Looking past the controversy and Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Okay, I did a bit (and really only a little bit) of research on the alleged plagiarism of "The Shape of Water" and Jean-Pierre Jeuent's film "Delicatessen" and I'm not here to talk about the controversy. But within 15 minutes of watching The Shape of Water I thought, "I've seen this look before" and literally the look is in almost every Jean-Pierre Jeunet film I've ever seen. Now to be fair, none of these things are exclusive to Jeunet films but the way the are all synthesised together feels all too familiar. Did anyone else feel this way? I am prepared to be proven wrong. I really enjoyed this movie. I found it beautiful, romantic, and even at times erotic, but I had heard so much hype about the film and I found it didn't live up to it. I have seen movies from Jean-Pierre Jeunet that knocked me over by the surprise of the new storyline. I have never seen a movie like "Delicatessen" or "City of Lost Children (La cité des enfants perdus)" by Jeunet nor have I ever seen a movie like Torro's "Pan's Labyrinth." Just like Tim Burton's "Edward Scissorhands" there is not a movie like it. I love these films for their dreamlike quality that is based in realism. Unfortunately I have seen movies like "The Shape of Water"; "La belle et la bête" (1942), Swamp Thing, Delicatessen, Frankenstein, Splash... and while he referenced a few of these movies as his inspiration it still doesn't put my mind at ease.

Without a doubt he has made beautiful film. He is a master of cinema. The time he takes creating beauty in each shot and his investment in creating honest and impassioned characters is truly magisterial. I guess I'm just curious to see if anyone else found this movie familiar...