REVIEW #245 The Menu (2022)

A group of wealthy elites travel to an island for an exclusive culinary experience where the food is not the only surprises in store. 

The Menu is a thought provoking horror experience that ultimately questions the behaviour of the wealthy elite through its murderous antagonist. I admit as the film began and I glimpsed the characters for the first time, I was a little concerned that the film could be a little cliche. After all a man taking it upon himself to punish the rich is an overplayed narrative, especially with those characters being the usual declining movie stars, the cheating millionaire husbands and the cocky and arragant stock brokers etc. However as the film progressed it really showcased its uniqueness, whilst also allowing the real star of the show, Ralph Fiennes, to shine! He was amazing and I’m surprised I haven’t seen more people raving about him throughout the current award season, he definitely gave one of the best performances in 2022, at least in my opinion. The rest of the cast serve the film well, playing up to their stereotypes.

What really aided the film was the wonderful musical score composed by Colin Stetson. It was almost always on in the background, the volume adjusted to fit the scene but nonetheless it was always there to help build the tension and really set the audience on edge. It almost created the feeling that you get when something big is about to happen in a horror, that build up that makes you grit your teeth in anticipation. So it worked really well. The editing definitely contributed to that atmosphere, the shot transitions brought the stress of the kitchen to life but also brought the horror genre to the forefront too. On the subject of cinematography, there were variety of really nice shots and something that goes under the radar is the typography! It was only as simple as displaying the course of the frame with a nice closeup, but it’s something that I appreciated. So yes the characters are a little cliche and perhaps the generalised storyline is overplayed in Hollywood but I do think that the talented cast and the director Mark Mylod have done brilliantly at making the film unique, yet meanwhile taking inspiration from other successful horrors of a similar nature. For example the ending was very reminiscent of the Midsommar conclusion, which I don’t mind. It’s good to see successful movies taking inspiration from other successful movies, whilst also putting their own spin on things! So definitely give The Menu a go, stick around because it really hits its stride after about 20 to 30 minutes. 

Overall (8.8/10)

Thanks for reading.

Callan

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