“Colossal,” a feminist comedic thriller, lacked both complexity and any truly terrifying moments. The only scary moment was wondering if I would get to the film on time with a broken bus system. While Nacho Vigalondo, the veteran director behind “Colossal,” known for his other monster and horror films “Open Windows” and “Timecrimes,” labeled this film as “a new look at monsters,” yet the director followed the same cookie-cutter pattern as many other movies about this topic. His film became the little brother of genuine monster films; the annoying pest who often receives all the credit, but did not put any work into the genre.
Vigalondo's characters lacked dynamic experiences, falling flat throughout the film. Both the supporting characters, Oscar and Tim, played by Jason Sudeikis and Dan Stevens respectively, had limited character development, as mere foils for the protagonist, Gloria, played by Anne Hathaway.
The portrayal of Oscar is rushed. He plays the nice guy early in the film, but then plummets to the evil mastermind with no transition. His descent would have made a bit more sense if Vigalondo more fully expanded on Oscar’s morbid need to destroy and crush things. His compulsions sound like they belong in an S&M dungeon, not in this confusing film. While the abuse and manipulation were essential plot points, Oscar's need to control Gloria was too blatant. Gloria's association with alcohol is exaggerated in Oscar, as he becomes more and more evil while consuming it, giving him a window to channel his destructive nature.
The gleam of hope in this murky film is the artful characterization of Gloria, the protagonist played by Anne Hathaway. Hathaway’s take on hopelessness and female empowerment bring the film on the upswing, as she becomes the only dynamic character. A recovering alcoholic, Gloria is constantly being manipulated. She forgets large chunks of her memory because of her alcoholism and binge drinking and her traumatic experiences with Oscar in their childhood. These memories come back to her slowly throughout the film as she tries to recognize her reality.
While denying her inner monsters of alcoholism and sluggishness, Gloria has flawed independence, denying her activities that relied solely on her boyfriend Tim. The director intentionally makes her weak, forcing more complex growth to occur for her character. Her need for her boyfriend is most apparent when she moves to her family's old home, continuing her habitual alcoholism and broken lifestyle. She is lost, not knowing how to keep an air mattress inflated or what basic household items are necessary, like many of her young contemporary counterparts.
While watching this film, I became easily bored with the over-simplified plot. If I wanted to see a corny plot with a giant monster stomping through the middle of a city, I would have watched Godzilla or King Kong. Therefore, I give this baby brother of monster films a measly two out of five paw prints.