Colossal (Canada/USA/Spain/South Korea, 2016)
April 21, 2018
Colossal might
look like a monster movie. Indeed, it may feature a Godzilla-like giant lizard
leveling a major city in the Far East but, in many ways, that’s just window
dressing. Allegorical in the extreme, Colossal
is really a drama about one woman’s struggles to overcome twin demons: her
alcoholism and the pernicious influence of an abusive, controlling man. The
struggle between Gloria (Anne Hathaway) and Oscar (Jason Sudeikis) is played
out not only in a small New England town but on the streets of Seoul, South
Korea, where a giant lizard dukes it out against a massive robot with the whole
world watching.
Colossal is 2/3 of
a great movie and 1/3 of a mess. Writer/director Nacho Vigalondo is tremendous
when it comes to setup and the majority of his narrative but he can’t stick the
ending. In trying to be too clever, he falls afoul of one of the basic tenets
of storytelling. When working in a fantasy or sci-fi milieu, it’s possible to
do any number of magical and strange things with one proviso: internal
consistency must be maintained. Or, to put it another way, whatever rules are
established for this universe have to be adhered to. That’s where Vigalondo
fails. After establishing in meticulous detail the governing principles for
how, where, and why the monster and robot appear, he violates them in the third
act in order to facilitate a “cool” resolution. To an extent, this could be
considered a “refrigerator” scene (it works in the moment but falls apart when
you think about it afterward) but it’s a glaring weakness in an otherwise
strong motion picture.
Following a prologue that feels like an excerpt from a 1970s-era
Godzilla movie, the action shifts to New York City, where Gloria comes home
after an all-night drinking binge. Her boyfriend, Tim (Dan Stevens), fed up
with her unwillingness to confront and correct her problem, kicks her out of
their apartment. Left with nowhere to live and not having a job to rely on for
income, she returns home to the small New England town where she grew up. There
she meets an old school friend, Oliver, and they renew their acquaintanceship.
Oliver is initially cordial and helpful. He offers Gloria a job at his bar,
which she accepts. Unfortunately, this leads to bouts of all-night drinking
with Oliver and his buddies, Garth (Tim Blake Nelson) and Joel (Austin
Stowell). She experiences blackouts and wakes up on a bench near a children’s
playground. Meanwhile, halfway around the world, in Seoul, the giant lizard
crashes through the city at precisely the same time that Gloria walks across
the playground. Eventually, by seeing TV images of how the creature’s
mannerisms and actions mimic her own, Gloria suspects a connection. She runs a
test that proves the city-stomping monster is her manifestation and she can
control its actions. She also learns that a similarly fearsome giant robot is a
representation of Oliver, who uses Gloria’s guilt about killing people as a
tool for manipulation and blackmail.
Although aspects of Colossal
can be seen as homages to the Japanese monster movies of the 1950s and 1960s
(which have also influenced Pacific Rim
and its sequel as well as a host of new Godzilla-influenced creature features),
the film is more interested in the smaller, human story in New England than
what’s happening in South Korea. This focus may provoke disappointment for some
die-hard monster movie fans; it isn’t Cloverfield.
Although the special effects are solid and there are scenes of mayhem and
destruction, they aren’t the point. It’s a little like comparing Gareth
Edwards’ Monsters to his subsequent Godzilla reboot.
Colossal expects
viewers to accept the link between Gloria and the giant lizard. It’s built into
the movie’s DNA and, as such, is no more outlandish than buying into the
concepts of flying spaceships or wizards in other genre films. A
half-explanation is provided for the connection but it’s no more detailed than
it needs to be and doesn’t go so far that we question its practicality (at
least not too much). Accepting the premise allows us to believe its
consequences for Gloria, and that’s where the meat of the movie emerges. She stops
drinking when she realizes that her drunkenness isn’t just detrimental to her
health but can result in the deaths of hundreds of innocent people. She has to
cope with the reality of being a mass-murderer and is unable to accept Oliver’s
shrug-it-off attitude.
Then there’s her relationship with Oliver. When we first
meet him, with Jason Sudeikis turning on the charm and smiling his winning
smile, he comes across as meek and likeable. His attraction for Gloria is
obvious and a possible romance doesn’t seem out of the question. Gradually,
however, a darkness emerges. Sudeikis, who is marvelous during this
transformation, shows the slow meltdown as the self-loathing, controlling
personality comes to the fore. Jealousy, as Gloria hooks up with Joel, twists
him and he loses it completely when Tim arrives for a possible reunion. The
Oliver/Gloria connection is the perfect analog for that of a woman trapped in
an abusive relationship. Oliver threatens that if Gloria doesn’t stay with him,
he’ll go to the playground at the magical time of 8:05 am and have his giant
robot destroy parts of Seoul – and there’s nothing her giant lizard can do to
stop him. The only way he’ll refrain is if she rejects the other men and stays
with him. The real monster isn’t Gloria’s
100-foot high creature in South Korea, it’s the man she’s working for in the
New England hamlet.
I have already mentioned the strength of Sudeikis’
performance. He’s excellent here – as good as he has been in any movie. Anne
Hathaway is also strong and, although her arc isn’t as extreme as Sudeikis’,
she explores a lot of emotional territory. Her expression – vacant, despairing,
and lost – when she is forced to reject Tim in favor of Oliver, crystallizes her
recognition of her situation. There are also moments of subtle comedy,
especially during the first half, that require a deftness of touch on her part.
Much of Colossal is so fresh and unique that it’s unfortunate how badly Vigalondo overreaches in the end. His solution to the dilemma, although seemingly clever on the surface, undermines a good deal of the movie’s internal logic and leaves a bad taste. Nevertheless, issues with the final 15 minutes aside, Colossal deserves to be seen for all that’s good and original about it and for the distinctive way it uses monster movies and monster movie conventions.
Colossal (Canada/USA/Spain/South Korea, 2016)
Cast: Anne Hathaway, Jason Sudeikis, Austin Stowell, Tim Blake Nelson, Dan Stevens
Home Release Date: 2018-04-21
Screenplay: Nacho Vigalondo
Cinematography: Eric Kress
Music: Bear McCreary
U.S. Distributor: Neon
U.S. Release Date: 2017-04-17
MPAA Rating: "R" (Profanity)
Genre: Science Fiction/Drama
Subtitles: none
Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
- Bridge of Spies (2015)
- (There are no more better movies of Austin Stowell)
- Fantasy Island (2020)
- Battle of the Sexes (2017)
- (There are no more worst movies of Austin Stowell)
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