“The Menu” - Movie Review
The “phone eats first” mindset has taken over and become popular as social media has become more prevalent in today's culture. “The Menu” is a dark satirical social commentary that brings attention to classism along with themes of capitalism.
Overall, though, the film focuses on how the way society enjoys things has changed.
Anya Taylor-Joy stars in the dark thriller and plays Margot, who is going on a date with food critic Tyler. The couple is going to an exclusive restaurant on an island with a variety of other wealthy couples.
From the first scene of this movie there is a clear eerie and creepy vibe that encapsulates the whole film.
Once the characters get to the island they are introduced to the chef of the restaurant, Julian and his team. Again, the vibe is made clear, and something is off.
The staff of the island begin serving a multiple course meal to the guests and it is apparent that they know a lot about the guests and their personal lives. After the first couple courses, there is a turn of events and this is the point in the movie where some audience members may get lost.
The confusing part occurs when the staff begins to punish some of the guests for their “sins”. While this leads into the plot of the rest of the movie, there are so many plot holes about the sins that it is hard to process what is going on.
Later it is revealed that when Tyler made the reservation for the experience, he intended to bring another date. This results in the staff having a special connection with Margot, but the reason why is not revealed until much later.
The film keeps the audience guessing throughout the entire hour and 47 minutes.
Director Mark Mylod does a fantastic job of weaving themes throughout the scenes and leaves the audience in awe even after the credits.
The characters wore the same outfits the whole film due to the plot taking place over a single night. Throughout the evening as things become more tense and twists and turns unfold the outfits become more worn.
The clothes becoming more tattered throughout the film is a physical representation of the characters moods changing throughout the film. Especially by the end many of the characters are worn down and defeated and that is reflected in their appearances.
Along with this the film had some graphic scenes containing blood and violence. Some of these scenes happened out of complete surprise and were very shocking.
The best part of “The Menu” was the ending, at first viewing it was hard to understand what exactly was happening but it wrapped up the film well, and added a sense of comedic relief to the end of a tense film.
While the director did a good job including a lot of themes and messages in the film it was sometimes hard to follow the reason for all the things that were happening.
Overall, the film was very interesting to watch and was easy to stay attentive during. While it had some parts that were hard to follow it was a very thought-provoking film.
Rating: 4/5
Savannah Swartz is a second-year communications major. To contact her, email sms9072@psu.edu.
