Colossal (2016)
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An unemployed writer discovers she can manifest and control a giant reptilian creature in Seoul while struggling with her personal demons.
The story
Gloria is an unemployed writer struggling with alcoholism who is forced to move back to her family home in New Hampshire after a breakup. While working at a local bar, she discovers a bizarre connection: when she stands in a specific playground at a specific time, she causes a giant reptilian monster to manifest in Seoul, Japan. She realizes she can remotely control the creature's movements. However, this supernatural link brings unexpected consequences, as her actions in the playground directly affect the monster's behavior in the city, forcing her to navigate the consequences of her newfound power while dealing with her complicated relationship with her childhood friend, Oscar.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Gloria, an alcoholic writer, is kicked out of her New York apartment by her boyfriend Tim and moves to New Hampshire. She takes a job at a bar owned by her childhood friend Oscar. She discovers that by standing in a local playground at 8:05 am, she manifests and controls a giant reptilian monster in Seoul. When she tries to control it, she causes destruction and realizes Oscar also manifests as a giant robot in Seoul. Their shared history reveals that their powers were triggered by a childhood incident involving a paper diorama of Seoul. As Oscar becomes increasingly erratic and dangerous, using his robot to terrorize Seoul, Gloria must confront his self-hatred and manipulative behavior. After a tense confrontation where Oscar threatens to cause more destruction, Gloria travels to Seoul. At the appointed time, she manifests her monster to confront his robot. Her monster captures his, and they both disappear. The film ends with Gloria back at the bar, reflecting on her journey.
- First release year
- 2016
- Runtime (minutes)
- 110
- Production countries
- Canada; United States; South Korea
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Nacho Vigalondo
- Writers
- Nacho Vigalondo · writer
- Cast and characters
- Anne Hathaway · Gloria; Jason Sudeikis · Oscar; Dan Stevens · Tim; Austin Stowell · Joel; Tim Blake Nelson · Garth
- Genres
- black comedy; monster; science fiction comedy
- Themes
- alcoholism; identity; friendship
- Tone and mood
- black comedy; surreal
- Setting
- New Hampshire, USA and Seoul, South Korea.
- Premise and plot tags
- monster; sci-fi; comedy
- Content notes
- alcoholism
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews, with praise for the acting, direction, screenplay, and themes. Hathaway and Sudeikis were singled out by many critics for particular acclaim.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 82% · scale: percentage · review count: 263; Metacritic · score: 70 · scale: 100 · review count: 38
- Awards and nominations
- Best Picture · Fantastic Features · win
- Production trivia
- The film was described as 'Godzilla meets Lost in Translation'.; No motion captured footage was used for the creation of the monster.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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