I wish this wasn’t a new movie. I really want to discuss it in depth, especially the last third or so of the film. But, alas, I’m not going to throw spoilers out there for those that haven’t seen it.
I’ve watched a lot of movies with really great acting of late. The Menu joins that club. With Ralph Fiennes, one of the greatest actors of our time, and Anya Taylor-Joy, who’s been excellent in everything I’ve seen in her young career, leading the ticket, I knew going in the acting would be superb. Nicholas Hoult, too, does a good job being a slimy twerp that we all hate.
So as not to tell too much, here’s the synopsis from IMDB: 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.
Let’s just say the chef, played by Fiennes, has a once in a lifetime dinner planned. A meal to end all meals. The ritzy clientele is in for a dinner experience that’s unlike anything they could have imagined, or desired.
While Fiennes and Taylor-Joy make The Menu an enjoyable film all on their own, the movie is ultimately lacking something. I kept waiting for that truly shocking moment, that scene that made me say “Oh shit!” The Wow Factor. But it never came. There were mildly shocking moments, but nothing that took it over the edge. And that’s what this film needed. With a suitable shocking moment, The Menu would very much be in the rare air of brilliance with Hereditary and The Witch and the original Saw, all of which were wonderfully acted and had that big Wow Factor.
The Menu also suffers from the same problem Speak No Evil does, in that it’s difficult to believe the victims—the people we’re rooting for—would actually behave the way they did in the film in real life. The opportunities out of the mess they’ve found themselves in are endless throughout the film, yet there are very few attempts to remedy the situation. Only Taylor-Joy’s Margot seems to really try to get out.
Also, not a big fan of the ending. It felt too rushed and not creative enough for what the movie was up to that point. And it lacked any believability.
PC3’s Horror and Exploitation Movie Scale of Awesomeness1
Gore - 6
Special Effects - 5
Nudity/Sexuality - 4 (there is no nudity or sexuality, but . . . Anya Taylor-Joy gets 4 points)
Wow Factor - 2
Acting - 9
Fear Factor - 3
Story/Plot/Originality - 4
Cinematography/Atmosphere - 8
Sound/Music - 7
Fun Factor - 4
The Menu gets a respectable 52 PHEMSA. It’s very good in a couple of categories, but falls flat with Story and Wow Factor, both of which could have been easily remedied with a little more imagination. You can watch this on HBO Max.
I agree that the victims needed more agency, they were willing lambs to the slaughter but I liked the ending.
I was a coder for twenty years and highly respected in my field, I can relate to a perfectionist who is so driven to succeed that he learns to hate his craft. Ralph Fiennes really portrayed that well.
And in other news, now I'm a full time horror author I no longer have urges to blow up my office.