Guillermo del Toro has made a career out making monster movies in disguise, whether it’s the blockbuster monster fighting of Pacific Rim or the comic book adventures of Hellboy and Blade II, one element has been constant…things that go bump in the night.
His latest movie is no different, an odd couple romance set against the backdrop of American Cold War paranoia, it just so happens that fifty percent of the star-crossed lovers is a little less human shaped and a little more fishy round the gills.
The film follows lonely mute Elisa Esposito, who seems to have only two people in her life, her neighbour Giles, and her workplace interpreter Zelda. Elisa & Zelda work as cleaners at a secret government facility, where Colonel Richard Strickland and his team have recently turned up with a prize catch. A humanoid amphibian.
While Strickland tortures the creature to get the answers he wants, Elisa finds that the creature is actually intelligent, teaching him sign language, and in turn helping them to create a powerful bond. After Strickland’s supervisor instructs him to have the creature vivisected, Elisa & Giles plot to rescue the creature and release back into the ocean.
While it would usually be a lazy comparison to liken The Shape of Water to The Creature from the Black Lagoon, in this case it is wholly apt. Del Toro has publicly stated his original inspiration for The Shape of Water was indeed Universal’s classic monster movie, seeing it as a kid and being annoyed that Julie Adams and the Gill-Man didn’t end up together.
The Shape of Water is by far del Toro’s most successful movie, so far, it’s won two Golden Globes, Best Picture at the Venice Film Festival, and has thirteen Oscar nominations.
It’s also clearly the film he was destined to make, you can clearly see various elements from his previous work through out the film. For instance, Hellboy, besides the monster hunting, is a love story between a monster and a human, all be it one who can manipulate flame. It also features an intelligent amphibian man played by Doug Jones.
Where as Pan’s Labyrinth was a historically set fairy-tale, about a young girl who feels isolated, and discovers a monster…played by Doug Jones.
…and if your movies got Doug Jones covered in make-up and latex you know your in for something special. Much like Andy Serkis’s digital mo-cap creations, Jones’s characters are always several steps removed from the norm, but are played with such dedication to the craft that these extraordinary characters become quite ordinary and relatable.
It’s been a quite the year for Jones as well, not only has he played a major role in a film that’s appeared on countless best of the year lists, he also has a major role in the new Trek series Star Trek: Discovery. Maybe his portrayal of Saru, which unusually for Jones involves plenty of dialogue, will get him the recognition he deserves, because just like Serkis his performances are overlooked.
Both Sally Hawkins (Elisa) and Richard Jenkins (Giles) are nominated for performance Oscars, and while their performances are superb there’s still not a whiff of gold for Jones.
Have you seen The Shape of Water? Does it deserve all the praise? and if not what’s your favourite Guillermo del Toro movie?