'The Shape Of Water' (2017) Movie Review

Guillermo del Toro’s latest, The Shape of Water, reminds me of so many of the director’s other films. It contains lush, gorgeous, fantastic elements that astound, tease the imagination, and take your breath away. But it also contains flat, bland, lame-ass choices and needless grandstanding that kills momentum and waters down the impact of what’s otherwise a lovely love letter to classic movies and sweeping cinematic romance.

Guillermo Del Toro's 'The Shape Of Water' Trailer Shows A Dark, Gorgeous Fairy Tale

I know everyone clamors for Guillermo del Toro to make more Hellboy movies, but while they’re fine, I don’t adore them like many. As a counterpoint, I’d much rather have him doing original films, like The Devil’s Backbone, Pan’s Labyrinth, and Crimson Peak. And, at least if this first trailer is to be believed, his latest, The Shape of Water falls into this category. This is as lovely as it is macabre.