James Francis Blog

The Menu (2022) ★★★★

(Spoiler Free)

Despite its lack of focus in the second half, I found The Menu utterly gripping. This was probably the most tense I felt watching a film in years. Anya Taylor Joy was a stand out and Nicholas Hoult’s performance really came into its own as the plot’s twists are revealed.

The Menu is a fine balancing act between the dramatic and the camp; never straying too far to either side. Even at its most bombastic it never felt gratuitous and at its most conceptual, felt self aware enough not to come over as pretentious.

There were moments that felt contrived and some elements that I found personally objectionable but in truth, I was engrossed throughout.