Le Menu

"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.

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!

What I took away from this movie is that nothing ruins true passion like pretentiousness and hunger for monetary gain. It's a brilliant ode to the thin line between love and obsession and the difference between them both. Ralph Fiennes is perfection in the role as Chef Slowik, once again has he achieved the task of making one feel compassion and tenderness for a character committing unspeakable deeds. Anya Taylor-Joy is brilliant as always, her strong portrayal of "Margot" is awe inspiring, what ever life throws at her, she's ready to face it. Another important, and comforting aspect I learned from this movie is that student loans aren't always a bad thing.

The mix between horror and satire seems undecided or bland, the backstory was lacking and the plot presents itself as something grander than it really is. The same hollowness of the dishes carries onto the essence of the movie. Satirizing something that is hollow and giving the final product value is a difficult task, this movie really tries to do that, but given its nature, it didn't quite stick the landing with me.

The cast is simply great, full of recognizable faces and good acting. The cinematography was good, nothing out of this world but enjoyable.

Overall its entertaining, but the delivery of its message is not strong. Even if this flavor of satire wasn't the best suited for me, it kept me intrigued and while not fully satisfied, I enjoyed it.

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.