The Menu Movie Review: Mark Mylod’s The Menu is a subversive tale that hugely delivers on its overly-done concept and puts on a twist to it that is unique in its execution. A horror-comedy deducing the class system while showcasing the unfair nature of criticisms and those undeserving of what they get in life, the movie is a series of claustrophobic mishaps that builds to an finale that takes a huge risk, while boasting of some great imagery. Anya Taylor-Joy Birthday: She’s a Style Maverick Who’s Born to Rule the Fashion Charts (View Pics).

Hawthorne is a hyper-exclusive restaurant located on an island, which is run by an intense Julian Slowik (Ralph Fiennes), a renowned chef who takes his job very seriously (one might say too seriously). When a batch of new customers arrive, which includes the overtly fanboy-ish Tyler (Nicholas Hoult) and his enigmatic date Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy), the snobbish food critic Lillian Bloom (Janet McTeer) alongside her editor, a movie star (John Leguizamo) way past his prime, an old couple and an entourage of three rich bachelors – the chef crafts a menu that just might be everyone’s last meal ever.

A Still From The Menu (Photo Credit: Searchlight Pictures)

The themes of The Menu are very much inclined towards exploring the hierarchy of the class levels. Explored within the highly curated speeches of Julian Slowik which begins with a tense clap that shakes everyone up, he gives a speech before the serving of every meal which keeps getting deeply personal as the night goes on. There is a specific understanding within his motivations that makes Fiennes a treat to watch on the screen. When McTeer’s Lillian Bloom notices an emulsion within one of her sauces, the chef sends over an entire bowl of a flawed dish just to showcase his point, and that level of cartoonish pettiness serves The Menu so well.

To match the intensity of Fiennes, we have Anya Taylor-Joy as Margot. Margot is someone with a past, which is finely explored in the film with the passage of time and never really dropped at once. Sharing some tense sequences with Fiennes, she is a great foil to Slowik’s plan. The rest of the cast does pretty well too with Leguizamo providing some genuine laughs over here.

Watch the Trailer:

While The Menu’s themes of class and the exploitation of the rich serve the film very well, they can sometimes come off pretty on the nose. With subtlety being very minimal here, there are certain sequences that pretty much lay out the plot for you. In the beginning we see the island itself having military-like barracks for its chefs, and while it can create for an interesting visual dynamic, the overall message can come off very much noticeable which doesn’t give you as an audience any credit to figure it out yourself.

Some of the cast here can very much feel like an observer to the big show. They just feel like someone who is there to stick it up to the rich folks, and that can create for some discrepancy where some characters are given more importance than the others.

A Still From The Menu (Photo Credit: Searchlight Pictures)

However, while The Menu lacks subtlety in its plot, it very much makes it up with some intense sequences whose tension is thick enough to be cut with a knife. The set design makes the entire thing seem convincingly claustrophobic, despite the limited setting. Black Panther Wakanda Forever Movie Review: Tenoch Huerta, Letitia Wright Bring Their A-Game to Marvel’s Most Poignant Film Yet! (LatestLY Exclusive).

The comedy is another highlight. Using situational black humour, director Mark Mylod adds a quirky flair to the movie that had me in stitches during many of its sequences. Despite aiming for some cringe-inducing moments, The Menu isn’t afraid of just letting it all out on the floor.

Yay!

Ralph Fiennes

The Comedy

Good Tension

Nay!

Can Lack Subtlety

Final Thoughts

The Menu is a treat that boasts of enthralling performances by Ralph Fiennes and Anya Taylor-Joy. With a great visual flair and some delectable sequences that make this kitchen horror-comedy a complete treat, Mark Mylod crafts a satisfying 100 minutes of movie treat that will have you hungry for a cheeseburger by the end. The Menu releases in theatres on November 18, 2022.

Rating:3.5

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 17, 2022 04:24 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).