'Colossal' drinking, rocket raccoons

Not all giant monster movies are made for teenage boys.

Case in point, “Colossal,” from writer/director Nacho Vigalondo, a small-budget kaiju movie that has so far grossed less than $3 million after a month of limited release. It even stars Anne Hathaway and Jason Sudeikis. So how do you explain the movie’s relative obscurity? It’s weird. Really weird.

The giant monster destroying South Korea in “Colossal” is a bit of a side plot to the domestic troubles of Gloria (Hathaway), an unemployed writer with a drinking problem who is forced to move back to her hometown after her boyfriend (Dan Stevens) kicks her out of their New York City apartment.

She reconnects with childhood friend Oscar (Sudeikis), who offers her a job at the local watering hole. The two of them make friendly drinking buddies until they begin to realize Gloria’s drunken behavior has a strange connection to the monster on the other side of the world.

There’s an obvious metaphor here concerning Gloria’s blackout drinking habits and how such irresponsibility can be compared to Godzilla pummeling through a city of innocent people without even looking down. While that premise is compelling (albeit predictable) enough for a full feature, Vigalondo smartly detours away from the setup and into something much more fascinating.

The men in Gloria’s life all have specific ways of interacting with her and dealing with her struggles. These distinct personalities take “Colossal” into a bold examination of gender politics and how seemingly benign social behaviors can have sinister undertones.

Revealing more of the film would be spoiling the payoff. Yes, “Colossal” features brief scenes of a beast (purposefully made a bit cheap-looking) smashing cityscapes, but moviegoers shouldn’t be expecting fireworks, or even a remotely plausible explanation of how Gloria and the monster connect. Forget the what and marvel in how Vigalondo gets to his subversive and thrilling climax.

A lot of people don’t like Hathaway onscreen, perhaps because of the “serious actor” persona she exudes in interviews. Her performances, however, are always unique and compelling — she rarely plays the same type of character twice, and she’s adept with both heavy drama and more lighthearted material. This is her best performance since “Rachel Getting Married,” and she (deservedly) won an Oscar in between that movie and “Colossal.” (She won for “Les Miserables.”)

Sudeikis, known for his comedic work, proves to be the linchpin of “Colossal.” His performance is, simply, incredible, and to explain why would unravel the movie’s secrets. He finds a new shade of his affable, nice-guy persona that lends itself well to the dramatic arc of the film.

For whatever reason, even arthouse audiences haven’t embraced “Colossal,” despite uniformly strong reviews. I saw it in an empty theater at the Magic Lantern in Spokane (Bloomsday weekend might have had something to do with that). If it’s still playing, make an effort to support an independent movie house and a truly original movie worthy of longer discussion.

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” had no trouble finding an audience this past weekend, opening to more than $145 million in domestic sales. Fans of the first movie (I’m one of them) should enjoy “Vol. 2.” It delivers more of the engaging character dynamics that made the first film so much fun, and (human) leads Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana and Dave Bautista continue to be strong anchors on both the comedic and dramatic fronts.

The movie is bright, colorful and consistently entertaining — and the dynamic between Rocket Raccoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper) and (now Baby) Groot continues to be a highlight of the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. “Vol. 2” doesn’t bother with too much franchise building either — there are only the occasional mentions of Thanos and zero references to The Avengers. Michael Rooker, as the semi-villainous Yondu, returns with a meatier role that makes a strong impression, and Kurt Russell is perfect casting for a “Human Planet.”

Writer/director James Gunn struggles a bit with the plot mechanics this time around, and some of the script teeters into some unnecessary melodrama, but the director also has a unique way of cutting the sentimentality with dark humor. It works enough because the characters are so compelling together, and he ultimately earns an emotionally resonant climax.

All in all, “Guardians” kicks off the blockbuster season with the usual Marvel-movie efficiency.

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Tyler Wilson can be reached at twilson@cdapress.com.