"The Shape of Water" makes a big box office splash

Editor's note: Robert Setlock is a movie reviewer who runs the YouTube channel Organized Chaos."The Shape of Water"• Setlock review: ***** out of five stars• Rated: R• Runtime: 2 hours, 3 minutes• In select theaters"The Shape of Water" tells the story of Elisa Esposito (Sally Hawkins), a mute janitor at a government facility. Her only friends are her co-worker (Octavia Spencer) and her neighbor (Richard Jenkins).Her life is a daily routine that changes when Richard Strickland (Michael Shannon) brings an aquatic humanoid (Doug Jones) to the facility.A lot of jokes have been made about this movie. For instance: Is this the "Hellboy" prequel movie about Abe Sabian, which is also directed by Guillermo Del Toro and starring Jones, as an aquatic humanoid? And, of course, crude joke about a woman having "adult relations" with a fish.In many ways, these aren't inaccurate jokes. Both creatures even share a love of eggs. But there is a distinctness to this story that allows it to stand on its own.While the love story is the centerpiece and certainly the focus of the advertisements, this movie, more than anything, is a monster movie. Just the monsters are not traditional, especially for a movie with a creature in it. Instead the monsters are seen in the forms of:• Racism• Homophobia• The man who does nothing to stop evil• And, most notable, the man who is just following ordersSally Hawkins, left, and Doug Jones star in the film "The Shape of Water." What's interesting is that all the monsters in this movie are seen as socially acceptable while all the heroes are outcasts. This is by far the most interesting aspect of "The Shape of Water."Sure, the romance is very sweet, but it is far more interesting when put in the perspective of the larger narrative. Sure, the creature isn't a human, by our definition, but some of the humans are downright inhuman in their behavior.You cannot define a person by their hopes, their desires, their words but by their actions — and the actions seen in this movie speak volumes about the characters.Del Toro is easily one of the best working directors today. Even his worst movies, at the very least, offer some of the most beautiful imagery any filmmaker has ever produced. The fact that he can make a love story between a woman and an aquatic creature feel so genuine and sweet is an impressive feat in and of itself. But that he can also weave that into a monster story is even more impressive. His ability to make what can best be described as modern day fairy tales is fascinating. Teaching us about ourselves while also making a compelling story.Needless to say, "The Shape of Water" is definitely worth diving into.Setlock, Robert