Digital Movie Review: The Menu

 

Horror and humor come together in The Menu features a group of diners heading to the exclusive Hawthorne facility where a meal is $1,250 per person. Only 12 customers will be dining tonight. Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy) and Tyler (Nicholas Hoult) are prepared for a fine dinner. Tyler considers himself a huge foodie and an even bigger fan of Chef Julian Slowik (Ralph Fiennes). The customers discover that tonight's menu is designed to tell a story. As the meal and the story unfolds, things begin to get strange. Is it part of the show or something more sinister?

Video Quality:

The HD video is a beautiful 1080p presentation. There is some extremely fine detail levels here especially when it comes to the food. The props, sets and actors are all presented here in a fine natural looking color scheme with little to no compression issues.

Audio Quality:

The Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track is decent. Dialogue is clear though in the beginning of the film, the dialogue is seemingly second to the ambient environmental effects. The surround channels are subtle and creates a wonderful sense of space. The score also shares the space in the surround channels.  

Bonus Features:

Featurettes: Open Kitchen: A Look Inside The Menu - Feast on the special ingredients of The Menu to see how director Mark Mylod and his formidable cast, the biting script and renowned chef consultants concocted the perfect recipe to bring authenticity and dark humor to the film’s high-end culinary world.

• First Course: Take a seat at the table as director Mark Mylod delves into some of the key ingredients that went into crafting The Menu. Meet the renowned chefs and food stylists who brought their culinary expertise to the set.
• Second Course: Savor the world-building of Hawthorn, from kitchen “boot camp,” to the meticulous details of the production design. Hear from the cast and writers about the director’s naturalistic approach to capturing the nuances of the performances.
• Dessert: Dig into the creation of the s’mores sequence as costume designer Amy Westcott explains the painstaking process of sewing ponchos made of actual marshmallows. The cast discusses chocolate hats and the absurd predicament of their characters.

Deleted Scenes: There are three deleted scenes.

Conclusion:

The Menu is the perfect horror movie for those that don't like horror movies. It is dark, intense and humorous. The performances are fantastic and draw you further into the story. The video quality is fantastic and the audio mix brings you in the restaurant over the course of the meal. Bonus features are at a minimum. But this is highly recommended. 

 The Menu is available on digital now and on Blu-Ray and DVD on January 17.

*The movie was provided for review purposes by Searchlight Pictures but the review is strictly my own*