Review: 'Colossal' Is Much More Than A Typical Monster Movie

Ivy Richmond Sears ’19 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer
Colossal is not a film that is easy to explain. It’s plot is absurd and wonderful and deeply powerful. In short, it is about an alcoholic named Gloria (Anne Hathaway) who returns to her home town after her boyfriend dumps her because of her drinking problem. She moves into her parent’s vacant house and takes to sleeping on the floor due to her lack of furniture. She begins working at her old friend’s (Oscar, played by Jason Sudeikis) bar. After a few days the news starts broadcasting that a monster has begun attacking Seoul, South Korea. Gloria quickly realizes that she is the one controlling the monster and that she is the one responsible for terrorizing the city and killing many people. For as much as this seems like a classic monster movie, it could not be more different. Director Nacho Vigalondo has turned all of the genre expectations on its head by making a film that is as much about movie monsters as it is about emotional ones.
For anyone looking for a fun action movie, look elsewhere. Colossal is far more about finding meaning in a life that seems meaningless then it ever will be about Godzilla and friends. It is a film that is both touching and highly political- both Hathaway and Sudeikis get to play characters vastly different from any they have played before. They are both alcoholic jerks who spend the majority of the film getting drunk and bantering with one another. In this way we see a highly abusive relationship begin to form. Sudeikis shows us how easy it can be to create toxic masculinity and how hard it can be to break it down. These themes in Colossal felt extremely relevant given the current political climate, showing how important it is to continue making relevant films. Sudeikis strayed far away from his Saturday Night Live days, giving us something that the world really needed right now, even if it isn’t pretty.

The seriousness of Colossal is not to say that it isn’t fun because it is. There are some great shots of the monster smashing buildings. And who doesn’t love seeing Anne Hathaway fall asleep underneath her air mattress? Colossal is fun- it would be hard not to make a movie with Jason Sudeikis and Anne Hathaway at least a little fun. But, in every way that it is jump-out-of-your-seat exciting, it is also heart breaking. It will make you question your own life, but you’ll be having so much fun that you might hardly notice how much it is making you think.
If you are looking for a high paced action film to take your mind off of your life, wait to see the new Fast and the Furious movie. If you are looking for a film that will be as fun as it will be depressing, get out to see Colossal as soon as you can.
Overall Grade: A-
Watch the Trailer:
[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqcZtz8VXXE[/embedyt]