Colossal 2.9***
Anne Hathaway shines in this sci-fi monster movie that
successfully blends a mishmash of styles and sub-genres in a very effective
way. Portraying Gloria, an out of work party girl in New York City, she is
abruptly kicked out of her posh digs by her boyfriend when he realizes he can
no longer put up with her constant drunken antics. She has no choice but to
move back home to an empty house in her very small hometown.
There she is reunited with her childhood friend Oscar, aptly played by Jason Sudeikis of SNL fame.. Broke and without friends, Gloria accepts a job at Oscar's bar. Oscar's intentions toward her, though, remain a mystery. Then it is revealed that a giant monster is stomping its way through Seoul,Korea, killing people and destroying buildings. Gloria finds she has a strong connection to this creature, as does Oscar when a giant “iron man”also appears with the monster. Here is where some well-done comedy is thrown into the mix and the film pays quiet homage to the Godzilla films of yore.
The movie is well paced and never slows down for very long. Although flashbacks attempt to explain the reasons for what is going on, this isn't done very well. There’s another thing; this movie was almost entirely advertised as a comedy. There are definitely comedic elements throughout, but it marches headstrong into some pretty heavy territory. There were at least a couple times where I felt downright uncomfortable due to the surprising actions taken by both the lead characters especially the way Oscar suddenly becomes an unreasonably violent, sarcastic, controlling mental-case. Things turned very dark at this point.
There she is reunited with her childhood friend Oscar, aptly played by Jason Sudeikis of SNL fame.. Broke and without friends, Gloria accepts a job at Oscar's bar. Oscar's intentions toward her, though, remain a mystery. Then it is revealed that a giant monster is stomping its way through Seoul,Korea, killing people and destroying buildings. Gloria finds she has a strong connection to this creature, as does Oscar when a giant “iron man”also appears with the monster. Here is where some well-done comedy is thrown into the mix and the film pays quiet homage to the Godzilla films of yore.
The movie is well paced and never slows down for very long. Although flashbacks attempt to explain the reasons for what is going on, this isn't done very well. There’s another thing; this movie was almost entirely advertised as a comedy. There are definitely comedic elements throughout, but it marches headstrong into some pretty heavy territory. There were at least a couple times where I felt downright uncomfortable due to the surprising actions taken by both the lead characters especially the way Oscar suddenly becomes an unreasonably violent, sarcastic, controlling mental-case. Things turned very dark at this point.
But, nonetheless, when
surrounded by endless sequels and pointless remakes these days, Colossal stands
tall as a truly unique film .. all in all it was a pleasant surprise.
Rated R for language .
Clark
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