Streaming Service: HBO Max
Director: Mark Mylod
Actors: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Fiennes, John Leguizamo, Nicholas Hoult, Judith Light, Aimee Carrero, Arturo Castro, Christina Brucato, Hong Chau, Janet McTeer, Paul Adelstein, Rob Yang
IMDb Blurb: A young couple travels to a remote island to eat at an exclusive restaurant where the chef has prepared a lavish menu, with some shocking surprises.
Selina’s Point of View:
I’ve been hearing a lot about The Menu lately. It came out in November of 2022, and I had it as my #5. Despite that, it’s really only in the past couple of weeks that I’ve been seeing clips pop up. I thought we should open the year with it as our first review.
I’m glad I did.
I was no where near prepared for The Menu. It was a screaming statement on class warfare, a whole new way to perceive the saying: ‘eat the rich.’
This was not a jump-scare-riddled horror movie. This was the kind of terrifying visual statement that had me saying, out loud, “what the fuck” pretty often. At no point did I ever have any idea what was going to occur, and still the horrific moments seemed to play out in slow motion as if I was in the room when they happened.
Not only that, but The Menu takes a hard look at what it means for people to insist that everything in the whole world must be elevated and perfect, without ever returning to something simple and fun. Perhaps the critics who think there’s no room for popcorn movies can take a lesson from this elevated horror.
It’s almost amusing to read some of the reviews for The Menu from critics who missed the point entirely.
Ralph Fiennes (The King’s Man, No Time to Die, The Forgiven) and Anya Taylor-Joy (The Northman, Last Night in Soho, The New Mutants) did phenomenal work, but they weren’t alone. Nicholas Hoult (Tolkien, Those Who Wish Me Dead, The Banker) gave off the impression from the beginning that there was something off with his character, but never ruined the surprise. Hong Chau (The Whale, Showing Up, American Woman) remained stoic, carrying the creepiest aura while on screen. I could say something about every actor playing a patron, but it would take days to write.
I cannot recommend The Menu enough. It was an amazing watch.
I can’t say that I’ve really become a die-hard foodie in the last umpteen years, but I really enjoy watching cooking shows – generally the competitions. I have learned a lot about different ingredients and how to prepare them that way. The judges on these shows tend to use culinary jargon left and right – and some of it does just sound silly if you think about it.
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 89%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 76%
Metascore – 71%
Metacritic User Score – 7.0/10
IMDB Score – 7.3/10
Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 5/5
Movie Trailer:
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