A lonely, mute cleaning lady (Sally Hawkins) learns to communicate and eventually falls in love with the top secret Creature from the Black Lagoon currently being housed at the government aeronautics agency at which she works. Abused by the sadistic security man (Michael Shannon) and set for dismemberment, she resolves to free the creature with the help of a chatty coworker (Octavia Spencer) and her effete next door neighbor (Richard Jenkins). The Shape of Water seems like a retread of the overrated Pan's Labyrinth, and is another dark, dumbly written, strange for strange sake Guillermo del Toro reality set fairy tale that lacks the imagination that so many invest in his movies and the creativity the filmmaker so clearly believes is on display. Hawkins turns in a great silent, emotive performance and Jenkins and Shannon deliver their usual though still effective turns.
** out of ****
