It’s been a few weeks since I first watched Colossal, written and directed by Nacho Vigalondo, and the film is still on my mind. If I had to vote for the most unique “monster movie” I’ve ever seen, this genre-defying flick would win hands down.
Gloria (Anne Hathaway) has a lot of demons to deal with as the story begins. She’s an unemployed party girl whose excessive drinking has gotten her thrown out of her upwardly mobile boyfriend’s apartment. She’s forced to leave New York City and return to her hometown, where she crashes in the empty childhood home her parents have left to her.
Reconnecting with her old school friends is nothing short of awkward, but it leads to a job, which she needs – in a bar, which she doesn’t need. After a particularly bad “crash and burn” incident, Gloria wakes up and learns that a giant creature is annihilating Seoul, South Korea. Events and friendships begin a downward spiral as she realizes that her actions and the monster’s actions are connected. But why? How? And is there a way to stop it?
Don’t ask me to label this movie. It’s too hard to describe. The true horror is Gloria’s personal life, quite often lightened by humor. The plot keeps twisting and turning, never taking the direction I expected. Anne Hathaway is superb in the role, and the supporting cast is stellar.
I hate to talk about the details I love because I don’t want to spoil it for anyone else. I think most people will watch this while scratching their heads, bemused, but as long as they don’t expect a “creature feature” or Godzilla-like flick, they won’t be sorry they used up 110 minutes of their time.
I’m giving this unusual film four out of five goblins.
Join me this October 6 – 8 at the Ramada Plaza Hotel and Conference Center here in Louisville for one of my favorite, local conventions: Imaginarium 2017, a conference for writers, readers and fans (media, news, publishing, gaming).