Cinephile No. 640 "Colossal"
"Imaginative But Not Much Else"
A Review of "Colossal" by Nathan H. Box
Starring: Anne Hathaway, Jason Sudeikis, Austin Stowell Director: Nacho Vigalondo, Writer: Nacho Vigalondo
Rating: 3 Stars, STREAM!
When Hollywood takes a risk and attempts to tell a familiar story in a new and fascinating way, I tend to offer some leniency. From the effort, comes a pioneering spirit and new way of looking at the world. "Colossal" is a film attempting to tell the story of a woman experiencing a mental breakdown. Instead of feeding us the same old tropes, it takes a different approach that serves as one long metaphor. See if you can follow along!
A jobless woman played brilliantly by Anne Hathaway, becomes addicted to the social scene in New York City. She finds her life falling apart as she loses a job, lacks the ambition to find a new one, drinks too much, and routinely takes advantage of her partner's generosity. Seeking a fresh start, she returns to her hometown and runs into a childhood friend played by Jason Sudeikis. Here is where your suspension of disbelief is required. Not long after returning, Hathaway's character discovers she is somehow connected to a Godzilla-like creature terrorizing Seoul, South Korea. Much like her, the creature terrorizes without any connection to the destruction she is causing or inflicting upon herself. Things get really interesting when we discover Sudeikis' character is in worse shape.
Now, I have an idea what you're thinking. The plot seems too far out there for me. I thought the same thing but decided to give the film a chance. Overall, it was imaginative, fresh, and a reintroduction to the acting brilliance of Anne Hathaway. Beyond that, there isn't much here. The connection between our main characters and the destruction in South Korea is never clearly defined and we are left with too many unanswered questions for my taste. All in all, this is an average movie worthy of a night in streaming.
Be good to each other,
-Nathan
