The whimsical 'Shape of Water' is a sweet fable at a dark time

Despite its jarring moments of sex and violence -- director Guillermo Del Toro's The Shape of Water is a pretty straightforward, crowd-pleasing romantic movie. It reminded me of the kind of movies Tim Burton used to make -- it's beautifully shot, funny and whimsical as hell.

It benefits from having a stellar cast each doing what they do best -- Sally Hawkins is luminous and adorable as a lonely, mute custodian. Octavia Spencer supplies comic relief as her sidekick at work. Richard Jenkins is warm and lovable as her next door neighbor. And Michael Shannon steals every scene he's in as a both hilarious and horrifying bad guy. Basically, he's our generation's Christopher Walken -- as soon as he shows up he's a ham-chewing villain, and you love him for it.

Still, The Shape of Water is a bit of an outlier in a year peppered with more cynical fare. Even Lady Bird takes more risks in terms of alienating its audience from its heroes. Not so in The Shape of Water.

If you've seen the trailer, you've unfortunately seen many of the major beats of the film. That doesn't mean it's a bad film -- in fact its earnest romantic flair really won me over -- but I also won't be surprised if it is dismissed as too lightweight, especially when contrasted by weightier awards contenders like The Post, or even Get Out.

But taken simply on its own terms outside of the year end 'best of' context, it's a wonderful movie -- perhaps one of the better executions of Del Toro's singular vision.

It's a bit of a Beauty and the Beast tale, about Hawkins' character coming into contact with a mysterious creature (an amazing design coupled with a human performance by Doug Jones (not the newly elected senator)) which she eventually falls for.

There are some tense, action-y chase elements, some international intrigue, but it's basically a very souped up period love story about two outcasts finding each other. And quite frankly, if didn't have a few grisly and graphic bits, it'd probably be a fine viewing experience for a child.

Sincerity is not in vogue with most film critics these days, but this movie works in spite of the fact that it is, largely, fairly predictable. This is because even when the script feels familiar, the performances and the visuals feel lively and exciting enough to keep your interest sustained.

It also is very slyly woke. It's set amid the Cuban Missile Crisis era, and its heroes are a black woman, a gay man and a mute woman -- and yet you are never beat over the head with self-congratulatory liberalism. The story just unfolds with little fluff and next-to-no problematic messaging, which may be a result of a minority filmmaker at the helm -- or just a realization that sometimes smaller is better.

It's hard to believe that the same man who could make Pacific Rim could make something this small and intimate. In fact, it may just be his most completely satisfying film suggesting that this could be the best mode for him to make a movie.