Fantasia International Film Festival (FIFF) – If there was an Oscar category specifically for best voice acting, J.K. Simmons would deserve a nomination for playing a Lovecraftian demi-god in director Rebekah McKendry’s wildly inventive morality tale Glorious. Simmons, however, is only one highlight. This is a film that oozes creativity, humor, horror, and heart.

Twenty minutes in, lead man Wes (Ryan Kwanten) finds himself without pants in a grimy public rest stop. Reeling from a split with his girlfriend, Brenda (Sylvia Grace Crim), he gets inebriated the night prior.  Wes’ initial situation resembles the opening of  The Inferno when Dante wakes up in a field before he meets the poet Virgil, his guide through the layers of hell. Dante is in the middle stage of his life. The spiritual journey forces him to contemplate what may await him in the afterlife. Wes is a dude with a whole lot to process, including why the relationship failed and why everything in his life is miserable. The rest stop is like his own inferno, where he’s made to reflect upon his life decisions, what he could have done differently, and what he’d change moving forward if given the chance.

The demi-god meets Wes and speaks from a bathroom stall with a glory hole. At first, it’s merely Simmons’ baritone voice, before we see glimpses of its slimy tentacles. There’s an elaborate backstory about the monster, too. In short, it was created to destroy all life on earth, but it rebels. Maybe it’s grown fond of humans and our emotions? I’m not quite sure, but it needs Wes to make a sacrifice that involves a little more than a pound of flesh. If Wes doesn’t fulfill this duty in time, the demi-god’s vengeful father will come and no life will be spared. Talk about dire stakes. The fate of the universe depends upon a mess of a man who can’t pull his own life together. Circling back to Dante, Brenda is Wes’ Beatrice, his sole inspiration to keep going.

Despite some of the heaviness, there’s a heck of a lot of humor. Kwanten turns in a great performance, and Simmons lands several deadpan jokes.  Both shine, thank goodness, considering this cast is mostly a two-man show. Meanwhile, various flashbacks detail why Wes and Brenda’s relationship failed, leading to an ending that’s surprising and well-scripted.  This is a film with spot-on pacing that really lands the conclusion. It defies expectations.

Though there’s not a high body count, there are fantastic special effects. The creature, when fully viewed, looks cool as if ripped from the pages of a Lovecraft story. One death is especially brutal. It actually rains blood, drenching the entire setting. Talk about a creative kill.

While Glorious is super entertaining, it doesn’t shy away from contemplating some big themes, like the beauty of life compared to nothingness and nihilism. Yet, it’s never too heavy-handed. Kwanten especially gives one heck of a physical performance and Simmons is always great. This feature is an out-of-this-world blast, a truly creative vision by a director to watch.

8 Out of 10