and her relationship with a boyfriend that lives in her bathroom.
Chasing the monster is the sinister Colonel Richard Strickland (Michael Shannon), embodying the darker aspects of the American dream that snarls and gnashes against anyone who goes against him. He favors a heavy sense of patriotism and family values that seem threatened as much as he was by the monster, leaving him with a gross wound that only gets worse. Octavia Spencer does a superb job as Elisa’s best friend who can do all the dishing and giggle for her while giving a firmer swat to be confident. Michael Stuhlbarg plays a Russian spy that also learns some empathy as his mission quickly turns form infiltration to one of love.
While The Shape of Water is very unorthodox and entertaining in its own genuine and weird ways, it’s far from Guillermo del Toro’s masterpiece. While del Toro tends to have a firmer hand with genre-splicing, he plays a little bit too loose with the material here that bounces into almost cartoonish territory. Michael Shannon, in his usual fashion, plays a villain so over-the-top that I almost expected him to froth at the mouth as he bitterly points a gun into the face of Octavia Spender. Richard Jenkins does an ample job of weaving his homosexuality into the narrative, but I couldn’t help feel he connected better with the monster, considering an infatuation he has with a diner waiter goes south quick. I’ve also heard tell from gay acquaintances that no gay man would be so forgiving of a monster that ate one of their cats.
Despite the highest praise of the movie winning the Academy Award for Best Picture, pushing the appeal of the film into the overrated category, I ultimately dug The Shape of Water for the experience and del Toro’s never-fail visuals. The shot of a naked Hawkins and a creature-suited Jones copulating in a flooded bathroom is a dazzling sight, so beautiful and engaging that I never found myself questioning how a makeshift aquarium in an apartment could stay so stable. There’s also a daringness with a script not afraid to talk about monster penises and racist figures, to such a bold degree for pushing up the audacity of the picture. Whatever unevenness present is balanced by a fearlessness, one that makes the odd romance all the more fun.