Oscars 2018: 5 Awards The Academy Got Right (And 8 They Got Wrong)

2. Best Picture - The Shape Of Water

The Shape of Water
Fox Searchlight

As mentioned, this was a pretty open race: Three Billboards had picked up some big awards, but it was a divisive film, and The Shape of Water isn't your typical Oscars fare, meaning something that was generally well-liked had a chance of sneaking it.

Despite that, though, it ultimately went to one of the two favourites, and definitely the right one. The Shape of Water, while perhaps not the best in some individual categories like Screenplay or Director, is brilliant across the board: it's beautifully shot, the production design is gorgeous, it has a swooning, magical score, the screenplay somehow to turn a monster movie into a heartfelt romance mixed with a thriller mixed with an adult fairytale, all under the direction of the great Guillermo del Toro, and the performances are all superb.

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Contributor
Contributor

NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far. A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.