Mr. Movie review: The Shape of Water shapes out as one of 2017s best

The Shape of Water is brilliant. It won two Golden Globes — including best director for Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth) and got a slew of nominations.

Sally Hawkins is Elisa Esposito. She is a janitor at a top-secret government space race facility in the 1960s. Elisa is mute and can hear but can’t talk. One day an amphibious creature is brought into the building by Michael Shannon’s Richard Strickland. He’s a creepy military guy who strictly enforces who can or cannot see the creature. The government is interested in the military and space race value and advantages the thing can give the U.S.

The creature comes from South America and looks just like the monster from the 1954 classic Creature from the Black Lagoon. One can assume the two are somehow related. Or not. You’re never told. And it doesn’t matter.

Elisa befriends and teaches the creature to communicate with her.

The Shape of Water — much like King Kong — is a kind of love story with an ugly, scaled creature connecting in impossible ways with a young, beautiful woman. It asks questions about who is a monster and who isn’t. Sometimes they wear uniforms or suits and ties, and their cold smiles fail to hide cold, dark hearts.

Unlike the usual chop-and-slash and lame ghost story horror movies of today, del Toro’s The Shape of Water is horror done in a deep, full and three-dimensional way.

This story was originally published January 18, 2018 at 5:45 PM with the headline "Mr. Movie review: The Shape of Water shapes out as one of 2017s best."