I just watched it a few days back. Although, I was on a flight and I believe what I saw was an edited version, so I expect a scene or two was cut. Has anyone else seen it and if so, what did you think? I thought it was pretty enjoyable… The pacing and cinematography were incredible, even if the villain was a bit one-dimensional.
Yeah I thought it was a beautifully crafted film - really enjoyed the visuals and thought the acting was stellar. My only gripe was at face value with the relationship between the lady and fish man 
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I think I liked it. But not enough to think why I liked it. It was like reading an interesting short story that I forgot about half an hour after I finished it.
I guess it was unique, beautifully shot, had a few interesting ideas but the characters and overall plot where pretty shallow. (Hurr hurr).
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I read a great take on it actually. I am torn as to whether this is what del Toro intended but it makes a lot of sense.
There’s a idea that Elisa is actually part of the same species as the fish creature. This would explain why she instantly had a connection and developed feelings for the fish creature. In the film, they say that she was found by the river as a baby. She has a connection to water even before meeting the fish creature, and has no qualms about flooding her apartment later on. Also, the fish creature’s “God” powers are only shown to heal, not to create something that doesn’t exist. For example, making the man’s hair grow back. So at the end of the movie, when the fish creature touches the scars on her neck and turns them into gills so she can breathe underwater, this can be seen as fixing her broken gills rather than turning human scars into gills. This also explains why he doesn’t “heal” her inability to speak. She isn’t a broken human, she was never intended to be able to speak human language because she is part fish!
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I loved the film. The cinematography was amazing and it was so dream-like throughout, like looking at another world through a hazy film of water- almost voyeuristic.
Also, you get amazing gifs from it.
My friends and I gushed over the merman for days. Our boyfriends were distinctly less impressed.
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