'Glorious' (2022)


It hasn't been a bad one today; well, apart from the bit where I accidentally unmuted myself, in the middle of a big departmental meeting, and proceeded to take a phone call... But anyway... :o) It wasn't a bad day at all but I wasn't up to much come the end of it so I figured I'd give Shudder another go and see what I came up with. What did I come up with? 'Glorious' looked interesting so I thought I'd give it a go and... I really didn't want to go for the obvious opener but there's only one word to describe 'Glorious'. Yep, you guessed it ;o) Quick thoughts as ever, it's getting late and work won't do itself tomorrow.

After a breakup, Wes ends up at a remote rest stop. He finds himself locked inside the bathroom with a mysterious figure speaking from an adjacent stall. Soon Wes realizes he is involved in a situation more terrible than he could imagine...

Before I watched 'Glorious', if you'd told me that the best 'Cosmic Horror' movie I'd see (sorry 'The Void', you had a good run) would be set in a roadside rest stop and you wouldn't even see one of the main characters... Well, I'd probably believe the second bit (humans aren't meant to see certain things and all that) but I wouldn't be sure about that first point. Having watched 'Glorious', I'm completely on board with that statement.

Keeping it all in the bathroom not only makes you focus on the plot but it also has the welcome affect of making a brief glimpse into the outer darkness all the more expansive and terrifying. That bathroom is many things but it's also a shelter for us as well as Wes and Ghat. When we're forced to take a look outside, we're all left in no doubt as to what the stakes really are.

It's the growing relationship between Wes and Ghat that really makes this film come to life. One person and an Elder God, both learning about each other and using this to somehow build a partnership that can turn back the destruction of the universe. Some really touching moments arise from this approach as Wes in particular is faced with impossible choices to make, even if they are his only shot at some kind of redemption. What I really enjoyed though was the whole idea of 'mortals not being able to comprehend the nature of the universe' actually working the other way round as well; there's a lot of scope for humour here and 'Glorious' mines it all.

Ryan Kwanten puts in a star turn as Wes, a man forced to confront the true nature of reality as well as his own darker side, but J.K. Simmons stole the show as Ghat (and you don't even see him!), an Elder God with vast reserves of patience. 'Glorious' is a movie that aims high and hits those targets without even seeming to try. It's a bit early to say but I might just have found my favourite film for this year...

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