Glorious (2022)

A lovecraftian god behind a rest-stop gloryhole does not sound like a premise to take seriously, yet this movie does an admirable job of blending the sincere and absurd. Ryan Kwanten provides a strong performance, and bounces off vocal maestro JK Simmons with comedic ease. This movie delivers on the more campy side of gore, but the subject matter goes surprisingly dark and often descends into bleak. This is balanced with constant moments of hilarity with much of the comedy coming from the Simmons deadpan delivery of the outlandish. There are a couple of comedic beats that will be very hit-or-miss, and certain parts skew a bit juvenile, but very inline with the overall tonal balance. The action is mostly restrained to the one location, a squalid truck stop bathroom, but makes pretty fantastic use of its limited space. The entire location feels dirty and one can imagine the microcosmos of bacterial flora adorning every surface. The colors and practical effects are colorful and often disgusting, with some unique things done with lighting and liberal use of the trademarked ‘Lovecraft Magenta’. Unfortunately the CG effects aren’t quite up to the cosmic ambition of its premise, but there are some creative moments of exposition and visual storytelling that overcome some flaws. Unfortunately, the film is far too long, and tonal shifts near the end come off a bit jarring. The overall nature of this is not one that will appeal to everyone; however, for genre fans and those willing to take a chance with the outlandish nature, this movie will very likely entertain and amuse.

C+