Customer Ratings & Reviews

An alien creature has been caught by the government and being mistreated. The Russians are trying to steal the information. A blue collar worker falls in love with the creature and is able to communicate with it. Excellent movie premise with an excellent storyline and excellent actors and actresses. A five star production.

I have to say, I wasn't too sure what to expect going into this movie. I ended up loving it, its so weird and quirky. It's beautifully put together and will keep you entranced throughout the whole movie. Definitely recommend buying.

Quite simply put, an excellent film...no weaknesses whatsoever.

Guillermo del Toro is today’s master of fantasy, having been a childhood lover of monsters growing up in Guadalajara, Mexico, before making some of the finest films of recent years -- from the ghostly horror of “The Devil’s Backbone” in 2001 to his gothic horror/romance, “Crimson Peak” in 2015. Indubitably, however, his greatest film is “Pan’s Labyrinth”, the 2006 film many of us consider the finest fantasy film ever made. Now he’s broken new ground with “The Shape of Water”, one of the year’s most beautiful films. Set in Baltimore in the year 1962 at the height of the Cold War, the plot follows a mute janitor at a secret government laboratory who forms a bond with a captured amphibian of the “Creature of the Black Lagoon” variety. Her name is Elisa, and Sally Hawkins plays her with an artistry that seems to reach back to the silent days of Chaplin and Keaton. Michael Shannon, with devoted viciousness, plays the right-wing Colonel Strickland, someone more interested in dissecting the creature for exploitation purposes than he is concerned over the space race with the Soviets. Del Toro saw “The Creature from the Black Lagoon” on TV at 7 years old and it changed his life. Wishing a different ending for it in which the Gill Man and co-star Julie Adams would consummate their romance and live ‘happily ever after’, he wrote various scripts of a remake through the years that Universal studio executives wound up rejecting. “The Shape of Water” is the result of del Toro’s dream, and now today, with more permissive filmmaking allowable, he’s able to deal with the previously verboten issue between fish and human. The resulting film is a worthy accomplishment not only for its production design (embodying various shades of green) and its special effects, but also for attaining the level of a genuine adult fairy tale that deals with issues of trust, tolerance, and love in the human condition -- but most of all what it’s like to be an outsider (whether a lonely mute woman, gay man, overweight black woman, or an amphibious sea creature). “This is a healing movie for me,” del Toro states; one likes to think it would be for viewers as well.

Winner of four Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director, this might be one of those movies you either love or hate. Presented as both a love story and a spin on Beauty and the Beast, this isn't for children. Rated R, it includes several scenes of full frontal female nudity. I found it to be lyrical and mesmerizing and this Blu-Ray transfer is well worth the money. The video and audio are excellent, but beyond that the special features for once actually are special, particularly if you are interested in how the movie was made. Not only are some tricks revealed but there are some interview elements with Guillermo Del Toro, the director and co-writer, that clearly reveal his passion for this project. Having previously directed Hellboy, Del Toro uses what clearly was gleaned from that film and infused those elements into this one. Color and design are used overtly and covertly so that you absorb the overall tone of the movie as part of its appeal. The special features will help you understand how these things worked and made me want to watch the movie a second time in order to see those elements employed. Of course with this package you get the additional DVD disc as well as the code to access it digitally to be played on other devices. Because it's largely an interior type movie, it should hold up even on smaller screens. Add this one to your collection.

I had purchased this movie from Best Buy since it was 4k to play on my new Sony DVD 4k player and 4k TV. I knew of it since it had won many awards. Wife and I finally sat down to watch. This is not a movie about a crazed monster , rather a story of 2 individuals that are different and alone who somehow find each other, which seems to be at first a stretch but deftly handled by the director. The copy artist (played by Richard Jenkins- ) who painted add copy also struggled with his isolation and his personal loss (see the movie) played his part perfectly. Overall a really good movie from a director that knows how to produce this genre. For fans of old B&W movies look up ' Creature from the Black Lagoon' for past influences of this movie. * i do hope best buy continues to carry blu ray and 4k dvd, its still the best medium for top notch movie watching *

The movie is strange. There is no denying that. However, the subjects the movie tackles are also undeniable. The film is fantastic, a must watch. As for the 4K, the movie looks amazing. This film goes with HDR only, no Dolby vision, and I think it's a great choice. The movie feels classic and the colors are muted on purpose. It is one of the best looking movies I own. P.s. The large 1.85:1 aspect ratio that fills so much of the screen is amazing. I love larger aspect ratios, especially for films that look this good.

First off, let me say that this movie had more nudity in it than I expected. You don't get that from the trailer. What an incredible movie, though. It's like watching a piece of art. Visually stunning. Doug Jones is incredible as the gill man. Sally Hawkins, Octavia Spencer, Richard Jenkins, Michael Shannon, all top notch performances. Guillermo dell Toro has done it again! And the special features reinforce all the hard work and detail that has gone into the movie. I love this and highly recommend it. Not for the kiddies though.

This film is a love letter to Universal's horror movies and really, I think, a nod to 40's/50's musicals as well. It handles hearing challenges quite gently and as always the look of the movie is a testament to the talented director and the wonderful people he works with. It also is an anti-bigotry and anti-cruelty to animals message. All of this is wrapped up in saving a very special creature from a not-so-special person seeking self glorification from a system that rewards according to results and not the methods used to achieve such results. Don't turn your brain off folks. This one is a keeper!!

I love this movie. I'm a big fan of Guillermo del Toro's films & this is my second favorite. (Crimson Peak is my top choice.) As always, it is beautifully filmed. (Adore the themed color palettes he always chooses.) Brilliantly acted. Touching story.

Del Toro crafts a beautiful fantasy film in his very distinct style once again. The acting is fantastic, the storyline is reminiscent of films past but also something new, the set design is beautiful, and the direction is spot on. The picture quality of this 4K is beautiful, really enhancing the blue and green color style of the film. Though not native 4K, the film upscale is very well done and does add some image quality and contrast from the Blu-Ray version.

20th Century Fox brings The Shape of Water to 4K Ultra HD in great form. The imagery bathes in the beauty of improved resolution but the wider color gamut afforded by a smartly applied HDR10 pass brings the color and imagery of the film to vivid life. While the audio mix may still be the same DTS-HD MA 5.1 track as the Blu-ray, the film still sounds amazing and the included Blu-ray disc includes all of the insightful bonus features. Highly Recommended.

When I first saw this movie I was pleasantly surprised . I'm a huge fan of everything related to classic monsters. This is a new tale of romance told in the modern era looking back two Cold War sensibilities. Somehow they are able to take a tap dancing Creature from the Black Lagoon and make it work. Sounds far-fetched but believe me it didn't win the Oscar for Best Picture for nothing. Absolutely stunning in 4k, this is the Edition to own.

Guillermo del Toro is a genius. Have you seen Pan's Labyrinth? Or Hellboy? Hellboy II? Pacific Rim was pretty good too I guess (although I prefer Neon Genesis Evangelion lol.) But my point is, del Toro has a very specific style that just has to be experienced. He loves monster movies, and practical effects, and he pulls both off to great effect. Don't know what I mean? Watch this film and see for yourself!

No spoilers, but it's nice to see another way to tell a story of beauty and the beast. Set in the 60's with little CGI, great character and costume. Wish I had seen it on the big screen. Liked the little background about the amazon wish they went more into Dedth but it wouldn't be the same film, otherwise great drama. You can tell alot of thought and love went into this film. Felt sorry for the cat, that's all I'm saying.

A sweet and beautiful fairy tale for a modern world. So thoughtful and lovingly made! Very clever. I also really liked the music that makes you feel like you are traveling back in time and feel all the moments first hand. This is a very elegant and beautiful story that is definitely worth watching. It is a new type of love and friendship story that makes you laugh, cry and hate together with the characters.

This movie might not appeal to everyone but I found it to my liking. The 4k version looks great as does the Blu Ray and the audio matches as well. However, As I have mentioned on another review, customers have no way of knowing on purchases whether the digital will be 4k or less quality. In this case, I use Vudu and it showed up as "HDX" as opposed to UHD (4k). I find this more than annoying. If the purchase included UHD digital, I would have given this 5 stars.

Guillermo Del Toro gave us his version of the Creature from the Black Lagoon. It's an absolute masterpiece! The 4K disc itself is absolute gorgeous, the blues and greens melt of the screen. This is honestly one of the best looking films I have ever seen, the 4k print lives up to expectation! Buy it! By the way this Steelbook packaging is one of all-time favorites.

I am a huge fan of Guillermo del Toro's movies and this one does not disappoint! I thought the cinematography was well done, the underlying love story was a bit weird but somehow believable, and the creature itself was pretty awesome. My wife and I both enjoyed the movie. Beware, there are some graphic nude and sex scenes, so not appropriate for the kids!

Knowing that this is more of a “fantasy” movie, more in the genre of “Pan’s Labyrinth”. With that said, once I forgot any need to satisfy my thoughts of “reality”, the movie was deep and inspiring about the lengths someone will go to to do the right thing. Good wins and evil is vanquished, and not in any expected way. Truly on my list to watch again