Gloria (Anne Hathaway) is kicked out of her New York apartment by her boyfriend (Dan Stevens), who is tired of her lifestyle of constant drinking and partying. She returns to her hometown for a fresh start, and re-connects with her childhood friend Oscar (Jason Sudeikis) after a chance encounter. After spending a night drinking with the townsfolk, Gloria awakens to discover news of a monster who appeared out of nowhere and rampaged through Seoul, before disappearing. As the days go on, and the monster keeps returning at the same time and in the same place, she starts to discover a connection between her actions and the monster's.
Colossal has one of the most unique premises in a long time. It has the set-up of a traditional monster movie at first, but grounds the trappings of that genre in a very human way. it also makes the monster itself feel like much more than just an enormous effect that tears through a city. It's a very different perspective on the monster movie genre, with the monster existing as more of a backdrop to Gloria's struggles than a direct threat. There is a lot of humour to be found in the connection between Gloria and the monster, but the film falls a bit flat in regards to the emotional impact it goes for with that connection.
Anne Hathaway gives a fantastic performance in the lead, bringing Gloria to life with quite a few subtle emotional touches. Gloria's instability is never pushed to a ridiculous degree, and while we don't see a lot of her life as a "mess", Hathaway brings a certain tiredness and a strange, inconsistent energy to Gloria that makes her struggle very easy to understand and connect with. The rest of the cast, besides Sudeikis, don't have a whole lot to do, but they all capture the spirit of small-town denizens fairly accurately.
Colossal gave me a very different experience than what I expected. I expected a more symbolic story, where the monster represented Gloria's subconscious, or was a living manifestation of her anger, or something along those lines. Instead, the story is very straightforward, especially in regards to how the monster factors into the plot.The monster doesn't really represent anything; it's just a force that suddenly appears and starts wreaking havoc. The overtly serious tone in the second half of the film is much less engaging than the light, fun tone of the first half. It felt like the movie went in a completely different direction for the sake of having some sense of tension or conflict. It feels weird to complain about a film having a story, but the problems lie in the execution more than the idea.
Unfortunately, the film's premise being so good is something of a weakness. There's only so much story to tell with Gloria and the monster, so when the villain of the film eventually shows up, it feels almost unnecessary. There's no real conflict in the story beforehand, and the villain does present a significant obstacle in Gloria's development, but the conflict with Gloria and the monster is far more interesting. The antagonistic character turns on a dime into a sadistic sociopath, and while their characterisation is rooted in a relevant thematic element, it sort of comes out of nowhere story-wise.
Colossal's internal mythology is also fairly underwhelming. The story demands an explanation for the origin of the monster, but what is eventually revealed doesn't hold up under much scrutiny, and the rules of how the monsters exist and work in the real world are very inconsistent. This is especially notable in the film's climax, which needed a bit more clarification as to how the monsters actually work to make any sense. I know that the logical construction of the monsters isn't the point of the film at all, but it just sticks out like a sore thumb. The monster exists with the logical equivalent of a shrug, and the rules are the same.
Colossal has a lot of potential, but squanders most of it by the time that the second half of the film rolls around. That's not to say that there's nothing enjoyable about the film past a certain point; there are quite a few very entertaining scenes, and all of the sequences that show the interactions of the human characters with the monsters are incredibly creative. But after a while, the film starts to drag on a bit, and goes to a strange place in the pursuit of drama. There is a sense of fun, especially with the design and functionality of the monster, but the charm doesn't remain consistent all the way though.
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