Director: Nacho Vigalondo
Screenplay: Nacho Vigalondo
Starring: Anne Hathaway, Jason Sudekis, Dan Stevens, Austin Stowell, Tim Blake Nelson
Running Time: 110 minutes
Genre: Science-fiction, dark comedy
New York City. Gloria (Hathaway) is an unemployed writer with a serious drink problem. After being kicked out by her boyfriend (Stevens), Gloria returns to her small hometown to sort herself out. Shortly after arriving she reconnects with a childhood friend, Oscar (Sudekis), who now owns the local bar. Accepting his offer of a part time job, Gloria's alcoholism gets worse, as Oscar gradually reveals that he has a a very dark side.
Meanwhile, in Seoul, a giant monster is periodically showing up and rampaging through the city. A monster which has a bizarre connection with Gloria.
Have you ever stumbled home drunk from a night out? Then you know how bad it feels. However for Gloria the drunken walk home is even worse, because every time she crosses a particular playground at a particular time, she inadvertently causes a giant monster to smash up a city on the other side of the world. The film plays like a dark, gritty comedy-drama about alcoholism and emotional abuse which has had a Godzilla-style giant monster movie edited into it. The mix of tones doesn't always work because the darker dramatic elements sit awkwardly with broader comic moments, and the monster movie elements are something else entirely. The performances are great, particularly from Anne Hathaway, who is superb in the lead. Jason Sudekis is also impressive as an all too human monster. The special effects are impressive. There are some odd continuity issues (for example a character runs around a corner and it's night, and into the street in broad daylight). It's a film that is disorientating for it's first half with it's odd switching of tones, but once you get used to the film and realise what it is doing, than it becomes a lot more entertaining. The main problem with the film is that it would have been better with more focus on the plight of the people of Seoul. The events are entirely seen from Gloria's point of view, with the monsters rampage appearing on TV and internet news bulletins, and there are no prominent Korean characters in the film. However, I would recommend this film, because it is inventive and features some great performances.
No comments:
Post a Comment