The Shape of Water

Play trailer

2:20

The Shape of Water

R

2017

2h 3m

Fantasy

Drama

Romance

Sci-Fi

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

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.

Watch on Fandango

Stream Now

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.

Read Critics Reviews

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.

Go to Full Review

Anupama Chopra

Film Companion

09/06/2018

4/5

The Shape of Water is visionary filmmaking.

Go to Full Review

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.

Go to Full Review

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.

Go to Full Review

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.

Go to Full Review

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.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Andrew A

10/01/2024

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

See more

Renaldo D

@RT30888824 Jul 27

Best movie of the season

See more

Fantazynerd 1

@RT48179632 Jul 4

Beautiful and tragic

See more

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.

See more

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!

See more

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.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Guillermo del Toro

Director

Sally Hawkins

Elisa Esposito

Michael Shannon

Richard Strickland

Richard Jenkins

Giles

Octavia Spencer

Zelda Fuller

Michael Stuhlbarg

Dr. Robert Hoffstetler

Ruby Sparks

79%

75%

Ruby Sparks

Watchlist

What Men Want

41%

40%

What Men Want

Watchlist

TRAILER

for What Men Want

About Time

70%

82%

About Time

Watchlist

A Ghost Story

91%

67%

A Ghost Story

Watchlist

TRAILER

for A Ghost Story

All of Us Strangers

96%

91%

All of Us Strangers

Watchlist

TRAILER

for All of Us Strangers

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Know Your Critic: Alonso Duralde, Film Reviews Editor at TheWrap

87 Fearless Women Movie Heroes Who Inspire Us

LAFCA Announces 2018 Winners: Roma Wins Best Picture

The Freshest Films of Best Director Guillermo Del Toro

1:46

Best Picture Mashup

1:37

The Shape of Water: Red Band Trailer 2

2:20

The Shape of Water: Trailer 1

2:30

View more videos

View more photos

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)

Join The Newsletter

Join The Newsletter

Cookie Settings