Colossal

Colossal

Anne Hathaway is Gloria, a screw up with a drinking problem who gets dumped by her boyfriend and is forced to move back to her hometown. As if things couldn't get any worse, she then finds out she's subconsciously controlling a giant monster that's destroying the city of Seoul, South Korea.

This is a really wonderful premise that's very difficult to pull off because of its inherent indirectness, and overall the movie does a solid job of executing it. It's not necessarily great, but it's certainly not bad either.

Anne Hathaway is a very divisive actress, which I've always found to be bizarre because, at least from my point of view, she's consistently good and occasionally great. However, I don't think she was really right for this part. The burnt-out party girl sounds like something Anne Hathaway could potentially pull off, but for whatever reason she doesn't seem to add very much personality or charisma to this character. She plays Gloria as an awkward, stuttering mess when it would make more sense for her to be a flailing, spectacular mess. I'm sure this is what the director/writer Nacho Vigalondo wanted, perhaps to highlight her eventual arc, but I think it makes her a less interesting character and it ultimately dulls Hathaway's performance. The Red Letter Media guys suggested Gillian Jacobs might have been better for the part, and I agree that she'd nail it.

Jason Sudekis, on the other hand, is fantastic. I can't say why, because his performance is a spoiler in itself, but this is the best acting I've ever seen him do. Hopefully this'll get him more interesting gigs, because he definitely deserves it.

The other aspect I'm not big on in the film is the explanation of Gloria's connection to the monster. Not because it was a bad explanation, but because it fails to understand that there's a place for answers and there's a place for ambiguity. An example of a great place for answers is Breaking Bad, because it's so grounded in reality, and an example of a great place for ambiguity is literally anything by David Lynch. Some movies and shows get these things mixed up, like when It Follows give answers and rules to its premise when instead it should be shrouded in mystery, because that's far scarier and falls more in line with the ideas it's presenting. Colossal should be more ambiguous because it's entirely centered around a fantastical premise. No one needs to know the backstory of why Gloria controls the monster, because that's not the point.

The rest of the movie is a solid dramedy with a handful of really great, memorable moments. I'd say check it out if you're in the mood for something refreshingly different. It's not brilliant or mind-blowing, but it's a cool idea and it's fun to see it come to life.