Colossal may advertise itself as a monster movie, but it’s so much more than that. Set in a modern day world wherein a giant kaiju monster is currently terrorizing Seoul, South Korea, at first glance this film may appear as if it’s just riding the giant lizard wave that’s recently been revitalized with entries like Gareth Edwards’ Godzilla, Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim, and Shin Godzilla, but don’t be fooled. Nacho Vigalondo’s latest stands out from the pack by providing a surprisingly deep commentary about the thing you’d least expect in a creature feature – addiction.
It all starts when Gloria (Anne Hathaway) is kicked out of her boyfriend’s apartment. She’s been out all night drinking and partying with people she barely knows again, and worst of all, she’s lying about it. Tim (Dan Stevens) has had enough, so he kicks his out-of-work journalist lady to the curb, which leads her straight out of the city and back towards her old stomping grounds. She might have been the only kid to make it out of her small hometown, but now she has no choice but to go back home to her empty parents’ house, take on the title of waitress at her friend Oscar (Jason Sudeikis)’s local bar, and of course, keep drinking all night long until she passes out again.
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It’s not necessarily a healthy habit to continue, nor one that will earn her a place back in her boyfriend’s heart (or his apartment), but it’s one that works for her for now – that is, until her belligerent actions inadvertently lead to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people.
Anne Hathaway is completely enthralling as the self-destructive alcoholic unwilling to change her ways until a force greater than herself implores her to demolish her bad habits in order to save the world. Aside from the clever tie-in of kaijus and irresponsible binge drinking, what really adds an even deeper layer to its intellectual side is how it doesn’t just comment on Gloria’s addiction to the bottle, but also, her tendency to gravitate towards toxic relationships. She’s been through a lot lately and thereby earned a handout or two, but in the end, as tough as it becomes, she will learn that the only person who will truly and unconditionally be there for her without an agenda or judgment is herself.
Colossal is a clever and fascinating mega monster movie that’s just as deeply comedic and entertaining as it is casually wise and perceptive. The film’s subject matter may be a bit weird and a tough one to swallow at times, but in its own unique way, it starts a powerful conversation about how the selfish actions committed by alcoholics doesn’t just impact themselves, but also hurts everyone around them. Vigalondo has created something very special here, and it’s something that needs to be seen in a theater.