Colossal

Gloria (Hathaway) is an unemployed writer who is partying her life away.  Her behavior prompts boyfriend Tim (Steven) to end the relationship and evict her from their apartment.  With nowhere else to turn, she moves into her childhood home in New England.  Her first day back in town, she reconnects with childhood friend Oscar (Sudeikis).  She spends the evening at Oscar's bar with his friends Joel (Stowell) and Garth (Nelson) and sleeps on a park bench.

That evening the city of Seoul is plagued by a giant monster.  The world is shocked by the destruction of the mysterious creature.  The following night the monster returns, at the exact same time and place.  Oscar gives her a job at the bar and her life starts to have a routine.  She also realizes that she may have a connection to the monster.  Can Gloria get her life in order and stop the monster's destruction?


The Good:
The story is unique, and even though every trailer spoils her connection to the monster, it still pulls off some surprises.  The monster looks great and is imposing enough to make an impact.  Anne Hathway is good, especially as the story progresses and you can see growth in her character.  I like the relationship between Hathaway's Gloria and Jason Sudeikis' Oscar.  It is refreshing to have the male and female leads in a film as friends, without turning it into a romantic relationship.

The Bad:
While the story is interesting, it drags in places.  The male characters are ok, but they aren't as well defined as Gloria.  The film has excessive language, earning it an R rating... it isn't cursing for the sake of cursing, but it is still unnecessary.

Other Comments:
-The main cast is good and playing against type.
-The film was written and directed by Nacho Vigalondo.  He has made several films (both with writing and directing), but to my knowledge, this was his biggest film to date.
-People seem to love or hate this movie.  If you are expecting a traditional monster movie (like Godzilla) or a traditional comedy, you will be disappointed.  If you are looking for something out of the ordinary and enjoy science-fiction / fantasy and dark comedies, then you should give this film a shot.
-I enjoyed this film and watched it a few times, discovering something new each time.

Colossal (2016) 110 minutes
Rating: R for language
Director: Nacho Vigalondo
Starring: Anne Hathaway as Gloria
Jason Sudeikis as Oscar
Austin Stowell as Joel
Tim Blake Nelson as Garth
Dan Stevens as Tim