Elisa (Sally Hawkins) is a mute cleaning woman at a top secret government facility who becomes fascinated with a humanoid amphibian creature (Doug Jones) that is being held captive and tormented by the sadistic Richard Strickland (Michael Shannon). When her feelings of fascination grow into something more akin to love, Elisa, with the help of fellow janitor Zelda (Octavia Spenser) and shut-in neighbor Giles (Richard Jenkins) concocts a plan to spring the creature from his captivity so they can be together once and for all. But the murderous Strickland is willing to do whatever it takes to stop them.

I haven’t seen The Shape of Water since it was first released back in 2017, and I had frankly forgotten how absolutely gorgeously shot this film is. Guillermo del Toro, in collaboration with his frequent cinematographer Dan Laustsen (who had previously worked with Del Toro on the similarly visually stunning Crimson Peak), has crafted beauty out of imagery that by all accounts should be cold and uninviting–drab, sterile corridors of government buildings, drafty, low-rent apartments, an otherworldly sea creature. Through a kind of visual poetry, a warmth is imbued throughout the film, the tones shifting and growing richer as the love between Elisa and the Amphibian Man blossoms. The story itself finds Del Toro riffing on classic monster archetypes once again, this time putting a”Beauty and the Beast” fairy tale spin on The Creature from the Black Lagoon. Like several renditions of the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale in film, the primary antagonist is not the fierce creature but the straight-laced, handsome leading-man type role (like Prince Bruno in the 1962 version and Gaston in Disney’s famous 1991 version), played wonderfully by Michael Shannon who can summon a crazed intensity far more terrifying than the monster. Watching such a simple story unfold so effortlessly, one can almost forgot all the adulation the film received upon its initial release, culminating in winning numerous Academy Awards including Best Picture. So many Best Picture winners seem to fade into obscurity in the years after their wins or receive backlash in response to the Academy caving to social or political pressure (see films like Crash and Green Book). But The Shape of Water is a film that feels timeless. Given that it’s a period piece, taking place in the 1960s (with a suitably impressive production design), the film functions as a perfectly crafted moment frozen in time.

This new 4K master from Criterion supervised by Del Toro looks absolutely fantastic. The Shape of Water is a film begging for the ultra hi-def treatment, and this delivers with excellent color saturation, deep blacks and a color grading and detail that surpasses the already very good blu-ray release. The provided DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio track is excellent as well, offering a very atmospheric immersion throughout the film. For extras, Criterion has ported over the featurettes (totally about 45 minutes) from the previous 20th Century Fox blu-ray release. New to this release is a very good 30-minute interview between Del Toro and fellow director of the fantastic David Lowery (A Ghost Story, The Green Knight, Pete’s Dragon) as well as a physical insert featuring an essay by film critic Carlos Aguilar. I would’ve loved a full audio commentary, but the new Del Toro discussion is still a nice inclusion.

The Shape of Water is an excellent film that has really stood the test of time, and Criterion has delivered in this new UHD edition the most visually sumptuous edition of the film to date. For Del Toro fans, this release is a must-have.