The Shape Of Water

Good movie, a little strange but you wanted to keep watching

I went into this film not expecting to like it, but it just blew me away. I’ve now watched it five times in the last two weeks. With a lovely musical score that grows on you, one is quickly drawn in to the story of the lonely young woman and her unexpected discovery of love in a place where you would least expect it. Her growing and unlikely attachment to the creature is built piece by piece so this improbable, implausible story actually becomes believable. You cheer for her as she overcomes one hurdle after another in the name of love. For the haters out there, I acknowledge that this film will not be for everyone. I think you have to approach it with an open mind and be in the right state of mind to get the most out of it. But c’mon, calling it a porn film? It is apparent you have never seen a real porn film. The nudity is handled tastefully, and the “sex” scenes (at least with the creature; Strickland is another matter) are sensitively depicted. The brief masturbation scenes are merely suggested and are intended to show Elisa as a young woman with real needs and desires. There is quite a bit of violence also, but to me it never seemed gratuitous; it always served the purpose of advancing the plot. So, yes, sex and violence. The films is rated “R” after all. I feel sorry for those who walked out on the film; you missed a wonderfully cathartic ending. Watch with preconceptions left behind, and you are in for a magnificent, though wildly unusual, love story.

---Possible Spoilers ---Was it predictable? Yes. Is it derivative? Yes. None of that matters though because it is an enchanting fairy tale with an enchanted creature (albeit not the most handsome creature), and an enchanted "princess." That is what fairy tales are ... that is what we ask them to be.. Visually stunning - the color green glows throughout most of the film. As a kid I absolutely loved the "Creature From the Black Lagoon" and if memory serves - that creature had a bit of a crush on the female lead. I mention this to remind everyone here "freaking out" about beastiality - we had "Splash", "Beauty and the Beast", and "Creature From the Black Lagoon" to name a few - nobody cried Ahhhh "BEASTIALITY!" Sally Hawkins delivers as usual - making us believe that she (a lovely human woman) could fall in love with a sea monster. I did not notice any of the CGI complaints some have made - it was too lovely a picture to look for all the flaws. The commentary on the times - white men ruled the earth - is just that - plain and simple. Don't believe it watch an episode of "Mad Men." I suggest not getting caught up in the perceived political/social implications if that is something that irritates - just watch is for what it is - a lovely fairy tale about a lonely woman, and the creature with whom she falls in love. Highly entertaining. Sally Hawkins absolutely deserved an Oscar nod for this film.

Polarizing. I've seen some reviews comparing this to Beauty and the Beast. Hmm - if you go to this movie expected a childish movie experience, or that the director or cast is going pull back to pacify your sensitivities, you will be disappointed. This is NOT a movie for children, it is NOT cutesy or weak. If you want cutesy, there are tons of projects out there that will meet your needs. So - let's look at THIS movie. What is love? We open with a study of a lonely woman, living a life of quiet desperation? Her routine is the same, get up, boil eggs, masturbate - [though contrary to many of the reviews - this latter is shown only as her with a leg out of the bathtub]. Of interest within the overall context of the movie is boiling eggs. [After all, it is the Shape of Water]. We see this opening scene twice and it establishes who our main character is. She has an interesting apartment. Her neighbor has been discarded by a system he wants back into, and she is a janitress at some government facility. No, the government is not painted as "your friend" - the conversation between the "bad guy" and his boss shows exactly how "the government" thinks of it's people. It's a BIG movie - it brings in pieces and parts of our communal past - in ways that are not flattering. That is true. Our main character is plainish... not drop dead gorgeous but she has HEART and this is, at it's core a movie about HEART and the things we value. The "bad guy" is interesting, in a train wreck kind of way. He has gotten to where he is [where ever that is] by unswerving devotion and fanatical pursuit of doing what is asked of him. And by doing so, has achieved his version of the American dream. There are several key players, Bob, Zelda... her neighbor and in an odd way, the Creature. We are told it is "him" but that is not apparent. Yes, I was totally put in mind of Abe Sapien crossed with the Creature from the Black Lagoon [sidebar - in the CftBL, the Creature is after the woman - is is cause she is crunchy and tastes better or something else? In this movie, the chaser is the woman] OK - so what is this anyhow? An examination of the relationships in our lives and weighing out - what is really important. If you hang up on the "sex" - spoiler alert... she gets naked - you can see her bottom! you can see her top! and then.... they hug] We are presented with a dichotomy in the relationships of our protagonist and those of the antagonist and how they treat and are treated by those around them. As you can tell, this can go on and on. That said, there are some scenes that are hard to take yet each moves the movie - the sandpile and the cat. One from ignorance, one from fear. Our primary characters are the woman, her antagonist [hereafter known as the stinky guy] and to a slightly lesser degree, her friends. The stinky guy, though drawn with a broad, black brush still turns in a slightly nuanced performance. In the midst of serving his masters at the cost of his soul, reading a self -help book. We are forced to ask - if he truly believed in the life he is leading, what purpose does this book serve? Are there flickerings of conscience bubbling up? But these are hints and images seen through a glass darkly. This is not a movie for everyone. It is uncomfortable in many ways and unflinching in it's depiction of events. When lesser films would have pulled back to preserve our illusions, this one does not. This film is dense and packed with allegorical imagery. It walks the line between too much and just enough. It tiptoes up to slapstick but then shines a "and this is what actually happened" light on the scene. Is it perfect? Hmm... it's really very very good [what I thought was the weakest scene is probably not what you thought :)]. As Creature from the Black Lagoon reflected the sensitivities of the time, this film, based in OUR zeitgeist, looking back on that Golden Age reflects a different reality. Our heroine, plain though she may be, still has adult desires which are not met as most men [with one exception] can't see past her muteness to the person within. She is lonely and shares her loneliness with her neighbor who is also alien in 1962. At heart this is perhaps an exploration of different and how different fits together to form the quilt of reality. The general is different, Bob is different, the lab boss [what was his name again?] is different. Is the creature a god? Was everything that happened part of some larger design? Where did the woman come from? What is up with her scars? If you feel that a good film presents questions in an interesting way and encourages us to look for answers, you will probably like this film. If you feel that the purpose of a film to reaffirm only those aspects of life you feel are of value, you probably will not. There is enough ambiguity in key areas to let you fill in the blanks. And it is what YOU fill those blanks in with that will determine whether you like or dislike this movie.

Love this movie, very glad I added to collection

Arrived on time and as described. Personally, I found the film kinda creepy., but this is a review of a seller, who was good.

Such a good movie. DVD quality seems great. Some nice additional features, but the case seems really cheap. Thought it might be a burnt copy but upon further inspection things seemed to check out. I guess DVDs are losing so much money now, with Netflix etc., that they've had to cut back somewhere! I mention it only so you're not disappointed, and or surprise like I was. I wouldn't want anything to hold back somebody's enjoyment of this movie. So that being said I would still highly recommend this DVD as the movie is spectacular! I'm not watching the case or hanging the DVD on my wall, so I just let it go and enjoyed! I'm not going to go into an in-depth review of the movie, but let's just say if you enjoy beautifully textured movies where every detail has been give careful attention then this one will be a feast for you eyes! Watching the extra features really let me know just how much thought he put into this movie from the colour pallet to support the theme to the textures in the wall paper, etc. Beautifully written, directed ... and the acting is just unsurpassed! A little gem, Guillermo did not hide any of his talents in this film! If you're a fan of his other work you will surely enjoy this. If youre not a fan then, try this one and become a fan of a great artist this is beyond a mere film but a work of art!

A great thought provoking movie. Love the steelbook cover. Like all Del Torro’s work this is of the usual calibre you expect from him.

La edición en si es muy bonita, caja metálica sin más con la película. Los extras estan bien pero no he visto que hubiera ninguna edición con más así que esta edición es genial y más por el precio.

当時映画館で観て、小説を買い、その後Blu-rayを予約し購入しました。 基本的には原作や小説版が細かい描写があるので好きなのですが、この作品は映像がとにかく綺麗です。醸し出す雰囲気というのか。監督や演者さんのインタビューも収録されているので、ぜひご覧ください。できれば、小説もぜひ。 登場人物の心理描写が細かく描かれているし、特にラストが映像版は余韻を残して終わっていますが、小説は文章で描かれているので少しだけ続きを観ている感じになります。

Es un excelente producto, contiene: 1 disco dvd Audio original en inglés Dolby 5.1 Doblaje al español 2.0 digital Subtitulos en español Extras Thetrical trailer es muy recomendable para la colección, el envío fue bueno.