Everybody has Needs
Eliza isn’t like most people. She lives above a cineplex, next to a graphic artist is a male cat lady, and works at a government facility that is now home to an aquatic beastman. Did I mention that she’s also mute? When she runs into this new residence at her workplace, her life is about to change.
This is a classic story told through the expert handle of Guillermo Del Toro. If you break it down, it’s a love story. It feels like Beauty and the Beast and Romeo and Juliet, but with Del Toro’s vision. It’s an adult fairy tale. Be advised before you bring young ones to this one. There is nudity and violence, but nothing distasteful.
The look of this film is out of this world. This takes place in the 60’s, if it was in a monster movie that collided with a video game. When I first saw the trailer of this, it reminded me a lot of Bioshock and Fallout. This was one of my greatest attractions to the movie. When I was sitting through the film, the sleek look, alone, kept me engaged.
Speaking of sleek looks, the production of this film was off of the charts. From start to end, we are transported into the world of the film. City streets, government facilities, the suburbs, no matter the place, it felt cut out from that time period. From clothing, set design, to classic cars, this world was carefully crafted.
The creature design was great as well. It’s only fitting that the modern father of movie creatures, Guillermo Del Toro is responsible for bringing this movie to life. From what I understand, most of the costume was practical with a man inside, even the flaring gills. One of the few CGI parts was the eyes. To make a costume like that, let alone make it work in water is astounding. I definitely can’t wait to see a making of for this one.
The acting was phenomenal. From a monstrous villain, who isn’t even a foreign aquatic creature, to the creature himself, there were great performances throughout. Sally Hawkins as Eliza was able to emote so much with just signing and body language. Her interactions with the Amphibious Man were very touching, even without saying a word.
***Warning: Spoilers***
This film is like a rollercoaster. After meeting most of the cast, we get a heist, then a love story, then a revenge story. When getting into the movie, you’d think that breaking the Amphibious Man out of the facility would be the last thing to happen, but occurred pretty early. It slows down a bit after that, but starts rolling again as we approached the climax. There is a little bit of a detour that may take viewers by surprise, but it does feel like it fits with the movie.
The inability to speak wasn’t the only way people didn’t have a voice in this movie. Being placed in the 60’s, it was a time of unease for those not in the cultural norm of the time. Pretty much if you weren’t rich, straight, and white, you belonged to this group and was easily pushed around. Such groups are represented in this movie and provide audiences with this message of inequality.
This is a great adult fairy tale. It does have flaws in the pacing, but it picks back up and carries on to the end. The visuals and production design is off of the charts. You won’t find a movie like this from most other directors today, so check this one out on the big screen while it’s still there.