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The Shape of Water
A (INDIA)
2018
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Certified Fresh
$ 0 Million
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The Shape of Water
Positive Reviews
265
Negative reviews
21
Average Rating
4.2
/5
romantic
beautiful
sensory
gorgeous
musical
All
Positive
Negative
2.0
But the real romance powering this baroquely whimsical Cold War fairytale isnt the one between woman and fish, but rather a lifelong infatuation with ..
Av Club
4.0
Thus begins one of the strangest yet most beautiful courtships you will see this year, a melding of horror tale, Cold War sci fi, musical homage, and ..
Den Of Geek
4.5
Guillermo del Toro once told me that he considers The Shape of Water his most personal film.After all, it is the fruition of the auteurs lifelong desi ..
Den Of Geek
3.0
But its also poignant, tender, funny, romantic, and flat out breathtaking in its shoot the moon ambition.Theres even a Busby Berkeley dance fantasia n ..
EW
3.1
It makes its points with a jackhammer, wielding symbols in blaring neon.The mood of swooning romanticism is silly or moving, depending on your perspec ..
Rogerebert
5.0
But its all delivered with extensive speechifying and stuffy filmmaking.
Rogerebert
3.0
All give wonderfully humane, lived in performances kind of a small miracle for a film this stylized.
Indie Wire
5.0
A ravishing, eccentric auteurs imagining, spilling artistry, empathy and sensuality from every open pore, it also offers more straight up movie for yo ..
Variety
3.5
The old fashioned nature of this story can feel timeless, or it can simply feel outdated.
We Got This Covered
3.0
Russians skulk; paranoia looms; there are tense showdowns in diners that evoke harsh Civil Rightsera realities.
Time Out
4.0
Del Toro provides just enough spade work to keep the scheme plausible and his film is stylish and charming; red meat for the senses with some sugar on ..
The Guardian
5.0
This is the US in the early 60s, with the cold war and the space race providing the backdrop for a tale of love and loss and the monster who tried to ..
The Guardian
4.0
Intriguingly, it has a brilliant pastiche of a golden age song and dance routine that surely owes something to Mel Brookss Young Frankenstein, but its ..
The Guardian
2.5
This is one of the films best moments, reveling in the pleasure that the drab Elisa is allowed to derive from discussing something naughty.
3.8
But its an endearing, even haunting film from one of cinemas most inventive artists, one who manages to bend even the hoariest B movie tropes to his i ..
5.0
The Shape Of Water Dir: Guillermo del Toro There is nothing monstrous about del Toros visually sumptuous, emotionally spellbinding love story a creatu ..
Screen Daily
5.0
While shaping a classic creature movie, del Toro has focused on its heart, and the result is intensely humane.
Screen Daily
4.5
This is del Toros Beauty and the Beast with the delicate time period touches and social awareness of Far from Heaven.
Collider
4.5
And while Del Toro ups the gore and disarmingly the sex quotient, the story goes exactly where you think it will.Its an utterly lovely, complacent mov ..
Vulture
5.0
Centered on an exquisite performance from Sally Hawkins that conveys both delicacy and strength, this is a visually and emotionally ravishing fantasy ..
The Hollywood Reporter
4.0
The piscatorial individual at the heart of The Shape of Water represents a downright Darwinian leap into ever deeper waters for the director, crossing ..
5.0
Classical mythology has its satyrs and centaurs, its shape shifting gods and metamorphosing nymphs, whose commingling and canoodling is part of the hu ..
The New York Times
4.8
The love at its center is so pure that it deserves to be carefree.
Paste Magazine
4.5
Its a finely nuanced, vibrant portrayal full of wry wit and passion.
IGN
3.0
All well and good, but the problem with predictable characters is that they act predictably and make the movie predictable too.
E Film Critic
5.0
The Shape of Water is the story of a human woman who has an illicit love affair with a swamp monster, and is played with all the swoony sincerity of a ..
Telegraph
4.5
Its the most Del Toro has ever been Del Toro.Meaning, its as absurd as it is romantic, as harrowing as its is vibrant, as musically inclined as it is ..
The Young Folks
5.0
Finding modern parallels for greed motivated leaders who fear equality isnt hard.At its heart is a superlative performance by Hawkins.
4.0
With all the promise that hes shown over the years, Del Toro should have been at the Oscar podium as many times as his Mexican director contemporaries ..
Ny Daily News
5.0
It all comes together as a thoroughly original love story/fable, that never quite goes down the path you think it will, spinning cold war intrigue int ..
JoBlo
4.5
Guillermo del Toros The Shape of Water elegantly blends whimsical fairy tale with a fresh spin on classic monster movies for a delightful experience.
Screen Rant
3.8
The story, for starters, is slighter and its emotional underpinnings weaker than I once believed.
The Globe And Mail
3.8
And del Toro somehow manages to keep the deeply weird mash up of ideas and images coherent, unified by style and mood.
Philly
4.0
However, its beauty lies in the filmmakers vivid imagination and unique execution.
5.0
The Shape of Water is a story that only a screenwriter and director with a well developed and totally idiosyncratic imagination could create.Fortunate ..
Spirituality And Practice
2.0
But while such references could seem merely precious or cute, in this case they bring an added layer of feeling to a wondrous adult fairy tale played ..
One Guys Opinion
5.0
Del Toro might have made The Shape of Water, but Sally Hawkins owns it.
Village Voice
3.1
No, this isnt del Toros Starman..Its alternately touching and off putting.
Rogers Movie Nation
4.4
It rebukes intolerance, affirms love in all its forms and guises, and does so with a strong dose of adventure and suspense.
ReelViews
3.0
10 1 8 / 10 After going huge with 2013s Pacific Rim and gothic with 2015s Crimson Peak, writer/director Guillermo del Toro tries a little softness on ..
Blu Ray
4.5
The Shape of Water, the latest fantasy from director Guillermo del Toro (Hellboy, Pans Labyrinth), is essentially a childrens movie for adults, inspir ..
Chicago Reader
4.4
This is a very funny premise, but from it, del Toro and co writer Vanessa Taylor expand the films ideas and setups, until it seems ready to burst.
Mark Reviews Movies
3.0
The Shape of Water may be a simple fairy tale, but del Toros telling gives it real human consequence and artful beauty.
4.4
Its a noir fairy tale that touches on the cruelty of man, as well as the heart wanting what (and who) it wants.
Usa Today
4.4
Its clear immediately that filmmaker Guillermo del Toro is going for the feel of an old school and unapologetically gothic horror flick, as Crimson Pe ..
Reel Film Reviews
2.0
All plot holes can be subsumed within the magical realist tone for which Del Toro is famed. Yet theres an uncomfortable tension between the films whim ..
The Times
2.0
The artistic touches of writer director Guillermo del Toro (Pacific Rim) are evident in the film, particularly in an indoor underwater scene.Guillermo ..
Lariat
3.0
The film has great pieces that rarely fit together, and the binary connections that del Toro makes between real life civil rights struggles and merman ..
News Review
4.0
This is a monster movie but it plays like a Beauty and the Beast style romance.
Independent
4.4
Make of those references what you will, though the themes of being buried alive and the healing power of music come through loud and clear in the scri ..
Rolling Stone
4.0
The concept album that is Arethas Gold follows the chronology of Aretha Franklins hits, all released in 1967 and 1968, apex years of the decade not ju ..
Pop Matters
1.0
The concept album that is Arethas Gold follows the chronology of Aretha Franklins hits, all released in 1967 and 1968, apex years of the decade not ju ..
Pop Matters
3.0
Its all shot with a skip and a bounce, choreographed like a dance routine, that suggests something improbably and irritatingly twee.
Pop Matters
5.0
Theres something here for lovers of all kinds of movies even silents and musicals but the director transcends mere pastiche to craft a work that feels ..
The Wrap
4.4
Its a classic monster movie reworked for a new age, a role reversal romance rather than a rape revenge metaphor, a fairy tale rather than a cautionary ..
News Day
2.0
Guillermo del Toro has a head full of old movies, but his films somehow seem sui generis.
Cs Monitor
5.0
His new film defies genre: Its a fairytale, a sci fi fantasy, a cross species love story and a Cold War thriller all wrapped up in one gorgeous, visio ..
Film Journal
3.1
Ultimately, this is a film from a group of terrific talents that never quite comes together the way youd hope.Its just too fluid to wholly take shape.
New York Post
4.0
It is a love story and a monster movie, it is a romantic comedy and an espionage thriller, and a fantasy both literally and emotionally; it is also a ..
Hindustan Times
4.5
Its also a movie about del Toros love affair with movies, part romance, part Cold War spy drama, part musical, part horror film.
Az Central
4.5
Nothing else that happens is likely to surprise you; thats not del Toros game.
Npr
5.0
The film pivots into exciting spy thriller territory, as if a creature feature/love story/dance musical is not enough to hold the audiences attention.
Star Tribune
4.4
The love story turns thriller as Elisa makes a daring move prompted as much by compassion as by romance.
Toronto Star
4.4
Its a daring and, given the films romantic pairing of a woman and an amphibian humanoid, potentially disastrous conceit that del Toro brings off with ..
Q Network
5.0
It is hard to over state how good Hawkins is in this role. Speech is an actors most potent weapon, but she gives a masterclass in how you to move and ..
Daily Mail
4.5
Del Toro has a lot to say about the ugliness of humanity and the ideas of what monsters truly are in this world and others.
Cinema Crazed
5.0
Even if youre not transported by every minute of the films story, though, del Toro creates such a sumptuous visual world that its impossible to take y ..
Slate
5.0
This tale of underwater love will leave you awash with wonder as it recaptures the magic of cinema.
Flim List
4.5
What an experience this film is.How intelligently and honestly it tells its story.
Film Inquiry
4.5
As a result, they unfortunately distract from the conflict and romance that should instead be front and center.
Film Inquiry
4.5
Del Toro might be criticised for relying heavily on archetypes in his characterisation, but such is the nature of fairy tales, and finely detailed per ..
Eye For Film
5.0
Its a masterful work and del Toro succeeds on all levels, delivering an unforgettable fairy tale and exquisite piece of visceral filmmaking that tugs ..
5.0
Guillermo del Toro (Pans Labyrinth) delves into the erotically charged romanticism that often pervades the darkly bewitched monsters in the classic ho ..
Susang Ranger
1.3
The more I try to find some kind of justifiable meaning and relevance, the more I find The Shape of Water a loopy, lunkheaded load of drivel.
Observer
5.0
Theoretically, Elisa should be terrified of this unknown aquatic monster.
Flickering Myth
5.0
The Shape of Water is a cinematic fight for that world, one that could be born out of creativity and dreaming. Out of romance. Out of the movies.
Flim Threet
4.5
After movies like Pans Labyrinth and the Hellboy franchise, Guillermo del Toro is back with an enchanting tale of an unusual and sweet romance.
Book My Show
4.0
Hawkinss performance is sublime and worthy of a watch all on its own.
Book My Show
4.0
The visuals and colours enhance the fairy tale nature of the story but the rich emotions ground it.
Book My Show
5.0
Not since Alice filled a room with tears has inundation felt like such a wonder.
New Yorker
5.0
But theres enough magic, and extraordinary visual imagination, to smooth the edges of the movies problems.
Time
2.0
In the way that Guillermo del Toros Academy Award winning Pans Labyrinth rearranged Lewis Carrolls Alices Adventures in Wonderland to tell a story abo ..
Boston Herald
3.5
In that, screenwriters Vanessa Taylor and Del Toro, adapting a story by Del Toro, dont leave anything unsaid.
The New Indian Express
4.5
Its sort of a beautiful picnic of of of really intense oddity, you know And and and thats what the movie is.
The New York Times
3.0
But the greatest influence on this modern day fairytale is the 1950s monster movie genre.
Express
5.0
PR Sally Hawkins in The Shape Of Water The latest gothic fantasy from Pans Labyrinth director Guillermo del Toro is a beguiling Beauty And The Beast s ..
Express
3.0
Story has arguably never been the directors greatest strength and, with those pieces in place, you might already know where this ones headed.
The Film Stage
4.4
Yet this one is its own being.Its exquisitely detailed and period accurate when it wants to be, and a gorgeous fabrication when the emotions and the u ..
Chicago Tribune
4.5
Del Toro has crafted a loving ode to freaks everywhere and makes audiences fall in love with an unusual tale of defiant romance.
Bullz-Eye
5.0
The great movies arent always subtle.Sometimes theyre as big and bold as a classic musical, as brutal as a film noir, as spine tingling as a creature ..
Boston Globe
4.5
This time, on this movie, del Toro wants to explore these fascinating characters and lets the visuals enhance this telling instead of the other way ar ..
Uproxx
4.0
Del Toro has employed a lifetime of horror fandom in the creation of a scary movie that wouldnt scare a day old kitten.Oh, it doesnt matter much.
The Irish Times
3.0
But in The Shape of Water, director and co writer Guillermo del Toro manages to turn that premise into something beautiful and occasionally moving, if ..
Las Vegas Weekly
5.0
It is at once a monster picture, a romantic fable, an ode to classic cinema, a parable of tolerance, and an espionage thriller.
The Atlantic
4.5
del Toro uses the visual language of fantasy and sci fi in their simplest, most familiar forms, imbuing them with his childlike sensibility that he ba ..
Birth Movies Death
5.0
Its these contradictory elements, a brilliance made better by its flaws, that makes his films so exhilarating.Del Toros works blend the world of the s ..
Birth Movies Death
5.0
Beauty has never embraced the beast more enthusiastically.A treat if you believe in fairy tales.
Standard
5.0
Whether laced with surface scum in AMs holding tank, or pouring from the skies, or swirling orgasmically over the top of Elisas bath and through the f ..
Standard
2.0
As the title implies, this is a movie that surrounds the viewers psyche and physical being. It is a film that achieves everything it sets out to accom ..
Coles Mithey
4.4
As for the movie, this is one of those adventurous pieces of cinematic imagination I find I like more and more as time goes by.
Movie Freak
2.0
Jenkins is equally as touching in a quiet performance that is all longing and heartbreak.
Detroit News
3.3
Sometimes that means entering superhero land and sometimes it means taking gothic romance for a test drive.
4.0
But even in the familiar moments there is much to love and adore about this fairy tale for adults.
Firstpost
5.0
(CNN) Guillermo del Toros visual artistry thrives in the realm of fantasy.
Cnn
4.4
This adult fairy tale is perhaps the riskiest film of Guillermo del Toros career, but those risks generally pay off. A visually spectacular fantasy ro ..
Aisle Seat
4.0
Even in this tale of impossible romance and good vs. evil, everyone is given shading and nuance.
Forbes
3.0
And thats exactly what del Toros latest vision is.You dont have to be marginalized in some way to be swept up in its beauty and romance.
Consequence Of Sound
4.4
But if del Toro didnt have that hunger to occasionally provoke, he wouldnt be del Toro.And no one else could have this beautifully weird, strangely ro ..
Nj
4.0
It is a difficult and beautiful dream and del Toro makes it feel like just a bit less of a fantasy.
Vox
4.0
This is a charming, beautifully filmed movie that appeals on many levels and is a song to cinema and to love.
Hey U Guys
2.0
But as much as it has on its mind, it has even more in its happy sad, brave and quiet heart.
The Play List
3.8
Its best moments are with its misfits.Poor Giles says at one point to Eliza that he is absolutely alone, and your heart breaks for him because though ..
Film Freak Central
5.0
There arent many filmmakers operating at this scale who put as much trust in their audience as del Toro does, and in a way this film is a direct respo ..
Now Toronto
5.0
Del Toro creates a beautifully imagined world, rich in colours and characters, with touches of humour and social commentary, to tell a sweet love stor ..
Scroll
4.5
The craft of Guillermo del Toros latest is top notch, but an unremarkable screenplay leads to an emotionally unfulfilling finale.
Film School Rejects
4.5
This film is pure old fashioned movie magic that will engross younger viewers (although it will undoubtedly have an MA+ rating) and adults alike a cri ..
Film Ink
4.5
It is a story of dreams made real, and the rare film that can rip your heart open and leave your brain intact.
Ner Dist
3.0
Its not the kind of scenario typically found in a film greeted as a credible Oscar contender: Del Toros willingness to court absurdity and bad taste s ..
The Age
5.0
The films centrepiece, an underwater waltz, is so beautifully executed that the weight of disbelief is easily suspended.Easily del Toros best English ..
Cine Vue
2.5
Bring towels.You wont really get splashed but you might feel soaked.
Varia Gate
5.0
The result is a full blooded fable of outsider love thats at once timely and timeless, fantastical and forceful, its every tonal swing matched in subs ..
Games Radar
5.0
Its a movie that despite explicit moments maintains an innocence suitable for the vintage movie theater Sally Hawkins heroine lives above.
Tamp A Bay
5.0
Guillermo del Toros wildly imaginative adult fairytale is an opulently entertaining monster fable that is spectacularly stylised and perversely enchan ..
Raidió Teilifís Éireann
4.5
A charming, heartwarming modern fairytale with not an ounce of flotsam or jetsam, its an idiosyncratic delight to behold.
Star Burst Magazine
2.5
To paraphrase what they say about Trump, its like a dumb persons idea of a smart movie.
Abc
4.0
Racism and homophobia begin to loom, and while the parallels Del Toro is drawing will be too clunky for some, the films huge heart and good intentions ..
Flicks
5.0
I suppose the point Im slowly getting to is that this is what it looks like when all the pieces come together for the great Guillermo del Toro (Pans L ..
Independent Ie
5.0
The films climax might stretch credulity, but thats hardly the point: its bold and beautiful and moves you to tears.
Independent Ie
4.0
A beautiful homage to cinema, its moral is far from subtle, but Sally Hawkinss wonderful performance raises it from cute oddity to emotional journey.
Independent Ie
3.5
... while there are several beautiful, aquatic set pieces, the story shuffles predictably towards its conflict and conclusion. For those who want look ..
Stuff
5.0
Del Toros absolute love for his craft and this story comes cascading out of every frame.
Stuff
4.3
Del Toros romantic style and comic book sensibilities can create genuine wonderment and emotional involvement, but here, he pushes the boundary of com ..
Ar Kansas Online
4.4
The movie goes on to have some fun undermining this character, and Shannon is more than game.
Larsen On Film
4.5
Its humor, its heart, and its horror all work in beautiful concert.
Vanity Fair
5.0
Whether youre a hopeless romantic or a sci fi geek, we all could stand to both receive and give a little more compassion right now.
Refinery 29
4.5
Movies Sandra Blands Sisters On The Real Power Of Saying Her Name Say Her Name: The Life & Death of Sandra Bland directed by Kate Davis and David Heil ..
Refinery 29
3.5
Movies How Kids Can See The Most Important R Rated Teen Movie Of The Summer Bo Burnhams directorial debut Eighth Grade has received accolades for its ..
Refinery 29
4.0
Its a film that doesnt want to be categorised, but its no trouble at all to lose yourself in its swirling currents.
The Arts Desk
3.0
For an often bad film, 6 Days is sometimes thoughtful and exciting.
The Arts Desk
3.0
SEEMS odd to be writing about this film now, when it feels like it was released about 6 months ago but thats Oscars campaigning for you.OK what do we ..
The Sun
5.0
The Shape of Water is a flow of sumptuous images set to music, a flood tide of feelings with a mythic undertow.
Wsj
3.5
Its also a tale of wish fulfilment.Drama of the absurd, magic realism as well as his inherent need to explore dark needs and desires intersect in the ..
FilmFare
5.0
Del Toro delivered exactly what he wanted: a sumptuous romance with powerful political themes, starring a wordless amphibian as a thrilling object of ..
Daily Dot
4.4
1 of 6 View Caption This image released by Fox Searchlight Pictures shows Sally Hawkins and Doug Jones in a scene from the film The Shape of Wate..
Sltrib
5.0
Thank the movie gods for Guillermo del Toro.One of our best living filmmakers, del Toro crafts gorgeous, poetic films that combine genres to great eff ..
Film
4.5
It is this adult fairy tales uninhibited embrace of love in all its euphoric glory that renders The Shape of Water such an unexpected delight.
Scmp
5.0
It is romantic, immensely romantic, and you may find yourself mumbling that such a romance cant be possible and certainly cant be convincing.
2.0
Writer director Guillermo del Toro has never been a conventional filmmaker.
The Film Pie
5.0
... del Toros film is poetic, sumptuous, emotionally complex, and yet almost strikingly simple in its narrative.
Io9 Gizmodo
4.4
I found myself admiring and appreciating this film more than falling in love with it.
Chicago Sun Times
5.0
Fortunately, the film never runs out of momentum, imagination nor its humanism.
Nyc Movie Guru
4.5
Guillermo Del Toro has crafted just such a film with, a film that is as beautiful as it is bizarre, as terrifying as it is heartbreaking.
Punch Drunk Critics
5.0
It has the seriousness and innocence of A Monster Calls while indulging in an R rated adult fantasy romance, an amazing line to walk and all the bette ..
Movie Crypt
2.5
Its a shame, then, that its so lacking in substance and coherent purpose.
Straight
3.0
Its a fairy tale romance, monster flick, and Cold War espionage thriller all at once.
Movie Web
3.0
Its a testament to the storytellers skill that he manages to cram all that into his narrative with nary a lump and still keep his characters dancing w ..
Sandiego Reader
4.5
The Shape of Water is visually spectacular and a gift to the world of cinema and a beautiful must see treat for Del Toro fans.
We Live Entertainment
2.5
So long has it been that directors once attached to the project have died; once modern audiences have aged out of key demos.
Cinemix Tape
2.0
We can have moments of escape from a bleak reality via stories and movies of imagination and beauty.
Shockya
4.0
Director and co writer Guillermo del Toros sets and art direction pay homage to classics of the creature feature genre, while filtering it through his ..
Straits Times
4.5
The flamboyantly peculiar erotics of The Shape of Water have not stopped critics and audiences from applauding it as a delightful masterpiece.I applau ..
The Ringer
4.5
This is very much an adult fantasy a del Toro specialty, though in this case, whats not suitable for younger audiences isnt merely the movies intimate ..
The Ringer
5.0
Jones inhabits his role with great dignity and emotional power, making this unlikely pairing one for the cinematic ages.
Dead Line
4.0
But del Toros structuring, and the work of composer Alexandre Desplat and cinematographer Dan Laustsen, mean that it builds rather than stagnates, and ..
Metro New York
4.5
This would appear to be grist for the sermon mill, but del Toros light touch (a welcome rebound from the gothic ponderousness of his last effort, Crim ..
Film Comment
4.0
The result is a science fiction/romance/magical realist mash up that works as a captivating singular vision.
Chron
5.0
The craft of his filmmaking is as sharp as ever theres something simply intoxicating about the way he moves his camera, and cuts on those movements (p ..
Flavor Wire
4.4
A kaleidoscope of whimsical, haunting, disturbing and beautiful emotions, images and sounds, it takes a ludicrous concept and manages to make it seem ..
Bitly
4.5
Del Toros remarkable movie is wrapped up in volumes of stories and storytelling, giving it that magical and otherworldly feel.This film comes from a p ..
Bitly
4.0
The result is easily the directors most enchanting production since Pans Labyrinth.
The Skinny
4.0
But if the film hammers its political subtext a little too hard, Del Toro creates wonders in other ways.
Scots Man
5.0
A wonderfully weird love story that plays like an adult fairy tale, its a fantastical delight and the kind of movie that deserves all the accolades it ..
No La
4.5
Whats the genre.Fantasy romance, with a strong, sweet overtone of movie musical.
The Verge
5.0
Its a funny, charming and heart warming tale and most people will find it difficult not to be taken in by it.
Metro
5.0
Del Toro and co writer Vanessa Taylor (Game of Thrones) also do an expert job at fleshing out each and every character here, aided by a cast of first ..
The Daily Beast
4.5
Even better than its offhand wittiness, its aesthetic splendor or its shrewd social commentary, however, is its headliner.
The Daily Beast
3.3
But its Hawkins and Jenkins who power the film and make its absurd moments believable.
Or Lando Weekly
2.5
Its not enough to salvage the film, at least not for me, but it is enough to make it feel less like a misfire in the directors career, and more like a ..
Alternate Ending
5.0
Creating a convincing romance between a woman and a fishman is probably the films biggest challenge, but sensitive performances ... make it not just b ..
Scifi Now
5.0
Its a beautiful love story in a beautiful film with a beautiful message, with some of the most haunting and gorgeous images youll see all year.
Lainey Gossip
5.0
You never know where The Shape of Water is going. But, like water, you let it engulf you and sweep you away.
Seattle Times
2.0
This is a monster movie that makes you want to dance and fall in love.Its whimsical but never overly cute.
Guide Live
3.8
If The Shape of Water never quite breaks out of the confines of whats basically a tale as old as time, its still an artfully executed diversion furthe ..
Clclt
5.0
The more fanatical of del Toros fans have already noted Amphibian Mans resemblance to Abe Sapien, the empathic do gooder from the filmmakers Hellboy f ..
East Bay Express
2.5
It has its moments and effective performances but it often gushes over the top.And sentimentality approaching hokum is not absent.
Tony Mack
4.5
These star crossed lovers tell a fantastical and metaphorical tale about those of us who feel othered and marginalized.
Black Girl Nerds
4.5
Falling for the sensitive way in which it handles its underwater lovers is as well.
Concrete Play Ground
5.0
I havent seen so much teal in a movie in decades; its quite possible you can find a swatch of the colour in every shot.
National Post
5.0
Del Toro even carries over a confusion, originating in Revenge of the Creature, as to whether the Gill Man is a freshwater fish or a marine animal.
Bfi
5.0
She can be simultaneously a charming frump and a thrilling diva, like any Cinderella cum wannabe Mermaid should.
Bfi
5.0
Do you think you could have made this film say five years ago.GUILLERMO DEL TORO: No, absolutely not.
Original Cin
5.0
Sally Hawkins and the monster in The Shape of Water (Photo: Fox Searchlight) Del Toros deep thought: Its midcentury Americans who are the real monster ..
National Review
4.5
The new, machine tooled The Last Jedi is sufficiently busy (action scenes occurring every ten minutes) to make you grateful that it is, at least, agre ..
National Review
5.0
Refreshingly, the film doesnt shy away from its characters desires... The Shape of Water spells out in letters taller than the Empire State Building e ..
New States Man
4.5
What makes this tale remarkable is that old school cavalry warfare triumphs over missile equipped Taleban forces.
The New Paper
5.0
Its the punctuation on top and serves to add to the films beauty.
Cultured Vultures
4.5
Del Toros character strokes are cheerily bawdy, as in the advice melancholy Giles would have offered his younger self: Take better care of your teeth ..
New City Film
5.0
Thank you for supporting the journalism that our community needs!.For unlimited access to the best local, national, and international news and much mo ..
Winnipeg Free Press
1.0
While watching the genre muddle of this movie one does wish Del Toro would return to making the wonderfully overcooked cheeseburger epics he does so w ..
Tiny Url
4.4
Guillermo del Toro is a master of the science fiction and fantasy genres.
Cinema Sight
4.0
The soon to be classic tale has a cleaning lady falling in love with an Amphibian Man.Its an interspecies love story, pure and simple.
Daily Film Fix
2.5
Movie Review: The Shape of Water: Why the Oscar Pick Is All Wet R | 2h 3min | Adventure, Drama, Fantasy | 22 December 2017 (USA) The Shape of Water wo ..
Theepoch Times
4.5
This may not be among Del Toros best films, but this tender love story fully belongs on the same shelf.
Fw Weekly
5.0
Its an exceedingly dreamy movie so intoxicated with itself that its sometimes easier to admire Del Toros classically composed film than to genuinely s ..
Ap News
3.0
The pieces were there for one of the years best films, but it may have been better served with a friendship. Fish men and women can be friends, you kn ..
Columbus Alive
4.4
The Shape of Water is a perfectly constructed poem, falling somewhere between rage and ache and finding beauty.Its a movie for all the monsters out th ..
Sf Examiner
3.5
Best and Worst Movie Remakes Very few directors could pull off that tricky combination.
Us Magazine
5.0
What keeps it from getting cloying are its sense of humor (Octavia Spencer gets in some particularly good lines) and its smarts.The screenplay, by del ..
Mash Able
3.8
It is, frame by frame, a beautiful looking film, and not only beautiful, but of a piece.
Sf Chronicle
5.0
Guillermo del Toros latest is an alluring and delicate tale of acceptance and tolerance anchored by an awards worthy Sally Hawkins.
Culture
5.0
The shiny corridors of the space center glow with nefarious purpose that suggests the paranoia and absurdity of Dr. Strangelove..But it is the lighthe ..
Vulture
3.8
Its not the effortless incorporation of a classical musical number or the other welcome stylistic flourishes.
Am Ny
4.5
The cast is wonderful Jenkins is warm and lovable, Spencer is funny, and Shannon, as always, plays the perfect snake. But its Hawkins silent performan ..
Washington City Paper
5.0
With hands endlessly twirling the escape hatch of certainty, Guillermo Del Toro pushes us into the deep end of his imagination.
Film Ireland
5.0
Its the Amelie and Creature from the Black Lagoon mash up you never knew you wanted.
Dark Horizons
5.0
Sexuality is a current that makes the action of this otherworldly drama flow.
Thril List
4.5
Phantom Thread (HBO Now): I just dont think Im a Paul Thomas Anderson guy.
Battleship Pretension
5.0
Beautiful, sensuous, fully wearing its heart on its sleeve, with top notch performances and a wondrous soundtrack, The Shape of Water does not hold ba ..
Screen Anarchy
3.8
Del Toro gets fine performances out of the rest of the cast as well.
Cambridge Day
4.5
David: A cornucopia of cliches comes to mind to describe Guillermo del Toros latest movie.
Kaplan Vs Kaplan
5.0
This beauty and the beast story is sometimes worthy of the Cocteau version.
Metro Active
3.5
But the overarching thriller is so meticulously art directed, it feels a bit self conscious.
News
3.0
Employing some good, old fashioned movie magic, del Toro has crafted a film that borders on sensory overload.
Review Journal
2.5
It is truly a fairy tale for adults: Its intellectually shallow, sure, but at least its explicit.
Free Beacon
4.0
With excellent leading performances, a modern twist on some classic cinema and a beautifully realized 1950s setting, The Shape of Water might just tak ..
Adelaide Review
4.0
Del Toro takes the central relationship seriously, and the weight of the villain makes us care for the characters and hope theyll be buoyed by their f ..
Impulse Gamer
5.0
Guillermo del Toro chases dreams, attempting (and often succeeding) in mixing horror and romanticism as he allows his ample imagination to invade real ..
Denerstein Unleashed Blog ..
2.5
Director Guillermo del Toro (Pans Labyrinth) has an expansive imagination, but his limitations as a storyteller have created a film that is beautiful ..
Willamette Week
2.0
Elisa and the amphibian mans sweet, unorthodox relationship reminds the other characters and us that theres someone out there for everyone.
Crooked Marquee
3.8
A movie mash up of lump in your throat romance, espionage thrillers, and then some, The Shape of Water will be catnip for unapologetic movie musicals ..
Film Forward
4.5
Knowing full well that the man doesnt know sign language, she signs exactly what he can do (F U * * himself).
Geek Girl Authority
3.0
Still, whatever small reservations, this is a rare magical experience aimed at adults and looks and sounds delicious.
The Film Experience
5.0
Above all, del Toro convincingly pulls us into his world with water defining every scene, the most powerful element that like love, takes the shape of ..
Kdhx
2.0
The Shape of Water is beautifully crafted on a technical level, just like del Toros other films, but its no more communicative than Pacific Rim.
The Week
4.5
Del Toro delivers a clever, adult and thoroughly enchanting tale about love, acceptance and tolerance.
Kpbs
5.0
Elisa Esposito is the maid, played by Sally Hawkins with girlish maturity and innocent erotic curiosity.
MLive.com
5.0
The way Del Toro depicts the women in the film should be the norm for all films.
Iol Co Za
4.5
But, for those who love del Toros quirky mix of whimsy and horror, you will not be disappointed.
Dread Central
4.5
Its honestly hard to say.At times it feels like a great performance, and at others, like a parody of a great performance.
Splice Today
5.0
And it is definitely the best film ever to be a romantic comedy, a melodrama, a spy thriller, a heist caper, a superhero blockbuster and a monster mov ..
Bbc
4.5
That it should inspire cruelty is indeed evidence that time is a river flowing backwards.
Cinema Scope
4.5
But for all its weaknesses, the film looks like its ready to stand the test of time.
Gulf News
4.4
It was one of the secretly sublime moments in all of 1950s movies.
Buffalo News
4.5
Guillermo del Toros latest film is a hybrid combining a fairy tale romance with a heist and a comedy.
Pgh City Paper
5.0
Computer imagery can create amazing sights, but only a master moviemaker (and movie lover) could have fashioned this dazzling, one of a kind experienc ..
Leonard Mal
4.5
The Shape of Water: Few films leave me awestruck for weeks.But the way Guillermo del Toro juggles heart, imagination, suspense, social history, outsid ..
Daily News
3.0
Its gorgeous and weird, heart wrenching and utterly unforgettable.
Showbiz Junkies
5.0
Sign up for Take Action Now and well send you three actions every Tuesday.
The Nation
3.0
I love how del Toro trusts his audience, which means hes willing and daringly able to offer us a dizzying marriage of the sensual and also possible sa ..
City Beat
5.0
The Shape of Water adds the species barrier to group of segregating factors, and in so doing folds in an even larger idea, namely good old fashioned b ..
The Tyee
5.0
The danger of keeping a wild animal in a domestic setting is palpable.Its not his fault but its not easy.
Monsters And Critics
5.0
This isnt his best film, but maybe its good enough for the celebration of the middlebrow that is the Oscars.
Bangkok Post
2.0
Maybe someone will keep the franchise going with a Fat Amy prequel.
Sa Current
5.0
Everything from the 1960 period details to the symbolic movie marquee for The Story of Ruth is carefully chosen and perfectly executed.
Bust
3.0
This festival bow felt like a homecoming for Del Toro, a permanent resident of Toronto, who has easily made his best film since 2006s Pans Labyrinth.I ..
Worldo Free L
3.0
I will be interested to see how this problem plays out.Unfortunately, what is original about this film is a mixed bag.
Leepers Us
4.5
It is not just a monster movie: it is a provocative alchemy of a fairy tale and Cold War noir, going further than most films in the genre dare, so its ..
Brightest Young Things
5.0
Audiences will have to go with the flow here, allowing themselves to be open to lessons about intolerance and acceptance that are not slapping them in ..
The Movie Minute
5.0
This is a mesmerising, profoundly emotional tale of vulnerable outsiders and its beyond gorgeous to look at.
Metro News
5.0
Many movie lovers often complain about the formulaic nature of modern cinema; the lack of imaginative spark that defined previous decades.
Hot Press
3.8
Some other examples of this otherworldly genre are Black Swan, Birdman and del Toros own Pans Labyrinth.
Baret News Wire
3.0
Del Toro is an imaginative storyteller, and this is a great fairy tale as well as a subversive inversion of the monster movie. If you have a streak of ..
My States Man
3.5
The lemonade gag wears a bit thin.Do take a peek and remind yourself that history most certainly does repeat itself.
James Wegg Review
1.5
Enchanting and annoying in equal measures, this wistful romance is oddly punctuated with bursts of graphic violence and full frontal nudity, managing ..
Wbur
3.8
All published materials contained herein are owned by their respective authors and cannot be reprinted, either in their entirety or in selection, with ..
The Cinema Phile Blog
5.0
Achingly romantic, genuinely thrilling and shot through with a love of classic cinema, this is a weird and wonderful treat to be savoured.
I News
5.0
As with every del Toro movie, theres a nice touch of gore in it, too.
Business Insider
4.0
The Shape of Water is an undoubtedly stylish and visually stunning film.
Flickering Myth
1.5
Wonder Wheel emphasizes standard Allen isms like guilt, fate, jealousy and betrayal, giving his detractors ammunition to say hes just making the same ..
Sd City Beat
3.1
Del Toros sensibilities are always paradoxicalboth sweetly sentimental and darkly twisted.
Baltimore Magazine
5.0
Overall, this offbeat love story could not be more timely, or effective.
Good Times
4.0
What could be Amelie style tweeness is invested with warmth, beauty and a surprisingly deep emotional richness.
Un Cut
4.5
As the films grand scale passion and side stories race toward a bathroom flooded and rain soaked climax, you have to admire del Toro for pressing full ..
Film International
5.0
Its simply beautifully enchanting and brutally mysterious, visually luscious and mesmerising, del Toro is a cinematic genius.
Flavourmag
5.0
A simple story that balances fantasy with allegory and thrilling action with deep introspection, The Shape of Water is another vibrant statement by de ..
Its Just Movies
4.0
Del Toro heaps ravishing vision upon ravishing vision in this escapist, fairy tale romance.
Graffiti With Punctuation
4.0
The Disaster Artist is a hysterical behind the scenes expos tracing the making of Wiseaus self financed vanity project, The Room.
Harper's Bazaar
4.8
Kimberly Gadette, who has been reviewing film for 14 years, is a member of the Online Film Critics Society and Authors Guild.
Rich Mond
4.0
Once again, this summer, philosophers and scholars have been welcomed to Whitehall, the home of George Berkeley, to spend several weeks in residence, ..
Newport This Week
5.0
This would have resulted in a well balanced and far more rewarding experience, a progressive entry in the genre.
News Gazette
4.5
Her goofy Lupe is genuinely funny at times, while the mellow Ferdinand sweetly smiles and civilizes the message to be yourself.
Blog Cleveland
4.0
This old fashioned domicile is a clear tip off to her inner goodness, a trope Hollywood has been riffing on since at least the Art Deco era.
The Arts St L
4.5
There is no love story out there quite like the one Guillermo del Toro has put together here.
5.0
Just as were trying to make sense of this, an alarm goes off and we realize weve been watching Elisas dream.
Beta La Times
4.5
And thered be plenty of it, because if theres nothing else reliable about Hollywood types, they dont really eat.
The Undefeated
2.0
Chastain is absolutely electric as Molly...its a performance that should earn her a nomination, if not a win, at this years Oscars.
AXS.com
5.0
This is a gorgeous, sensual film, a tale filled with kindness and evil and the battle between the two. Be sure to suspend disbelief at the door.
Malibu Times
4.5
And now hes brought us The Shape of Water, an adult fairy tale if there ever was one.
KMUW - Wichita Public Radi ..
5.0
Emerald lawns and teal Cadillacs, aqua uniforms and the cerulean stripes Amphibian Mans scales, all play against the garnet colored sprays of blood.Fo ..
Riot Material
4.5
Yet to men like Strickland, this is the necessary and inevitable collateral of a war started and waged by men insulated in secret government cabinets.
Another Gaze
3.0
Its hard to walk away not feeling impacted by its enchanting qualities.
Sassymamainla
5.0
To wit, only Elisa and the Amphibian Man are afforded distinct musical voices and themes, and the third musical motif in the movie is simply a combina ..
Vice
4.5
The Shape of Water upends a classic monster movie trope for a more woke world.
Wizard World
5.0
Its a fabulous fantasy about outsiders that queer audiences will absolutely embrace.
Epgn
4.5
Cold War spy movie Del Toro does a magnificent job blending magical fairy tale with Cold War spy movie, B grade creature feature leanings and a classi ..
Weekend Special Co Za
4.4
Her characters inability to speak doesnt hamper her in any way from conveying true emotion.
See Where to Watch
The Shape of Water