Blu-ray Review The Menu Blu-ray Review (1 Viewer)

[Neil Middlemiss]

A dollop of cheekiness and a dash of horror trappings punctuate the sweet taste of The Menu, a rich and flavorful creation offering up equal amounts mystery and intrigue laced impressively with the horror/comedy genre framing it’s billed as being. Brought to us alive with impressive performances from the small-ish cast, crafty production design and food creations, wrapped in an air of a film that knows what it is, enjoys having fun with it, and knows exactly where it’s going. Those with a taste for dark comedy artfully presented will gladly wait in line for what’s on offer in this entertaining experience.



The Menu (2022)



Released: 18 Nov 2022
Rated: R
Runtime: 107 min




Director: Mark Mylod
Genre: Comedy, Horror, Thriller



Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult
Writer(s): Seth Reiss, Will Tracy...

Continue reading...

 

[Josh Steinberg]

My favorite film of 2022 and you did a great job expressing why it works so delightfully well!

 

[Sam Posten]

Loved this in the cinema and can't wait to watch it at home!

 

[Jeffrey D]

Just blind bought this one. Hopefully I’ll get to it this weekend. Thanks, Neil.

 

[Walter Kittel]

Watched this recently (via streaming) and enjoyed it quite a bit. In the past I've used the term 'architecture porn' to describe settings that are appealing and enhance the visual aesthetic of the feature. There is some of that on display at the luxurious restaurant on the Hawthorne, but there is also quite a bit of 'food porn' with some wonderfully presented courses. Speaking of which, I particularly enjoyed the use of Courses as breaks in the various acts of the film. I was quite taken with the visual presentation of the film.

In terms of acting, I thought everyone was fine, but particularly enjoyed the performances from Ralph Fiennes, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Hong Chau.

It was a very entertaining film. Interestingly enough we have three recent films dealing with the subject of the financially elite confronting adversity. The Menu, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, and Triangle of Sadness. I have not seen the Triangle feature yet, but probably will complete the trifecta at some point (as Reggie W called it in an earlier post.)


If you haven't seen the film then please do not read the spoilers...

Spoiler #1 :

Spoiler

A good friend criticized the film due to the absence of the patrons not putting up more resistance to their inevitable fates. While I think that is a valid critique, I was more accepting of the plot point given the nature of the film as a dark comedy.

Spoiler #2;

Spoiler

I tend to believe that Margot does not escape the island and eventually dies. 1) We see the scene involving the smokehouse where Elsa explains the aging process and warns of the dangers of beef that cures for too long. 2) Chef says (paraphrasing) that The Menu will only be complete if everyone dies. 3) The boat does not have enough gas to reach the mainland (although there could be other factors at play). 4) The film very explicitly shows Margot taking another bite from the (tainted?) cheeseburger. The smokehouse scene which serves no other real purpose in the film makes me think the cheeseburger was in fact fatal. (???)

- Walter.

 

[Will Krupp]

If you haven't seen the film then please do not read the spoilers...

You don't

Spoiler

cure hamburger

though, do you?

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

You don't

Spoiler

cure hamburger

though, do you?

Typically, no you would not. However, hamburger can be and is sometimes made of different cuts of beef ground and combined, so, Walter's theory could be correct.

 

[Walter Kittel]

You don't

Spoiler

cure hamburger

though, do you?

Pretty much what Reggie said, but I'll also add that I thought that Elsa indicated ALL of the meat on the island was prepared in the smokehouse. I should watch that scene again to see precisely what Elsa communicated to the patrons.

Spoiler

Once again, I see no other reason for that scene to be present except to communicate to the audience the possibility of toxic meats.

- Walter.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I think the filmmakers left it up to the audiences for interpretation regarding the ending.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

I think the filmmakers left it up to the audiences for interpretation regarding the ending.

My feeling is:

Spoiler: Spoiler

While Walter's theory could be true and yes, the original plan was everybody there had to die, and the chef tells Margot she will die, she just gets to choose which group she dies with because she should not be there. He eventually deems her to be a shit shoveler and so should die with that staff because she is a prostitute. However, I see the act of preparing her the cheeseburger as the chef's final act of joy. He does it to show he once did and could prepare a meal with love and a desire to make the person he was feeding happy. The years of the type of cooking he has been doing though, has destroyed this in him. So, the opportunity to make the cheeseburger is a positive for him, and so I think this is why he just lets her go. Of course, he had gone mad, so Walter could be correct and he sends her on her way, poisoned knowing she will die later.

 

[Todd Erwin]

There is a 4K digital of this film available, with HDR and Atmos at those retailers that support those technologies. If you redeem the Movies Anywhere digital code (which is HD), you can get Dolby Atmos audio when playing on the Apple TV app on either an Apple TV 4K or Roku. AFAIK, the Apple TV app for FireTV still does not support Atmos.

 

[Robert Crawford]

There is a 4K digital of this film available, with HDR and Atmos at those retailers that support those technologies. If you redeem the Movies Anywhere digital code (which is HD), you can get Dolby Atmos audio when playing on the Apple TV app on either an Apple TV 4K or Roku. AFAIK, the Apple TV app for FireTV still does not support Atmos.

Yeah, I'm purchasing the 4K digital once it drops in price and will watch the movie again.

 

[Noel Aguirre]

Streaming on HBO Max now. Watched it last night. It was good though I’d rather have The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover on 4K which it borrows much from and is a better film.

 

[John Sparks]

No multiple paragraphs here, just 2 words..,it stunk!!!

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

No multiple paragraphs here, just 2 words..,it stunk!!!

You do get extra points for being concise.

 

[Robert Crawford]

You do get extra points for being concise.

Being concise, unlike some other people.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

Unlike some other people.

I have a rare condition that the medical field has been studying that involves the loss of control of my hands and fingers once I start typing and before I can stop there are just hundreds of words on the page. You can tell when I have taken my medication because I am able to limit myself to under 100 words.