‘The Menu’ is a brilliant, well paced, dark reflection of today’s society that not only tells a great story, but addresses social and economic issues as well. 

Released in 2022, ‘The Menu’  is a thrilling dark comedy starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Ralph Fiennes. The movie boosted in popularity upon its recent release on HBO, and received lots of praise for its smart social commentary, scoring almost 90% on Rotten Tomatoes. The Menu takes place at a luxury dinner experience hosted by a world renowned chef, but soon takes a dark turn.

Anya Taylor-Joy never fails to give a great performance, and this movie was no different. Her performance, along with the chilling work of her co-star Ralph Fiennes, made the movie worth the watch. Joy’s role as protagonist Margot gives us everything we all want from a female lead- an intelligent, clever, and rebellious woman. The performance of Ralph Fiennes delivers just as much, if not more. Chef Slowik is unsettling, cruel, but still somehow easy to empathize with. 

‘The Menu’ is very clever about its commentary, but at the same time doesn’t spend the whole movie talking about politics, which is a refreshing change from the “elevated horror” trend in recent films. While elevated horror can still be entertaining, sometimes it’s easier to finish a movie knowing exactly what happened rather than trying to understand the meaning behind the film. 

So, if you find yourself bored anytime soon, ‘The Menu’ is a captivating film that’s worthy of your time.