Colossal

Colossal is one of those movies that advertises itself as one thing but reveals itself to be something else entirely. While the trailers try to sell it like someone was trying to write a romantic comedy after watching Pacific Rim, the reality couldn't be further from the truth. One trend I've been seeing in indie films lately that I really dig is taking bizarre, out-there premises that are initially played for comedy but slowly reveal themselves to be about something deeper, like how a movie about a talking, farting corpse is actually about personal isolation and the legacy of emotional abuse, or how a movie about a man who will turn into a lobster if he can't get a girlfriend becomes an examination of the absurdities of modern relationships. In Colossal's case, the idea of controlling a monster on the other side of the world turns into a metaphor for how self-destructive behavior affects the world around us.

Our story follows Gloria (Anne Hathaway), an unemployed, alcoholic writer who has burned more than a few bridges. After her boyfriend (Dan Stevens) breaks up with her and she's kicked out of their New York apartment, she moves back to her childhood home and reacquaints with an old friend, Oscar (Jason Sudeikis), who sets her up with a job at his bar. On the other side of the world in South Korea, a giant monster has been appearing out of nowhere and terrorizing Seoul before mysteriously disappearing. Gloria figures out that she's been controlling the monster, which only materializes and mimics her every move whenever she stands inside of a playground near her house. This becomes especially problematic when Oscar, who turns out to have some serious anger and control issues, discovers he has the same ability (except his avatar is a giant robot) and leverages this power to control Gloria.

The genius of Colossal is two-fold. As previously mentioned, taking two genres as disparate as the romantic comedy and kaiju films is a novel concept, but director Nacho Vigalondo uses the basic tropes of one to subvert the other. Any fan of kaiju series like Godzilla, Gamera and the like will tell you that while watching giant monsters rampage through the streets is the big drawing point, they're just as much about the human character arcs and how they intertwine with the walking disasters outside. As for the romantic comedy aspects, they're virtually nonexistent. I only really bring them up because that's what the trailer wants you to believe, but I'm here to tell you that the relationship is as far from romantic as you can get. Both of our leads have the same demon (alcoholism), but they cope in different ways, neither of which make them entirely sympathetic, and both of which cause major damage to themselves, their loved ones, and millions of strangers on the other side of the world. For any viewers who've dealt with alcoholics at any point in their life, these characters might be uncomfortably recognizable.

Of course, this is truly an actor's film. Anne Hathaway, playing against type, is easily the more relatable character, but she's not exactly likable. She's spoiled, selfish, irresponsible, and nearly all of the bad things that happened in her life were mostly her doing. The first time the monster appears in Seoul is when he drunkenly staggers through the playground at night on her way home from the bar. But there are people who haven't given up on her, as made evident by the fact that her ex-boyfriend checks up on her regularly to make sure she's alright. Jason Sudeikis, on the other hand, keeps his drinking problem low key, with his nice-guy persona slowly chipping away to reveal the bitter, entitled, controlling part of him that's been ruminating on the inside. Both are clearly having a blast with these roles, relishing and channeling their most fatal flaws for maximum effect.

Those looking a good kaiju fight might leave a little disappointed, because while it is the crux of the plot, it's not the main focus, only being brought into play during major plot points. About 70% of the movie is spent hanging out with Gloria, Oscar and their friends at the bar, but it becomes a major point of leverage when Oscar's true nature gets more out of control, culminating in a big blowout between the two that nearly results in the annihilation of Seoul, and is resolved in an amazingly clever way that I dare not spoil here, but was enough to make me shoe off the nagging question of why Gloria doesn't just stay away from that playground.

Overall, Colossal is a one-of-a-kind movie that may not be for everyone, but has a lot to offer for everyone who does choose to see it. The performances are outstanding, the premise is both clever and brilliantly executed, it has a lot to say about toxic behavior and relationships, there's a great balance between the humor and drama, and even though those looking for some kaiju action may leave a tad disappointed, there's still something there to tide them over. Don't be surprised if this ends up becoming a cult classic a few years down the line.

8/10.

This movie takes a few detours at the beginning before it finds the track it wanted to be on. So, dear reader, patience is a virtue if you want to understand what is going on.

Some elements of the movie are dragged out a bit like chewing gum until you just want to give up watching. Then it wakes up.

It is definitely a fantasy film without an obvious starting point but it recovers nicely. You really have to pay attention to catch the little explanatory nuances that are peppered throughout the script. Ms. Hathaway and Mr. Sudeikis do a good job of interpreting the two lead characters. The supporting cast of Mr. Nelson and Mr. Stowell round out the set of performances to watch.

If you stick with it, though, this might remind you of a famous superhero movie. There are no superheroes here, just something strange going on. Enjoy!

Fist off, this is a good film. Let me get that out of the way. To h*ll with the haters. It's smart. Clever. Unique. If you pay attention there are plenty of gags. Hathaway shines and all the rest. It's just NOT the film the trailers lead people to believe, and I really hate that. The trailers filled seats with people who were expecting to see some quirky romcom and instead they got 'Annie Darko' and wound up hating it. And this is a major pet peeve of mine. The same thing happened with "White God" This kind of advertising always backfires. The PR dpt just puts together any trailer they think will fill the seats on opening night, then it brings the wrong audience and hurts the film in the long run. Colossal should have been advertised like "Motorama" or "The Dark Backwards"... or "Eating Raul". It's a dark edgy comedy and it's not supposed to be of the 'wacky wild hilarity' genre'. OK, it's not a life altering cinema, but it is far better than most of the critiques I've read. And one thing all those critiques had in common...? They all said it wasn't what they were expecting, or it couldn't figure out what it wanted to be. Wrong. The film was exactly what it was trying to be. The viewers just couldn't figure out what it was doing because they all thought it was trying to do something else.... primarily because of the way it was presented. Not that it's easy to describe. Just abandon your preconceived notions before you watch. I actually like it better than the film I thought it would be.

By watching the marketing campaign, you are lead to believe this film is more light-hearted and comical.

Upon watching, the true underlining meaning becomes more apparent and it touches on a more dark subject matter, that apparently was lost on some viewers. It is a very real world dynamic in the relationship between Gloria (Anne Hathaway) and Oscar (Jason Sudeikis) that was well executed in this manner of storytelling.

It very difficult to say why this film is worth watching without "Spoilers", but I enjoyed this film; even the second time around, watching it on Netflix just recently.

The viewer feels little compassion for the problems these characters both find and make for themselves. Worse, the characters wreak murderous destruction on an Asian nation, but we're supposed to feel sorry for their romantic entanglements? The story, such as it is, is told thru the wrong end of the telescope.