Colossal

This month has been pretty action packed to the point where I could use a breather from big blockbusters for the rest of the month. There are movies so strange and unique that stand out for their quirky weirdness and compelling messages they convey (basically like interacting with that type of best friend who's very different from the normal crowd you're used to). A couple of months ago, I saw the trailer for Colossal, a new upcoming film that fulfills that aforementioned description. It presented such a bizarre premise while showing very little details (something Sony is clearly illiterate in during their own movie trailers). It intrigued me not only in the concept but also the main lead being Anne Hathaway (who I haven't seen since her performance in Les Miserables). Recently as the days got closer to its public release, I have heard some good reviews about it and I decided to try something different while seeing if the buzz about it was true. I went into the theater ready to see what kind of an experience it will provide and I left having enjoyed the movie, which manage to be one of the strangest movies I've seen this month (which is saying something compared to the ridiculous things I have seen in The Fate of the Furious).

Please note: This film has limited screenings in the area and the showtime I went to took place at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in San Francisco.

Plot: The story follows an alcoholic party protagonist who goes back to her hometown and from there a strange phenomenon starts to occur stemming from a connection she shares with a kaiju. It's about as weirdly strange as you can imagine but, at the same time, it works very well conveying the themes surrounding the main lead. It deals consequences of irresponsible people who don't take ownership for their own destructive actions while taking it out on their surroundings. It does take a little while for the movie to get to more interesting but it's worth watching the journey the leads take to see forms of a relatable experience. There are other themes and/or allegories involved in the plot but discussing them would risk spoiling the movie and are easy to interpret as you see how the characters interact while the plot moves forward. The story carries its own share of surprises as it moves forward while letting the audience piece together details surrounding its main leads that supports their reasons behind decisions they make, particularly in the second half. It also deserves credit for being creatively original and strange with its concept as well as its storytelling, similar to the horror comedy Get Out. It's also aware when to use fun comedic moments and some good dramatic moments throughout the story. Overall Colossal creates a strange but creative story complete with compelling messages and surprise twists that make for an enjoyable experience.

Characters: The main characters to focus on are Gloria (Anne Hathaway) and Oscar (Jason Sudeikis). Gloria is an unemployed alcoholic who struggles to clean up her messy life after moving back home while discovering a strange connection she carries with a mysterious kaiju. Hathaway gives a great performance in portraying a party girl who encounters strange obstacles in order to straighten out her life. Oscar is Gloria's old childhood friend who owns a bar with some personal issues of his own. Jason gives a good performance for the layered role he's given, even though the character could have been written a little better. As mentioned earlier, pay close attention to how they react to new developments later in the story and connect to what's being conveyed in the strange premise. I know that's not much to go on but talking about them even further will risk spoiling what surprises the movie has in store. Honorable mentions go to Joel (Austin Stowell), Garth (Tim Blake Nelson), and Tim (Dan Stevens). Austin and Tim do a good job with the awkward comedic performances for their characters, despite their limited screen time. Dan portrays a good frustrating attitude for his role and it's funny to point out that this guy was the Beast in Beauty and the Beast (2017) (Part of me imagines him secretly wanting to play Gaston while he was filming that movie and using his frustration from not playing that role while filming Colossal). Overall the cast and characters in Colossal work very well with the concept and subject matter being conveyed through the main leads interactions.

Overall Consensus: Colossal showcases creativity through it strange but unique premise, strong lead performances, good comedy, and a enjoyable experience. ⭑⭑⭑⭑

Reasons to watch it: You like any of the aforementioned actors. You like strange weird movies that convey relatable themes and/or allegories. You like watching movies with relatable main characters. You like sci-fi comedy films. You want to take a break from blockbuster film for something creatively unique and different. You want to see how the large monster is involved with the peculiar concept. You like watching movies where the protagonist is trying to get their life straightened out.

Reasons to avoid it: You don't like any of the aforementioned actors. You don't like strange weird movies that trust you to figure out the mystery involved. You don't like sci-fi comedy movies. You don't want to take a break from blockbusters.

Coming up next: April just got more refreshing as I take a break from those typical big blockbusters, which you can expect me to return to next month for the large set of them approaching soon. But for the time being, have seen a bizarre but entertaining movie really feels calm and nice for once. To add to that refresher, I have seen some buzz about a certain anime film that released into theaters earlier this month. So tune in next time as I venture into what will probably be an emotional movie experience as I will watch the anime film, Your Name (and to clarify I will be watching it in the original Japanese audio with English subtitles)!!!!