The Menu – Movie Review
Director: Mark Mylod
Writer: Seth Reiss, Will Tracy (Screenplay)
Cast
- Ralph Fiennes (Red Dragon)
- Anya Taylor-Joy (Last Night in Soho)
- Nicholas Hoult (X-Men First Class)
- Hong Chau (American Woman)
- Janet McTeer (Me Before You)
Plot: 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.
Runtime: 1 Hour 47 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: The Menu starts when Tyler (Hoult) and Margot (Taylor-Joy) join an exclusive restaurant experience with the elite. They join 10 other guests for an exclusive meal from Chef Slowik (Fiennes), who tells a story for every course he delivers.
As the night unfolds, it starts to take a dark turn, as the Chef’s true intentions are revealed. The guests must figure out if they can escape before the night ends.
Verdict on The Menu
Characters
Chef Slowik is the host of the night, a world-renowned chef who has stories behind his meals. He expects perfection from his team and his customers. Chef has planned this night out perfectly until an unexpected guest arrives on his island. Margot is Tyler’s guest, a person the Chef wasn’t expecting to be a guest at the party. She stands up to the Chef on a different level to the rest of the guests.
Tyler brings Margot along, he is obsessed with Slowik and has been trying to get involved in his elite experience. However, he is determined to take photos of the work, one of the rules they don’t want to see on the night. He thinks he knows it all when it comes to cooking, however, he hasn’t ever stepped foot in a kitchen before.
In the rest of the characters, we see other guests including a food critic, a movie star and bankers.
Performances
Ralph Fiennes is fantastic in the leading role, grabbing your attention from start to finish with his appearance in the movie. He demands your attention much like the Chef demands from everyone there. Anya Taylor-Joy keeps mystery around her character, which she shines along opposite Fiennes. Nicholas Hoult brings us a disturbing figure that shows how selfish influencers can become. The supporting cast does a great job too, as the film is shot as if we had 4 cameras rolling catching up with the conversations on the tables.
Story
The story follows a group of exclusive guests that get treated to an exclusive meal from a world-famous chef. However, the night takes a twisted turn, as the guest learn the true motives for why they have been invited.
This is a strange story because it is filled with tension, as we know something big is going to happen. However, it puts too much on tackling why Margot is there, rather than why the Chef has planned the night. It is interesting to see things unfolding despite leaving us flat with the conclusion.
There is a massive message about high-class people looking down on people. Giving us a chance to see things from both sides, as Margot is not from that world.
Final Thoughts – The Menu is an interesting movie with brilliant performances from the leads.
