The execution of flavor and what sets any food apart comes from the magic of the kitchen.
In many ways this film presents us with predictable base ingredients.
You could quite easily plug and play this same cast into any standard horror flick.
The Menu
What made this a better base mixture was the quality of said ingredients.
While nobody jumped out in an Oscar race, there were no bad performances.
Everyone was sound in their role.
The previews and opening setup eludes to a Willy Wonka meets The Most Dangerous Game through-line.
Right from the jump the film was making its roux and setting expectation.
The problem with this setup is that its been done ad nauseam.
Immediately the mind jumps to an inevitable manhunt, booby traps, hostage situation, and cannibalism.
Refreshingly though,The Menukept its poise and presented us with a fun and distinctively formatted deliverance.
The antagonist and head chef (Chef Slowik) is played by the always engrossing Ralph Fiennes.
In essence he is the butter of the dish.
Hes the guilty secret that makes everything taste good.
There arent any classic protagonists in the film, but the closest we come is Anya Taylor-Joy.
Shes the salt of the dish.
We know what salt does, its always available and too much can ruin a dish.
In this case the creators stopped just shy of over seasoning.
Its impressive and hard to accomplish.
Likewise the score of the film is deceptively simple.
Its string heavy and singular in instrumentation while also sparse.
It makes its usage dramatic and builds into the small bits divulged through the chef in each course.
Like a seasoned chef,The Menuembraces this concept and thats what makes it a fun watch.
The twist is that there is no major twist.
There are some bitter bites to the dish though.
There was also a definitive lack of food porn in this film.
In the end, the film is good fun but not extraordinary.
If it were an actual restaurant it would have a B rating.
That said, Ive had many a fine meal at a B restaurant and didnt get food poisoning.
