Film review: The Shape of Water (15)

With a hefty 13 Oscar nominations to its name, I was certainly intrigued by The Shape of Water ahead of seeing it at Boston’s West End Cinema.

Sure, films nominated for Best Picture aren’t always the most popular with the average cinema-goer, but they’ve usually got something that little bit special or different about them.

In the case of Guillermo del Toro’s charming The Shape of Water, it’s certainly a very different offering to anything else I’ve seen over the past year or so.

I’d not necessarily buy into this love story as the best film I’ve seen in that time, but it’s certainly memorable.

Set in a secret US government lab near Baltimore in 1962, the story centres on mute cleaner Elisa (Sally Hawkins) and her relationship with an amphibious creature captured in the Amazon, which is worshipped by the natives as some kind of god.

The team in the facility hold the creature (brought to life by Doug Jones) in captivity, with Michael Shannon’s Richard Strickland and his superiors hoping to study the creature in the hope he could give them scientific advantages over their Soviet enemies.

So they torture the creature and subject him to all sorts of dastardly tests – which some of the scientists, led by Michael Stuhlbarg’s Dr Robert Hoffstetler, aren’t all 100 per cent happy with.

Anyhow, when Elisa and her colleague Zelda Fuller (Octavia Spencer) are tasked with cleaning the room the amphibian is kept in, Elisa shows the creature kindness and compassion.

As their relationship grows and the pair find solace in each other’s company, she does begin to develop romantic feelings for the “gill-man” – which naturally leads to her making some big decisions that endanger not only herself, but those who love and care for her.

Elisa, who communicates exclusively with Sign Language, is something of a tortured soul herself and you’ll root for her from the moment to meet her.

Her relationship with complex neighbour Giles (Richard Jenkins) is another highlight of the film, which I won’t go into too much.

The obvious strengths of The Shape of Water are the gorgeous visuals, cinematography and design (especially the underwater sequences) which really immerse the viewer and throw you into its world.

Hawkins, as I’ve already mentioned, is great as the lead and certainly deserves some kind of recognition for owning the screen without saying a word.

Likewise, Shannon is at his menacing best as the villain of the piece. He’s thoroughly unlikeable and unhinged throughout, with fellow Boardwalk Empire alumni Stuhlbarg acting as a decent foil for him.

I must say that I was pretty disappointed with how predicatable the story was, though. Nothing really surprised me at any point and it was very easy to telegraph every twist.

If you bore easily, The Shape of Water also trundles on at a pretty pedestrian pace.

If you can see past those obvious flaws, del Toro’s latest offering is certainly and an enjoyable take on the age-old Beauty and The Beast formula, with the inter-species romantic angle nowhere near as creepy as it may sound.

Voice Verdict: 8/10 (reviewed at Boston’s West End Cinema)
+ Strong performances
+ Beautiful cinematography
+ Immersive
– Quite slow and predictable

SHOWTIMES
Boston’s West End Cinema (Fri, March 2 to Thurs, March 8)

GAME NIGHT (15)
3pm (Not Sat/Sun), 4.15pm (Sat), 6.30pm (daily), 8.45pm (daily)

RED SPARROW (15)
2.20pm (Sat/Sun), 3pm (Fri), 5.20pm (daily), 8.20pm (Sun-Thurs), 8.30pm (Fri/Sat)

BLACK PANTHER (12A)
11.30am (Sat/Sun), 2.30pm (Sat/Sun),5.30pm (daily), 8.10pm (daily)

THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI (15)
12.30pm (Weds), 4pm (Mon/Thurs), 6pm (Weds)

FINDING YOUR FEET (12A)
3.15pm (not Sun), 5.45pm (daily)

EARLY MAN (PG)
10am (Sat/Sun), noon (Sat/Sun)

FIFTY SHADES FREED (18)
8.40pm (Not Tues)

THE SHAPE OF WATER (15)
10am (Sat/Sun), 3.30pm  (not Sat/Sun)

COCO (PG)
12.30pm (Sat/Sun)

THE GREATEST SHOWMAN (PG)
3pm (not Sat)

THE GREATEST SHOWMAN SING A LONG (PG)
3pm (Sat)

DARKEST HOUR (PG)
3.45pm (Tues/Weds), 6pm (Thurs)

TAD THE LOST EXPLORER AND THE SECRET KINGS OF MIDAS (U)
10am (Sat/Sun)

JUMANJI: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE (12A)
12.40pm (Sat/Sun)

KOBIETY MAFII (18)
8.20pm (daily)

KIDS’ CLUB
10.15am Sat/Sun – My Little Pony (U)

SILVER SCREEN
11.30am Wed – Finding Your Feet (12A)

SUBTITLED SHOWING
6pm Mon – Finding Your Feet (12A)