The Shape of Water

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The Shape of Water

R

2017

2h 3m

Fantasy

Drama

Romance

Sci-Fi

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

92%

Tomatometer

464 Reviews

73%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Elisa is a mute, isolated woman who works in a hidden, high-security government laboratory. Her life changes forever when she discovers the lab's classified secret -- a mysterious, scaled creature from South America that lives in a water tank.

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Critics Consensus

The Shape of Water finds Guillermo del Toro at his visually distinctive best -- and matched by an emotionally absorbing story brought to life by a stellar Sally Hawkins performance.

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Chris Bennion

The Times (UK)

02/14/2023

You’ll either be charmed by Hawkins’s ethereal, wordless performance or you won’t, but del Toro’s use of a vivid colour palette would impress anyone.

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Anupama Chopra

Film Companion

09/06/2018

4/5

The Shape of Water is visionary filmmaking.

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Robert Daniels

812filmreviews

09/05/2018

3.5/4

So, while we know Elisa has humanity, Del Toro has to plead his case for the fish-man.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Dec 27

3/4

If The Shape of Water never quite breaks out of the confines of what's basically a tale as old as time, it's still an artfully executed diversion further strengthened by an excellent central performance by Hawkins.

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Don Shanahan

Every Movie Has a Lesson

07/28/2025

4/5

Fantastical triumphs of mortal spirit over evil forces are applied to inhuman oddities with jarringly violent consequences.

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Julian Singleton

Cinapse

07/11/2025

This romance is destined to thrive where land and the petty political squabbles upon them stop, where passions run deep in unpredictable waters.

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Andrew A

10/01/2024

it was just a fun story that put a smile on my face.

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Renaldo D

@RT30888824 4d

Best movie of the season

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Fantazynerd 1

@RT48179632 Jul 4

Beautiful and tragic

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The W

@TheWagners Jul 4

Bestiality with a fishman. Need I say more, this movie could have been much more than a love story or weird fish porno but no they decided to waste great actors and actresses on this. The cinematography was amazing but the acting, my goodness, the main character is dumber than the fish she's in love with. Very strange movie.

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Bernita W.

@RT24197771 Jun 4

I really enjoyed this movie. The creature was especially compelling, and I liked the dynamic between him and the woman. Without giving anything away, I also appreciated that the intimate scenes were handled subtly and kept off-screen in a tasteful way. Overall, I’d give it a solid 4.5 out of 5. Definitely worth checking out—you might enjoy it too!

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Sans U

@sansundertale Apr 11

DO NOT WATCH THIS MOVIE. THEY KILL A CAT. STOP FUCKING KILLING CATS. NOBODY WANTS TO SEE THAT SHIT. DID NOT FINISH.

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Guillermo del Toro

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Sally Hawkins

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Richard Jenkins

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Zelda Fuller

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Synopsis

Elisa is a mute, isolated woman who works in a hidden, high-security government laboratory. Her life changes forever when she discovers the lab's classified secret -- a mysterious, scaled creature from South America that lives in a water tank.

Director: Guillermo del Toro
Producer: Guillermo del Toro, J. Miles Dale
Screenwriter: Guillermo del Toro, Vanessa Taylor
Distributor: Fox Searchlight
Production Co: TSG Entertainment, Double Dare You
Rating: R (Language|Graphic Nudity|Sexual Content|Violence)
Genre: Fantasy, Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 22, 2017, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 23, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA): $63.3M
Runtime: 2h 3m
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)