Colossal – An Original Monster Film (Guest Review)

Hi there folks, it’s MovieManDan here again with another new film review for you all.  This time, I’m taking a look at “Colossal”, an official selection of the Calgary Underground Film Festival and the latest film from Spanish director Nacho Vigalondo (the man behind the Oscar Nominated short film “7:35 in the Morning”and the feature films “Extraterrestrial”and “Open Windows”).  This one has been on my radar for quite so time and so I’m excited to finally be talking about it. Let’s dive in.

Plot: Gloria (Anne Hathaway) has found herself in a bit of an unhealthy rut as of late.  She spends entire nights drinking and partying with friends and she has really let things get out of hand as a result.  She has been getting a way with it for a while – with no interference – but after one early morning walk in – her boyfriend Tim (Dan Stevens) decides that he has had enough of it all, kicking Gloria out of his New York apartment. From here Gloria is a bit lost but she decides to move back into her childhood home until she can fix things with Tim.  It’s here with she reunites with childhood friend Oscar (Jason Sudeikis) but life only gets crazier when she wakes up to discover that a giant monster rampaging through Seoul may just have a connection to her.

Review:  Wow! Talk about a breath of fresh air!  It does not happen often when you can see an original film where you have no idea where it’s going to go from scene to scene but yet here we are.  “Colossal” may not a film for everybody but it should be a hit for those few cinema goers who choose to seek it out. It’s both unique and really unusual but in the best of ways. You can choose to view this one in one of two ways – as an indie dramedy or as a quirky and unusual monster film and it works in both ways and which adds some great re-watch value. As a result, the film was a lot of fun too and engaging as well. The performances were excellent thanks to strong turns from both Anne Hathaway and Jason Sudeikis and the strong writing and direction from Vigalondo.

There are flaws here, sure, but they were largely over weighted by the positives. This film couldn’t help but to put a smile on your face the whole time which does not happen often.  After seeing some mixed reviews from out of the Toronto International Film Festival, there was a little doubt that the film wouldn’t live up to the great premise but it most certainly did here. The story is extremely fast-paced, making the 110-minute run-time just fly by. Likewise, the visual effects were absolutely incredible and especially so for an indie film. While it’s only early in the year , this one is certainly up there with “The Lure”as a serious contender for the wildest, most original film of 2017 so far.

Now, as for flaws, there are a couple unnecessary sub-plots and characters *one stands out in particular* that don’t add anything to the film.  There are characters who exist solely to hang around with Sudeikis’ character and to blurt out the obvious , “This is Crazy”  and then there is one character who only exist to flirt with Hathaway’s character.  They have a one night stand but it literally goes nowhere for the film nor the characters involved.  As a result, there are entire bits which would have been best left for the editing room floor which could have made this film just as effective and much tighter as a whole.  Likewise, without diving into spoiler territory – the films does get a bit ridiculous in the second and third acts.

My Score/Verdict: 3.5 out of 5.0 Stars – “Colossal” was a breath of fresh air that’s a must see title for genre film fans.  This was a different kind of monster film but I’m not complaining at all.  “Colossal” was deeply engaging, widely original, and a whole lot of fun too.  Anne Hathaway and Jason Sudeikis were both good in their respective roles and they have some great moments on screen together too thanks to their great chemistry and the strong writing.  Continuing on, this film was never predictable and while the metaphor is really easy to interpret and while I didn’t like some of the choices that were made throughout the film, I really appreciated the originality and creativity that Nacho Vigalondo brought here.  This one comes recommended for genre fans like myself and it deserves to be seen and experienced with an audience.

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Guest Writer