To See or Not to See: Colossal

The premise of Colossal (which is easier to convey via trailer as opposed to text) is this: a young woman, Gloria, (played by Anne Hathaway) whose life is in turmoil, discovers that she is also a monster terrorizing the denizens of Seoul, South Korea.

Let that sink in for a minute.

Are you intrigued? Because if so, you and I are on the same wavelength. I went into this movie not knowing anything other than what you see in the trailer, so I was curious to see how this premise would play out.

Colossal is a booze-soaked black comedy with dashes of action and sci-fi. The cast is well-populated with comic actors, including Jason Sudeikis and Tim Blake Nelson (Kimmy’s stepfather from The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt). Comedy is harder than tragedy and Jason Sudeikis proves his range in this movie, breaking out from his typical good guy, aw-shucks kind of role with his portrayal of Oscar, a bar owner and childhood acquaintance of Gloria’s. Anne Hathaway manages to skirt the line between charming and desperate while emerging the realistic hero of the movie.

Alcohol is a prominent player throughout–it’s essentially the third main character after Gloria and Oscar. There are abrupt shifts in both Gloria and Oscar’s personalities throughout the movie that were somewhat puzzling and the shifts are likely due to the alcoholic traits exhibited by both leads.

There are a few ways to interpret the message of director Nacho Vigalondo’s film. One theory, put forth by my friend Steve, is that the entire film is a metaphor for misogynistic thinking – essentially the kind of thinking that Elliot Rodgers (the Santa Barbara killer who posted his female-hating manifesto online before going on his shooting spree) believed fervently in – that if you are a “nice guy” who follows certain steps, you should be able to get the girl. And when you don’t get the girl, you resort to violence. Because that’s how easy it should be to woo another human being–because there is no such thing as accounting for chemistry, personality, what the woman actually wants. I think it’s an apt metaphor, especially in a time when our President was caught on tape objectifying women in the crudest way possible.

I’d recommend this film for those who enjoy their comedy with a slice of darkness and a sense of weirdness. The movie also morphs into an action/thriller in the last third, which keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Photo Credit: Mongrel Media