DVD Review: Colossal

STUDIO: Universal | DIRECTOR: Nacho Vigalondo | CAST: Anne Hathaway, Jason Sudeikis, Dan Stevens, Tim Blake Nelson, Hannah Cheramy
RELEASE DATE: Aug. 1, 2017 | PRICE: DVD $16.22, Blu-ray/DVD Combo $22.48
BONUSES: deleted scenes
SPECS: R | 110 min. | Science fiction romantic comedy | 2.40:1 widescreen | Dolby Digital 5.1/DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 | French, English and Spanish subtitles

RATINGS (out of 5 dishes): Movie  | Audio  | Video  | Overall

A genuine curio that often delights and perplexes at the same time, Colossal is not your average horror/sci-fi/superhero/rom-com mashup.

Strikingly original, totally off-the-wall and often quite exciting, the latest whatsit from Spain’s ever-adventurous Nacho Vigalondo (Timecrimes) stars Anne Hathaway (One Day) as Gloria, a heavy drinking New York party girl who returns to her hometown after her boyfriend (Dan Stevens, Beauty and the Beast) kicks her out of her apartment. Back in her former stomping ground, she reconnects with old friends, including Oscar (Jason Sudekis, Sleeping with Other People), who gives her a job at his bar. While she tries to make the transition back to small town living, a gigantic Godzilla-like monster terrorizes Seoul, South Korea. Soon, Gloria discovers that there is an odd but powerful connection between her and the creature, which leads to one unsettling—and initially inexplicable—incident after another.

It’s obvious form the plotline that this is not your father’s romantic comedy, horror outing, superhero saga or sci-fi opus. And it asks viewers to buy into things metaphysical, outlandish and sometimes just plain weird. But if a viewer is willing to take the plunge they will be rewarded with a truly strange and wonderful winner in which the game, top-notch cast and writer director Vigalondo pull out all the stops and score on most levels, particularly in originality.

In theaters, Colossal received mostly favorable notices and brought in a little over $3 million in a somewhat limited 320-theater run. The strong buzz generated from its theatrical run will help draw even more admirers who may be best-served if they were told to be prepared for something completely different.