Film Review: Nacho Vigalondo’s Colossal Is A Funny, Monster Classic
Gloria (Anne Hathaway) is an out-of-work party girl who, after getting kicked out of her apartment by her boyfriend (Dan Stevens), is forced to leave her life in New York and move back to her hometown. When news reports surface that a giant creature is destroying Seoul, South Korea, Gloria gradually comes to the realization that she is somehow connected to this far-off phenomenon. As events begin to spin out of control, Gloria must determine why her seemingly insignificant existence has such a colossal effect on the fate of the world.
Director Nacho Vigalondo’s Colossal has to be one of the freshest films premiering this week/ in recent cinema history. Its story is outlandish, humorous, thoughtful, and unlike anything you have or will ever see, which is a riveting idea when you think how many films are comparable or interchangeable to each other. The Anne Hathaway/ Jason Sudeikis film leaves you riveted 110 minutes for as you try to figure out what or who is this monster wreaking havoc in Seoul, South Korea?
The charm of Sudeikis and Hathaway as actors both together and separately should not be undermined. From the beginning, Hathaway gives Gloria a charisma and brokenness that makes you want to hug and hit her. She is completely unable to “get her life together”, but she is also sweet, sincere, and wants to be better but is rediscovering her will to do so. In that fact alone, she become relatable and a good, solid guide for the audience as they are taken into of the craziest, most inventive plot-lines to come to film. As Gloria realizes her connection to the “colossal” monster bringing death and devastation to Seoul, South Korea you both laugh at the absurdity and feel bad for this horrific situation. Such power quickly loses its charm, especially as Sudeikis’ Oscar shows his “true colors” as a malicious and manipulative human being.
Sudeikis should not be underestimated as an actor that shows dramatic nuance. His ability to make you love and then completely hate Oscar is riveting, especially because he plays Oscar’s viciousness and self-loathing like a scaling rollercoaster that you had no idea you were on until you abruptly dropped. In the beginning of the film, he appears helpful and generous to his childhood friend, Gloria, but it slowly turns into an act of hidden intentions and cruelty. Yet, Sudeikis adds a brokenness to Oscar that plays well to Gloria’s own insecurities. These are two human beings that hate themselves, but Gloria would not nor does she wish to hurt people because she is in pain. The same cannot be said for Oscar. It is in this detail, that Vigalondo’s hilarious film takes a serious, spiritual note on what turns “victims” into healers or a copy of their victimizers. Sure, these two characters may have the short end in money and life opportunities, but Gloria truly wants to help and figure out her connection to the “colossal monster”, while Oscar wishes to reap its destructive “benefits”. Thus, Colossal will make you laugh as a film, but Vigalondo’s writing is piercingly analytical and should not be unappreciated for its human commentary.Colossal Comes Out In Theaters April 7.
