The Shape of Water

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2:20

The Shape of Water

R

Released Dec 22, 2017

2h 3m

Fantasy

Romance

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Popcornmeter

92%

Tomatometer

464 Reviews

73%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Elisa is a mute, isolated woman who works as a cleaning lady in a hidden, high-security government laboratory in 1962 Baltimore. Her life changes forever when she discovers the lab's classified secret -- a mysterious, scaled creature from South America that lives in a water tank. As Elisa develops a unique bond with her new friend, she soon learns that its fate and very survival lies in the hands of a hostile government agent and a marine biologist.

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Critics Consensus

The Shape of Water finds Guillermo del Toro at his visually distinctive best -- and matched by an emotionally absorbing story brought to life by a stellar Sally Hawkins performance.

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Chris Bennion

Times (UK)

You’ll either be charmed by Hawkins’s ethereal, wordless performance or you won’t, but del Toro’s use of a vivid colour palette would impress anyone.

Feb 14, 2023

Full Review

Anupama Chopra

Film Companion

The Shape of Water is visionary filmmaking.

Rated: 4/5

Sep 6, 2018

Full Review

Robert Daniels

812filmreviews

So, while we know Elisa has humanity, Del Toro has to plead his case for the fish-man.

Rated: 3.5/4

Sep 5, 2018

Full Review

JD Duran

InSession Film

Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water is a beautiful and fully realized film about loneliness and our desire for love.

Aug 7, 2024

Full Review

Diana Tuova

Spotlight on Film

Del Toro has made a film whose dark, sublime, watery beauty is indisputable, and whose story is as much an intriguing "beauty-and-the-beast" ballad as it is a captivating homage to the different and the extraordinary.

Rated: 4.5/5

Aug 2, 2024

Full Review

Denise Pieniazek

Metacultura (AR)

However, while The Creature from the Black Lagoon was darker, in The Shape of Water he is a more humanized and warm being, here he is the victim and not a threat, the typical scheme that we know from King Kong (1933) is no longer repeated.

Rated: 10/10

Dec 28, 2023

Full Review

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Andrew A

it was just a fun story that put a smile on my face.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/01/24

Full Review

Jonathan E

I'm a big science fiction fan. It was nice to see a sci-fi movie that wasn't all fazers, starships, and outer space. The colors are fantastic and I often paused it to look at the thought that went into Eliza's apartment, the lab, and even her neighbor's apartment. And Sally Hawkins is always great whatever she does. Always.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/21/24

Full Review

Wyeth C

A beautifully simple film, interesting in every aspect with great visuals, characters, performances, soundtrack and fantasy. I can see why people would be off put by the monster love, but I think it is done in a way so tastefully that it is lovely and enjoyable. One of my all time favorites and the best from Del Toro this movie is a perfect cute story that kept me engaged and thinking about it for years after and years to come.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/17/24

Full Review

Kathryn V

Love this movie!!!! Have watched it so many times.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/15/24

Full Review

David R

Incredible film, one of Del Toro's best !

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

09/15/24

Full Review

First name L

This is the one that cements his legacy; a strangely charming story about romantic other, with subtle visual prose and powerful tenderness.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

08/28/24

Full Review

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Guillermo del Toro

Director

Sally Hawkins

Elisa Esposito

Michael Shannon

Richard Strickland

Richard Jenkins

Giles

Octavia Spencer

Zelda Fuller

Michael Stuhlbarg

Dr. Robert Hoffstetler

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Synopsis

Elisa is a mute, isolated woman who works as a cleaning lady in a hidden, high-security government laboratory in 1962 Baltimore. Her life changes forever when she discovers the lab's classified secret -- a mysterious, scaled creature from South America that lives in a water tank. As Elisa develops a unique bond with her new friend, she soon learns that its fate and very survival lies in the hands of a hostile government agent and a marine biologist.

Director: Guillermo del Toro
Producer: Guillermo del Toro, J. Miles Dale
Screenwriter: Guillermo del Toro, Vanessa Taylor
Distributor: Fox Searchlight
Production Co: Double Dare You, TSG Entertainment
Rating: R (Language|Graphic Nudity|Sexual Content|Violence)
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 22, 2017, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 23, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA): $63.3M
Runtime: 2h 3m
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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