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Premiered at the Venice film festival. First of all, Del Toro's statement on the film:

Now, reviews.

RottenTomatoes link

Variety:

A ravishing, eccentric auteur's imagining, spilling artistry, empathy and sensuality from every open pore, it also offers more straight-up movie for your money than just about any Hollywood studio offering this year.

Hollywood Reporter:

Stepping away from his big-budget studio work on Pacific Rim and Crimson Peak to return closer to the more artisanal territory of his memorable early Spanish-language films The Devil's Backbone and Pan's Labyrinth, Guillermo del Toro delivers pure enchantment with The Shape of Water. A dark-edged fairy tale as lovingly steeped in vintage movie magic as it is in hypnotic water imagery, this captivating creature feature marries a portrait of morally corrupt early-1960s America with an outsider tale of love and friendship molded by a master storyteller.

The Wrap:

There's something here for lovers of all kinds of movies - even silents and musicals - but del Toro transcends mere pastiche to craft a work that feels like the product of our collective film-going subconscious.

Collider:
4.5/5

The Shape of Water not only entertains as a sumptuous fairytale, but it reinforces a faith in humanity set in a time where tolerance of other races, nationalities, and non-"family values" love was volatile. And it's percolating back to the surface again.

The Guardian:
4/5

Del Toro provides just enough spade-work to keep the scheme plausible and his film is stylish and charming; red meat for the senses with some sugar on top.

The Playlist:
A

It's a film that makes you feel a lot, but overridingly you feel lucky - lucky to be watching it, lucky that something so sincerely sweet, sorrowfully scary and surpassingly strange can exist in this un-wonderful world.

Screen International:

Guillermo del Toro channels all the streams that make him unique into The Shape Of Water, pouring his heart, soul and considerable craft into an exquisite creature fable.

Indiewire:
A

The film is one of the director's most stunningly successful works, it's also a powerful vision of a creative master feeling totally, joyously free.

 

[Inferno313]

Not surprised to see the rave reviews. This looked incredible.

in b4 people start their awful Hellboy theories.

 

[benicillin]

God I love Del Toro. So excited to see this one.

 

[Sean C]

Aww yeah.

I've been waiting years to really love a del Toro film again.

 

[Moppeh]

Sick. I'll definitely check it out if I can.

 

[BronsonLee]

I dunno how Del Toro snuck this one under the radar as much as he did until the trailer came out, but this might be his best

 

[psyfi]

dope title

 

[v1lla21]

Am Excite.

 

[wwm0nkey]

Only a few more months until I can see it :c

 

[Pai Pai Master]

I can't wait

 

[HarryKS]

Is it the monster from Hellboy?

 

[javac]

Looks so good.

 

[UberTag]

Only a few more months until I can see it :c

I'm giving serious thought to trekking up to Toronto to catch both this and Downsizing in a week and a half.
Waiting until December to watch it won't be fun.

 

[big ander]

"closer to the more artisanal territory of his memorable early Spanish-language films The Devil's Backbone and Pan's Labyrinth"

All I needed to hear—even if I mostly enjoy like, Blade II and Pacific Rim, I far prefer GDT in this mode. His action-leaning films can feel workmanlike despite being fun, whereas with his more homespun ideas the passion is tangible.

 

[HoJu]

I'm just happy that people let him make movies. Nothing he's done since Pans Labyrinth has been grest, but they were at least visually interesting.

 

[Anung]

Can't wait to see this. Del Toro's best work is the scaled back stuff.

 

[Sweeney Tom]

The master does it again <3

 

[IronRinn]

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeessssssssssssssss. Really looking forward to this.

 

[Surfinn]

Wow! Had no idea he was doing another film let alone it releasing soon.

I love his work. I'm seeing this

 

[SoldierOfLight]

I don't know how I came to admire his work but Guillermo Del Toro is amazing at his work. I had a chance to check out the exhibit @ LACMA last year. I really wanted to see the replica of Linda Blair he has in his house but they didn't have it.

I'm excited to catch this film. Pans Labyrinth is still one of my favorite movies. Heck I own a copy of it on Blu Ray unopened.

 

[DoctorFling]

This looks like a love letter to Creature from the Black Lagoon so naturally I am excited beyond human comprehension

Goddamn GDT knows how to get me

 

[Loxley]

Sounds awesome.

 

[Surfinn]

Wow, that's a pretty beautiful statement he released

 

[EverythingShiny]

Yessssssss. I was going to see it day one because of my favorite actor ever Michael Shannon, but this gets me even more hyped. I actually didn't mind Crimsom Peak but I'll be super happy for GDT if this does well.

 

[DeathoftheEndless]

Wow, sounds great. I'm looking forward to it.

 

[kris.]

Fuck yeah, so looking forward to this. Del Toro da god.

 

[off duty ninja]

This looks fantastic! I can't wait to check it out.

 

[Puck Beaverton]

Nice to hear. Even as a fan of Peak it's nice to see him return to smaller stuff.

 

[IggyChooChoo]

Wow, that's a pretty beautiful statement he released

I have always gotten the impression that GDT is a pretty wise guy.

 

[Boogs31]

This looks amazing. Can't wait.

 

[cirrhosis]

Really looking forward to seeing this, the reviews are icing on the cake.

 

[Surfinn]

I have always gotten the impression that GDT is a pretty wise guy.

Same. That last line is awesome

 

[Neophant]

I was a little unimpressed with the trailer when it first debuted, but I'm really glad there seems to be far more in the movie than what I originally thought.

 

[Frankenstrat]

Not surprised to see the rave reviews. This looked incredible.

in b4 people start their awful Hellboy theories.

Not going to lie, Abe Sapien was my first thought, but it still looks great even if it's not him.

 

[Hydrus]

Can't wait!

 

[Poindexter]

Yes yes yes yes!!! So glad to see a return to form after the middling Crimson Peak

 

[Karkador]

Yes yes yes yes!!! So glad to see a return to form after the middling Crimson Peak

What was middling about Crimson Peak?

 

[Fancyarcher]

Great to read that reviews are great, though we've got months to go. I've been looking forward to this film for a while.

What was middling about Crimson Peak?

Some people didn't care for the "story" I guess. Personally I really enjoyed Crimson Peak though, mostly for the atmosphere.

 

[a916]

Um, I feel like I'm usually up to date on upcoming movies, big and small... but how the hell did this one sneak under my radar.

This looks amazing, and Michael Shannon is in this?! Yes please.

 

[matrixman92]

This had definitely one of the best trailers ive seen this year. People in the theater were making fun of it when it played before Apes. Felt like i was on another planet, just the trailer almost moved me to tears.

 

[nin1000]

I love the poster for this movie !

Could see myself hanging this up

 

[Nappuccino]

What was middling about Crimson Peak?

The story is a bit too much Victorian Gothic cliche, and a few actors can't make up for it. But I still enjoyed the film.

 

[Toa TAK]

Great to see it's getting good reviews. Hopefully it makes bank.

Shannon in this is a nice surprise for me.

I have always gotten the impression that GDT is a pretty wise guy.

Same. When he came to speak before an early showing of Pacific Rim, I was came across him speaking to another audience member in the hallway leading to the seats (went to go get water for my aunt) before the film began and he sort of had this grandfatherly tenderness to him as he listened to this man. I thought it was pretty cool.

 

[Gnome Scat]

Damn, thats a great statement by Del Toro. I'll have to check this one out.

 

[Hades Hotgun]

Wow. I hadn't heard anything about this.

The idea of taking the Abe Sapien concept and framing it in this kind of narrative is just the kind of thing I have always wanted to see done and Guillermo's exactly the director to do it.

I hope that there isn't any needless attempt to tie it canonically to any cinematic universe, as the trailer just seems to be taking the general idea from an individual Abe Sapien comic and expanding it, without it being literally the character from Hellboy.

 

[Violence Jack]

Hyped! Think I'll take my wife to see it on December 8th.

 

[titiklabingapat]

I'm fucking excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The exclamations are not sarcastic.

 

[Nappuccino]

I wonder if this could get his Mountains of Madness flick back on track.

I mean, he probably shouldn't try, but I want it so badly.

Regardless, I will just enjoy every film get gets to make.

 

[Aikidoka]

That director's statement is pretty lame, but I'll probably still check it out.


edit: Why is it not releasing until December 8th?

 

[Surfinn]

That director's statement is pretty lame, but I'll probably still check it out.

What