Starring: Anne Hathaway, Jason Sudekis, Tim Blake Nelson, Dan Stevens, Justin Stowell
Directed By: Nacho Vigalondo
Plot: Gloria (Hathaway) is struggling with alcoholism. Her boyfriend (Stevens) breaks up with her, hoping she’ll get on a path to recovery. So, she moves home, where she runs into an old high school friend, Oscar (Sudekis). He owns a bar, which would seem like a bad place for her to be, but she ends up taking a job at the bar anyway. Oh yeah, she also might be subconsciously controlling a monster that’s rampaging through Seoul.
What Works: Thank god for original ideas. I love how incredibly different this film is. It works on a science-fiction level, but it also works as an indie drama exploration about alcoholism and finding yourself. Anne Hathaway is really good in this, but its Jason Sudekis who steals the show. He starts out the film in his typical, affable nice-guy persona, But as the film progresses, Sudekis gets really dark. He actually goes against type, and it works really well. He’s actually a lot better at it than I thought he would be. This film does a great job balancing Hathaway against Sudekis, and transforming her over the course of the movie. This film would work even without the added monster effects, but it’s that unique twist that makes his movie so special. I’m an advocate of unique perspective and original concepts, and this film really sold me on it.
What Doesn’t Work: The CinemaSins in me says that Gloria figured out way too quickly that she was connected to the monster. I feel like a normal person would have taken a few more instances to figure it all out. I know it’s a crazy situation anyway, but she pretty much instantly connected the dots. I realize this would have affected the runtime, but it’s all about balance anyway. You take something out, and put in something if the other thing makes more sense. She should literally be a detective for a living. She’d be great at it. In fact, there are several moments in the film where she connects dots quickly. It’s like her superpower. It’s also lazy writing.
Final Word: Aside from some lazy writing, I did really enjoy Colossal. There’s some good acting, and the meat of the story caught me off guard in a very good way. If you’re tired of sequels and reboots, Colossal is probably the film for you. It’s very twisty and dark, but still very good.
Final Grade: A
