Written by: Nacho Vigalondo
Directed by: Nacho Vigalondo
Starring: Anne Hathaway, Jason Sudeikis, Austin Stowell, Tim Blake Nelson, Dan Stevens
Rated: R
Plot
Out-of-work and kicked out of her apartment, Gloria (Anne Hathaway) moves back home while news reports surface that a giant creature is destroying Seoul, South Korea. Gloria realizes she is somehow connected.
Verdict
Colossal is a great premise, but it doesn't quite deliver what it should. The explanation for this weird avatar is a cop out. I wanted the reason for its existence to be more introspective or to delve farther into the abuser-victim scenario that develops. It's almost there, but that could just be coincidence. The juxtaposition of genres makes this interesting by default. Mixing drama with Godzilla and not creating a terrible movie is an accomplishment itself, but the lack of depth and meaning behind the avatar is disappointing. It could be a manifestation of her anxiety, but there is just no foundation to that meaning. It gives me ample room to ascribe my own views, but a big revelation at the end to tie these two 'worlds' together would have helped. The only thing close to an explanation the movie provides doesn't track with the rest of the movie.
Watch it.
Review
Realizing that the creator of Colossal also did Timecrimes (2007) only heightened my interest. Timecrimes is a low budget but well crafted looping time travel movie. It showcases Vigalondo's skill as there are no effects to hide behind.
This takes a while to get started, and even then then I wasn't quite sure what this is about. Is this about Gloria, Oscar (Jason Sudeikis), or a metaphor for how big our problems seem? For the bulk of the movie I was waiting for something to happen. There are moments of well done tension, but neither the movie nor the characters know exactly what to do for the majority of the run time.
This is pretty much a character drama with massive, monstrous creatures. It touches upon social media, but without providing anything new it's just a tired commentary. Gloria's friend Oscar becomes an interesting, though one dimensional character. We don't know what drives him. I have to assume unrequited love for Gloria though we never get an answer. The movie claims they were friends as kids but haven't stayed in touch after she moved away. He becomes petty, demeaning Gloria and his friends. His manipulation knows no bounds, and it gets really uncomfortable. He tells Gloria to drink a beer or he'll terrorize Korea. He knows she quit drinking, but Oscar has no regard for people whatsoever. He is using this strange avatar to force Gloria into doing his bidding. His villainy is subtle. At first he seems normal, but with this power he is taking full advantage.
Gloria's relationship with Oscar is built on them being friends, but the flashback in the beginning that slowly grows shows they weren't. The conclusion is that lightning created the weird situation in the movie. That's just not enough, less of an explanation would have been better. This is a manifestation of Gloria's anxiety to a large degree, but the avatar isn't a direct result of that. It's always been present, but only appears when Gloria is in a specific location.
This is almost an empowerment movie as Gloria stands up to her abuser, but the movie only hints at that. It's certainly creative and a fully confusing premise. There's a lot of untapped information about Oscar, leaving us to imagine why he is so cruel. Gloria concludes its because he hates himself, but that feels completely off. He's cruel sure, but I don't know how Gloria would back up the claim that Oscar is a product of self hate. Maybe he's discontent that he never left town or that Gloria left him behind. Maybe he finally likes wielding power. With his desire to control Gloria, she certainly seems to be at the center of his rage. I want this movie to give me some kind of foundation, and what it tells me seems wrong. It's a cheap explanation like the lightning. Vigolando knew we'd have questions and provides flimsy answers. That robs this movie of the power it could have had.
The central mystery is fine. Don't provide an explanation and have it a result of Gloria's anxiety that increases as we see who Oscar truly is. The movie just doesn't have a handle on him.
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