The Shape of Water (2017)

This highly anticipated film by Guillermo del Toro is adapted from the well-known and beloved 19th-century tale by Mary Shelley, which is often considered the first sci-fi novel.

In the 19th century, the exchange across continents had already become common in the areas of merchandise, science, and culture. In the film, the journey of Victor Frankenstein defying death gained inspiration from the Eastern energy system that is named ‘Qi’ and the lymphatic system being studied by Muslim scholars. The historical fantasies set in Europe need to choose to what extent of detail they will depict different cultures. Latino actor Oscar Isaac played Victor Frankenstein, a member of the aristocracy in Europe. Outside of mentioning Vienna and Edinburgh, this film doesn’t discuss the potential different influence from various academias and sociopolitical conditions as explicitly as the origin story. However, the continuation and waning of the Crimean War provided the necessary resource, the corpses, for Frankenstein’s research and also urged him forward in terms of the impending end of funding from ammunition dealing, which was later on revealed not to be the truth.

The more intriguing aspect is in Victor’s upbringing. Victor blamed his mother’s unexpected demise on his father’s hatred towards her and incompetence as a renowned physician. Victor was suspicious of his father’s despite for him and his mother, detesting their dark hair and quiet nature, favoring his joyous and blonde younger brother. Victor shares a strong bond and love with her mother, speaking in their own language. Even though elusively, the love and hate about lineage and bloodline are in the soil that fostered Victor’s desire to conquer death.

If you were to talk about a science fiction movie that changed Hollywood forever, most people would assume you’re talking about Star Wars (1977) — and rightfully so. Star Wars did change everything (and The Empire Strikes Back just celebrated its 40th anniversary). However, there is another science fiction film that also changed Hollywood forever… nine years earlier. That movie was Planet of the Apes (1968).

In today’s movie culture, it’s easy to overlook the groundbreaking brilliance of the original Planet of the Apes, as we’re faced with the equally groundbreaking new trilogy. Rise, Dawn, and War for the Planet of the Apes changed the game with its use of motion capture technology and its photorealistic visual effects. The new trilogy made huge advancements in CG animation, and have their place in cinematic history.

The original Planet of the Apes, however, completely redefined how movies were made and the place special effects makeup has in the industry. Making Apes: The Artists Who Changed Film, a documentary directed by William Conlin, tells the story of the makeup artists who brought Planet of the Apes to life. It made its debut at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in 2019, but became available to stream on Amazon Prime this year.

Making Apes begins by looking back at the history of makeup effects in Hollywood, which was revolutionized by Jack Pierce, the person behind Frankenstein (1931) and The Wolf Man (1941). However, after World War II, the production of movies changed, and elaborate makeup effects found themselves more prominently in B-movies. As it is put in the film, the quality of makeup effects increased as the quality of the movies they were in decreased.