Gloria is a young unemployed and alcoholic New Yorker. Tired by his attitude, his companion Tim puts her at the door. She returns to her native village, where she finds Oscar, a childhood friend. From there, strange phenomena occur in Seoul.
Colossal Starts as a common American romantic comedy. Gloria is driven from her home by her companion. She then met two potential lovers in her hometown: Oscar, a childhood friend, and Joel, the handsome kid. In the casting, Gloria is embodied by Anne Hathaway, revealed in Princess despite her, its sequel A princess weddingthen The Devil Dresses in Prada, where she camped Mia Thermopolis and Andrea Sachs: two young women who passed from the status of « Untrustworthy » to the « perfect girl, desired and admired by all ». Jason Sudeikis is a regular of romances and serious comedy: Little orgy with friends, Good to shoot, Never with friends... The titles speak for themselves. The staging follows the codes of the genre: ubiquitous music that emphasizes emotional states, very slow editing, scenes of rapprochement or rupture set as evidence. Beautiful clichés... Too beautiful to be true, and ready to get eaten by the appearance of a kaijū. This colossal creature crosses Seoul at fixed time, as the Cerf God of Princess Mononoke Go through his forest.
Feminist portrait in the form of kaijū
The kaijū eiga is a genre of Japanese monster films initiated in 1954 by the mythical Godzilla - Ishirō Honda. Kaijū are gigantic creatures rising from the ocean to ravage human civilization. Metaphors of atomic destruction that traumatized Japan, they embody a vengeance of nature against man. Since 1954, new kaijū have appeared around Godzilla, which benefits from a Japanese franchise that is still active, notably with the recent release of Minus One. The genus then crossed the ocean to develop in Hollywood. The spectacular Pacific Rim by Guillermo del Toro (2013). For more information on kaijū eiga, please refer to The article by Guillaume Lopez dedicated to the birth of the king of monsters and his alter ego Gamera.
So far, Kaijū's films were mainly focused on male protagonists. The main heroes are men, while the female characters remain undeveloped, often reduced to objects of desire or charged with forging an empathic bond with the monster. We can cite as counter-examples Gamera vs. Three Super Women, where heroines defend planet Earth with the help of the Gamera turtle. In ColossalGloria plays the main role, and it is she who establishes the link with kaijū.
At first, heroin is presented in a negative light: alcohol, money, behavior problems. But as we move on, our perception changes. It is not the cause of the problem: it is surrounded by toxic male figures. Facing these men, kaijū becomes Gloria's only source of power. A power that eventually turns against it when it discovers that it is not the only power to have access to it.
A kaijū against patriarchy
In ColossalIt is a personal trauma that threatens the balance of humanity. Kaijū is born of a violent act committed by a child. It is not approached from a fantastic angle, but psychological: a scar that continues to emerge years after the accident.
The film takes up the stakes of kaijū while diverting them. Gloria finds herself trapped in a situation where violence is invisibility. She cannot say what she is going through, yet the whole world is witnessing her struggle against her oppressor. The connection between it and the kaijū dynamite the stereotypical staging of romantic comedy, thanks to simple plans but dynamite efficiency.
The monster's immensity to human vulnerability is filmed with great control, especially in the scenes of resistance. Instead of showing kaijūs engaged in epic fighting already seen, the film places human struggle at the centre of the device. The damage is suggested by the shattering sounds of the monsters and the traces left on the ground. Violence is not shown: it is imagined, and that is what makes it even more terrible. The media issue creates a direct link between kaijūs and humans: television becomes the only representation system for monsters.
A comedy not so romantic
The strength of Vigalondo's film lies in its colossal ability to divert the codes from romantic comedy and kaijū eiga. The romance turns to possessivity, and the real monster is not the one we believe. Colossal is a precise decryption of the functioning of a toxic relationship and, by extension, domestic violence. Oscar welcomed Gloria generously: he offered her furniture and a job. But in reality, he takes advantage of his vulnerability, alone, without means and facing alcohol problems.
Beyond his romantic comedy appearances agreed upon, Colossal breaks the clichés and imposes itself as a film with a preventive reach. It makes an analysis of toxic behaviour and domestic violence accessible by paralleling an invisibility situation with events around the world. Everyone has his eyes riveted on the screens without seeing what is happening around them, and those who see do not understand or prefer to turn away the look. By presenting these complex postures without falling back into the cliché, Colossal invites us to open our eyes to such violence and to recognize their mechanisms. Unlike Gloria, women do not have a kaijū to defend them: they need an environment that supports them so as not to sink.
... Artistic analysis signed Mihalloween
Blu-ray up to the monster?
Almost ten years after his release, Colossal comes back to Blu‐ray thanks to Rimini Editions, which offers Nacho Vigalondo's film a new welcome visibility. The publisher accompanies the work of a set of supplements designed to shed light on his stakes, between rosy romantic comedy, intimate trauma and hijacking of kaijū eiga.
The master HD offers a solid image, respecting the 2.39:1 format and revealing an overall precise definition, whether in urban decors, felt interiors or destruction sequences where giant creatures impose their presence. The film's natural photography benefits from a balanced restitution: sharp contrasts, controlled palette, readable blacks and convincing integration of digital effects, despite some slight fluctuations of sharpness. On the audio side, the DTS-HD MA 5.1 tracks ensure efficient spatialization, alternating atmospheres of small town, energy of the action scenes and power of the appearances of kaijū, with perfectly intelligible dialogues and a dynamic that can prove to be ample without ever saturating the sound space. Two clear and well articulated tracks 2.0 complete the set.
The 30-minute interview with Natacha Vas-Deyres offers a particularly rich perspective. The professor traces the story of the Spanish director and screenwriter, looks back at the genesis of the project and analyses how the story is built to gradually slide from science fiction to the exploration of a toxic relationship. It also examines the reasons for alcoholism, intimate drama and the singular function attributed to the kaijū in the film's conclusion. A solid, precise intervention that illuminates the feature with a true height of view.
S的y adds a 20-minute make-of, shot during production. Classic in its form, it nevertheless allows to return to the history, the characters, the dynamics between Gloria and Oscar and the various themes addressed. Some design elements complete the set, offering a concrete look at the making of a film where a personal trauma suddenly takes the size of a colossus. A serious edition, thought to rediscover Colossal with the necessary setback: the work, its intentions, and the monsters (visible or invisible) that inhabit it.
... Examination of the disc written by the celest wolf
Source France | Publisher : Rimini Editions | Release date : 08 July 2026
Video format
1080p24 | Ratio 2.39
CSD | BT2 BT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2 NT2
AVC encoding | DI 2K
Soundtrack
English DTS-HD MA 5.1
English DTS-HD MA 2.0
English DTS-HD MA 5.1
French DTS-HD MA 2.0
Subtitles
French
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