The Ending Of The Menu Even Surprised Anya Taylor-Joy
Director Mark Mylod's directorial body of work has taken him from the world of prestige HBO television ("Succession," "Game of Thrones") to the antics of Sacha Baron Cohen ("Ali G Indahouse"). While his career has been mostly steeped in the world of television, Mylod has managed to direct some feature films as well, with his last being a rom-com vehicle starring Anna Faris and Chris Evans ("What's Your Number?"). As his first feature in over a decade, however, "The Menu" is shaping up to be a twisted dish I can't wait to devour.
Much like "Barbarian," the marketing strategy of "The Menu" has been playing it very close to the chest, offering mere morsels of juicy information in favor of the four-course meal awaiting us in November. Reviews out of the festival circuit have labeled the film as "delightfully wicked," which only makes me even more excited for what's to come.
What we can surmise thus far is that a group of wealthy folks travel to a secluded island for an exclusive dining experience, where the meals are deliriously extravagant dishes and the stories behind the restaurant carries a dark secret.
I have no idea where this is all going to go, which is a sentiment that even star Anya Taylor-Joy shared while making the film.
A dish best served unexpected
According to the new issue of Total Film (via GamesRadar), Taylor-Joy talks about how having all of these preconceived notions about storytelling massively threw her off when it came to shooting the film's ending:
"We've all become story savvy [...] Because we're consuming so much, we tend to have an idea of how a story's going to go, or how it's going to culminate. With The Menu, I genuinely did not expect the final scene."
If "The Menu" truly throws us for a loop as much as Taylor-Joy appears to be hyping up here, then it's safe to assume we're in for a great time at the movies. Who doesn't want to see bad things happen to rich idiots, after all? Mylod essentially does this already with his "Succession" episodes already, so let's see how far he can take it here.
The cast of Mylod's dark comedy features Anya Taylor-Joy ("The Northman"), Nicholas Hoult ('Warm Bodies"), Hong Chau ("The Whale"), Janet McTeer ("Ozark"), Judith Light ("Julia"), and John Leguizamo ("Violent Night"), with Ralph Fiennes ("The King's Man") as the head chef.
Although "The Menu" has some devious surprises in store, I'm anxious to indulge in the mix of dark comedy, horror, and a mouth-watering presentation of foods I'll never afford.
"The Menu" is set to hit theaters on November 18, 2022.