James Jacob Smith has found himself in purgatory. After his death, his soul was deemed too pure to be cast into hell, but he committed too many sins to be allowed into heaven. In purgatory, your sins are given physical form, and you must overcome them to enter paradise. Failure means that your sins were too much, and you will be damned to eternal torment.
Failure is not an option for James. In the car accident that killed him, his wife died before he did. Since she's not here, she could only have passed right into heaven. Reuniting with her is his all-consuming goal. Nevermind that the physicaly manifestation of his sins is a giant monster the size of an office building. Tackling such a task is going to take some planning. But what other option does he have?
He's stuck in this place. And all he has to do is kill that colossus.