The Menu

"The Menu" offers a trailer spectacular enough to entice me to set foot in a physical movie theater for the first time in 3 years. Packed with both veteran and burgeoning actors and directed by Mark Mylod of "Succession" fame, this movie has all the goodies to entertain you and make you think at the same time, supposedly. It starts out well enough, introducing quirky mysterious characters starting with Elsa played by Hong Chau. I find her really captivating in this role, a perfect combo of politeness and menace. Why is she dressed like that? Then we meet the Chef who has an agenda that unravels through the perspective of Margot, played by the always-awesome Anya Taylor-Joy. Margot is us, wanting to expose the ridiculousness of it all. Yet herein lies the problem with the movie. Its effort as a biting satire turns into a confusing mess at the end. "The Menu" could have given us something to chew on, instead I walk out of the movie theater scratching my head.

THE MENU is a good and unusual little thriller that proves a breath of fresh air in this day and age. One for the more jaded among us, it provides the kind of surprising, satirical modern-times scenario that I was hoping from GLASS ONION (and which didn't land). This one is variously a mystery, a comedy, a horror film and more besides, and it has depth and a careful skewering of a whole industry which I found more than satisfying. The cast is remarkable too, with each particular actor - from Fiennes to Hoult, Leguizamo to Taylor-Joy - carefully chosen to fit the perfect role for their talents. Appealing!

I waited months for this film thinking it would be so much better than it was. There is nothing quite like the let down of expecting something great, and it turning out to be just good.

While the plot is pretty original (which normally scores high points with me) and while the film is at times quite beautiful to look at, it missed some of the main point: sweet gratification and satiation.

Scares are not included on the menu; what there is of comedic value is presented as filling; it is unsatisfyingly light on gore; hints of interesting dialogue exist, but they are only scantily peppered throughout; the build-up of characters and backstory is distinctly and unpalatably in short supply, as well as somewhat bland; intentions are nondescript; it wore on and became progressively less, instead of more enjoyable; and, the main course was both 'cheesy' and a bit less than fulfilling. Yes, I greedily took it all in, but by the time dessert was to be served, the previous dishes laid still undigested and leaden.

I'd like to speak to the manager, please.

The Menu isn't the first to satirise the rich and their incompetence and isn't saying anything new but that definitely doesn't prevent it from being a great satire that pokes fun at everything it can in ways that are often consistently funny, playful and extremely stylish.

Ralph Fiennes gives a terrific performance full of awkward unease that only enhances his commanding screen presence. Anya Taylor-Joy is a perfect audience surrogate amongst a sea of deliberately unlikeable characters of which the best is Nicholas Hoult whose almost too good at making his character hilariously pathetic.

Mark Mylod's direction is excellent, the film has more than enough visual style to match the pretentiousness of its characters and is really good at building tension. The music by Colin Stetson is fantastic, striking a unusual balance between beautiful and unnerving.

"The Menu" is pretty good. It offers a fresh and wonderful visual. The setting itself is on the edge of the island, and they have an elegant set design, so it's great to look at. The cast is excellent, so I could feel all the suspense and thrills throughout the movie thanks to their outstanding acting. Some strange quirks have appeared since the mysterious appearance of Hong Chau as Elsa at the beginning. Then came the unexpected quirks in the chef's and kitchen crew's acts. The tension had risen to the point where I was anticipating and planning too far ahead. So, I was ready to see that something wilder might be coming. And then I was surprised every time the bloody scene appeared. It's brutal, but nothing really happened. So, I might say that it gives me a ready but not-so-ready feeling. Besides, you can tell that the movie is carefully made and directed because there is a representation of food creation and the restaurant experience from the perspectives of customers and critics. I would recommend it if anyone asks, though, not gonna lie, I did expect more from the ending. The beginning is excellent, but the ending is a bit unsatisfying for me. When the movie is coming to an end, I feel like there are still some things I need to chew on before then. Perhaps it's because the background stories have already been given, but they are still lacking, or I just need to rewatch it again to get a clearer picture.