Not many movies in the fantasy genre win Oscar’s Best Picture, but 2017’s The Shape of Water managed that feat. From noted filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, Shape takes us to Baltimore circa 1962.

Mute Elisa Esposito (Sally Hawkins) works as a cleaner at a secret government laboratory and leads a fairly solitary existence. One day authorities bring in a strange water creature (Doug Jones) that they plan to research.

As she works in this fish-man’s area, Elisa bonds with him. She wants to help him escape, a pursuit made more urgent by agent Richard Strickland’s (Michael Shannon) desire to kill and dissect the creature.

Shape leaves me torn. On one hand, I feel happy that del Toro – a gifted filmmaker – got his due, and I love the fact that a movie essentially about the Creature from the Black Lagoon won the big Oscars.

On the other hand, I admit Shape just doesn’t do a lot for me. I respect del Toro but don’t think he knocked it out of the park with this one.

Some of my disenchantment stems from the movie’s derivative nature. As implied, it doesn’t take much to see the film’s “Amphibian Man” as a cousin to the Creature from the Black Lagoon, and the story comes with overt reminders of other efforts. ET the Extra-Terrestrial stands high on that list, as Shape boasts many moments that remind me of the Spielberg classic.

The similarities don’t end with ET, though. Some have pointed out undeniable connections to Splash, and there’s a link to various versions of Beauty and the Beast as well. Heck, even the Disney version gets play, as Strickland comes across like a smarter Gaston.

All these factors leave Shape as a less than original tale, albeit one that manages a few twists, largely due to del Toro’s stylistic excellence. A filmmaker who plans out his work in immaculate detail, del Toro brings a terrific sense of visual flair and depth to the proceedings, and he crafts a rich, dense world.

But I feel del Toro may overthink his work, as I find Shape can feel a little sterile and clinical. The characters seem to be archetypes more than real people, although the actors do well to add layers.

Indeed, Shape comes with a very good set of performers, three of whom – Hawkins, Richard Jenkins and Octavia Spencer – got Oscar nominations for their work. Across the board, the movie benefits from the presence of so much talent, and they give their roles extra range.

Nonetheless, I still find the characters to lack real personality beyond basics, and I don’t think Shape manages a lot of true emotion. To be sure, del Toro attempts passion and feeling, but I don’t find these elements to become a prominent factor in the film.

That means I fail to invest in the main character arc via the Elisa/Amphibian Man relationship. Are we supposed to care about their connection and his fate? Sure.

Do I? Not really. I invest in Amphibian Man to a moderate degree, mainly out of cinematic conditioning, but I can’t say the film makes him especially interesting.

Viewers who’ve seen home video releases for del Toro’s other films will understand how much he focuses on planning and detail, factors that allow him to create such intricate worlds. As noted earlier, though, the end result can be too clinical and without great feeling, factors that impact Shape, as it doesn’t turn into a tale with much emotional power.

Shape keeps us with it and entertained – despite a fairly superfluous Russian subplot that I don’t think needs to exist. I just feel the film falls short of its goals, as the movie doesn’t achieve the power and impact it desires.

The Shape of Water appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.85:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. This became a strong presentation.

Overall, sharpness seemed very good. Some interiors came across as slightly soft, but the vast majority of the film appeared accurate and concise.

Jagged edges and moiré effects didn’t mar the presentation, and I saw no edge haloes. Print flaws also failed to appear.

In terms of palette, Shape went with a heavily teal orientation. A lot of orange appeared as well, and we found splashes of other hues on occasion, but they remained in a distinct minority in this prominently blue/green affair.

Within stylistic choices, the hues seemed well-depicted. Blacks were dark and dense, and low-light shots gave us good clarity. I felt pleased with this solid transfer.

Similar thoughts greeted the fairly good DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack of Shape, as the soundfield mostly delivered a mix heavy on atmosphere. Environmental noises cropped up in the side and rear speakers, and action moments added to the track. Those elements created a nice sense of place and added impact to the material.

Audio quality satisfied. Speech sounded crisp and distinctive, and music appeared robust and full.

Effects were accurate and dynamic, while low-end response showed good warmth and richness. Nothing here dazzled, but the audio merited a “B”.

How did the Criterion Blu-ray compare to the original 2018 BD? Both offered identical audio.

For the most part, visuals seemed very similar, though I felt sharpness enjoyed a minor tick up in precision with the Criterion disc. Though this didn’t deliver a substantial upgrade, I did think it fared just a little better.

Note that this Criterion Blu-ray can be purchased solely as part of a package along with a 4K UHD version of the film as well. Normally I don’t offer reviews of Blu-rays unavailable separate from a 4K, but Criterion titles enjoy enough popularity that I figured I should examine this BD on its own as well.

The Criterion set includes a mix of old and new extras. The multi-part A Fairy Tale for Troubled Times runs 28 minutes, 56 seconds and includes notes from writer/director del Toro, producer J. Miles Dale, creature designer Mike Hill, effects supervisor/co-creature designer Shane Mahan, visual effects supervisor Dennis Berardi, production designer Paul Austerberry, costume designer Luis Sequiera, director of photography Dan Laustsen, composer Alexandre Desplat, and actors Doug Jones, Michael Shannon, Michael Stuhlbarg, Octavia Spencer, Sally Hawkins, David Hewlett and Richard Jenkins.

“Tale” looks at story/characters, the design and execution of “Amphibian Man”, cast and performances, production design, costumes and period details, photography and colors, and music. The first couple of chapters seem superficial, but once “Tale” digs into filmmaking specifics, it becomes pretty informative.

Under Anatomy of a Scene, we find two clips: “Prologue” (3:14) and “The Dance” (4:50). In these, we hear from del Toro, as he discusses details of the two segments in question. Always insightful, del Toro digs into the sequences well.

Shaping the Waves offers an interview with artist James Jean. It goes for five minutes, five seconds and features Jean’s comments about his work for one of the movie’s posters. He delivers useful thoughts about his creation.

Along with three trailers, the “old” extras conclude with Guillermo del Toro’s Master Class. It fills 13 minutes, 28 seconds with a panel that includes del Toro, Mahan, Laustsen, Berardi, Sequiera, and Austerberry.

They offer a mix of details about the production. This becomes an informative little overview, though some of the material repeats from “Fairy Tale”.

For the lone new disc-based extra here, we find a conversation between filmmakers Guillermo del Toro and David Lowery. It lasts 25 minutes, 39 seconds.

Del Toro and Lowery discuss the influence of Universal horror as well as aspects of Shape’s creation and its themes. Del Toro remains engaging and Lowery offers enough to compliment him.

The Criterion set also adds a booklet with credits, art and an essay from Carlos Aguilar. It finishes matters well.

Well-crafted and generally compelling, The Shape of Water offers a mostly involving drama but not a great one. It simply lacks the originality and real spark to make it better than “pretty good”. The Blu-ray offers very good picture with satisfactory audio and a decent set of supplements. Shape turns into an enjoyable film but not one that stands out as great.

To rate this film visit the original review of THE SHAPE OF WATER