Review of Colossal (2017) by Spangle — 14 Apr 2017

Anybody who sees the trailer and expects a monster movie is set to be disappointed, which seems to be a constant theme among those disappointed: they expected something different. Whether they expected more of a monster movie or a comedic take on one, Colossal winds up missing the mark on both, simply because it is not necessarily either. Using elements of monster movies and comedy to tell its tale, Colossal is a genre bending film with a character study core as it examines the life of its lead character, her problems, and how she became who she is today. To do this, it does use a monster terrifying Seoul, but it is merely a device through which we learn about our protagonist and the people in her life. Smartly written with top-notch acting all around, Colossal is a surprisingly satisfying film that will make you laugh, but also terrify, thrill, and entertain you with everything in its arsenal. It is, essentially, the swiss army knife of films. This, naturally, has its limitations, but writer/director Nacho Vigalondo deftly blending everything together into a cohesive and highly rewarding film is a practically miraculous achievement.

Colossal tells the story of Gloria (Anne Hathaway). An out-of-work alcoholic, Gloria abuses the trust of boyfriend Tim (Dan Stevens) and makes a mockery of his hospitality in light of her financial status. Tim opts to show her some tough love by kicking her out and breaking up with her. Returning to her small hometown, Gloria pitches her tent in her parents' empty house, which is being rented out at the moment. While there, she runs into old elementary school friend Oscar (Jason Sudeikis) and, while paling around with him and his friends, scores a job as a bartender at the bar owned by Oscar. The only hitch in this newfound success? At 8:05 in South Korea, if Gloria walks through a playground near her home, she will appear as a huge monster and terrorize the people of Seoul. As we quickly learn, Oscar has the same affliction, appearing as a large robot. Becoming a global phenomenon, the film finds great comedy and excitement in the hysteria by showing the internet's reaction to the insanity, as well as the sheer bloody carnage created by Gloria and Oscar without any intent on their part.

Yet, these kaijus are merely a gateway into the psyches of Colossal's protagonists. Peering into why both Gloria and Oscar are undeniably broken people, the film borders on becoming a thriller at moments, as well as being a fully-fledged character study. Tracing their current predicament with an event 25 years prior, which was also the first time the monster was seen in Seoul, Colossal shows just how deeply unhappy and self-loathing its characters are. A woman who got fired from her job as a writer and apparently faced some harassment online over it, Gloria feels inadequate and depressed. Fighting to be heard and stand tall as an individual, Gloria feels personally attacked whenever things go wrong or a situation turns sour, in part because she lacks the confidence in herself to really follow through on anything. As a result, she drowns her sorrows in a bottle in order to forget her past and allow her to not be consumed with the crushing weight of being a failure after having so many expectations placed upon her after getting out of her small town.

On the other side, Oscar is a much darker character. Deeply disturbed, obsessed with Gloria, and caught in a vicious cycle of self-loathing that sees him exact his self-hatred on the world in order to vent, Oscar is a surprisingly dark and terrifying man. Gloria is taken aback by this, but Colossal quickly establishes just how much he envies her for having achieved so much by simply leaving the town. Pointing to the death of his mother - of whom he has a photo with her face scratched out - as the event that made Oscar turn, Colossal shows how Oscar seems to play Gloria for all of the inadequacy her feels and the sense that he is a complete failure. Lashing out at her and his friends, Oscar runs everybody off purely because of the violent and passionate hate he feels for himself.

As a result of this characterization, we see how destructive their personalities and situations are. Though Gloria and Oscar suffer from their own issues, the people most impacted by their problems are those around them. They are greatly destructive people, both literally and figuratively squashing every opportunity, friendship, and relationship, set before them purely because they cannot get out of their own way and are consumed with their self-loathing. If they simply looked down and watched what they were stepping on, they may be able to catch themselves and stop before causing too much damage. However, like a kaiju, they simply stomp about and ruin every life they encounter along the way.