The Shape of Water (The Criterion Collection) [4K UHD]

Director Del Toro has been depicting "companionable beings" ever since "CRONOS" (1992). A companionable being is someone who somehow feels close to monsters (in this film, strange creatures resembling half-fishmen: hereafter referred to as half-fishmen) that are loathed by normal people, never abandons them, and sometimes showers them with love, always trying to be by their side . In the case of "CRONOS", it was the granddaughter Aurora who stayed by her "grandfather" ( Federico Luppi)' s side until the very end, even as he transforms into a blood-sucking monster . On the other hand, in this film, it is Elisa (Sally Hawkins). In this story, set during the Cold War between the US and the Soviet Union, Elisa, a simple cleaning lady who is a "companion," is the protagonist . She not only brings food and treats the experimental guinea pig, a half-fish man, captured by a high-ranking government official named S. Trickland (Michael Shannon) kindly, but also carries "him" out of the facility and gives him a bath in her room (he is an aquatic creature, so the bath is for him), and at the end, they fall in love with each other. It's a strange story when you think about it, but it makes you forget about that, and the beautiful use of colors makes it an impressive and moving fantasy love story. If I say any more, it will get boring, so I'll stop here.Finally, it should be also noted that Director Del Toro portrays the Russian scientist, Dr. Robert Offstetler (Michael Stuhlbarg) , as a good man.

I enjoyed the movie

This movie is very creative and original. That seems to be hard to find in regard to movies these days.

I'm a science fiction fanatic, I've seen everything. This is one of the best science fiction movies I've ever seen! Buy it, watch it.

FANTASTIC FILM

I realize this film won an Oscar for best film however as always the Academy is always late recognizing artists so they get awards for their lesser films. This movie drips with sentimentality and over the top caricatures of good and evil. As always the art direction is well done and performances are quite nice, but for a better telling of this tale go back to the source material -The Creature From The Black Lagoon... also earlier Del Toro films such as Pan's Labyrinth were better films the Academy were oblivious of.

Beautifully photographed and acted, the script is by far the weakest link, and torpedoes the film. Cariactures as characters, wild lapses in logic, and a scene that I found wildly offensive (animal violence) That scene was the last straw that completely drowned my sympathy for the creature. If I could send this to Davey Jones Locker I would.

Unfortunately the 4K disc unable to play properly and try to contact the amazon thru live chat, but it is unable to chat anymore, so I am able to make an exchange or refund for it.