Men

Men, directed by Alex Garland, is a haunting exploration of grief, trauma, and the sinister dynamics of gender, wrapped in an atmospheric and unsettling narrative. Rory Kinnear delivers a truly epic performance, embodying multiple characters with an eerie and disturbing versatility that is nothing short of remarkable. His ability to switch between personas, each more unsettling than the last, adds a layer of dread that permeates the entire film. Kinnear’s portrayal is both chilling and mesmerising, leaving a profound impact that elevates the film’s haunting themes and invites deep reflection. Jessie Buckley is equally superb as Harper, a woman grappling with her past while confronting an escalating series of horrors. Her performance is deeply emotional, grounding the film with a raw, visceral intensity that makes her character’s journey compelling and harrowing. Buckley’s ability to convey a wide range of emotions, from vulnerability to defiance, makes her a perfect counterpart to Kinnear’s unsettling characters. Men is the first film in a long time to move and terrify me equally. Garland masterfully balances psychological tension with moments of sheer terror, creating an unnerving experience that is as thought-provoking as it is captivating. The film’s blend of unsettling imagery, superb performances, and a deeply unsettling atmosphere make it a standout in contemporary horror, leaving a lasting impression that is difficult to shake.

Men, directed by Alex Garland, is a movie that fails to live up to its potential despite having some redeeming qualities. The cinematography is fantastic and haunting, with creative shots that add to the overall experience. But this quality dips towards the end, with the director focusing more on horror elements in the tune of slasher/home invasion instead of psychological. The sound design is excellent, and the sinister feel really adds to the movie's overall mood. The acting is good, but nothing too spectacular. No performances really blew me away. However, the body horror in the movie is fantastic, and it had the hair on the back of my neck standing up. Even though I do think it is not entirely needed, I have to give props in that department. Unfortunately, the script is pretty dreadful. The message is very in your face, overly complex and did not work for me. It was quite a turn off too, as it seemed as though the director was trying to say all men were the same and were terrible human beings. I know it had deeper meaning than that, but that surface level message is undeniable. I mean honestly, every person she encounters is such a massive piece of shit, not one person would have held out a helping hand? Something that did really bother me was that the movie starts off as a creative psychological horror, but takes a spin in the third act that divulges into body horror mixed with slasher elements, which really takes away from the intriguing first 45 minutes of the film. Combine that with dreadful pacing, which will result in the audience feeling like they're waiting for the movie to be over. Overall, Men is a forgettable movie that had potential, but unfortunately, failed to deliver in many aspects. Score: 40% Verdict: Poor

MORE SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS @ https://www.msbreviews.com/ "Men is undoubtedly one of the most unique, macabre, weird, expectedly divisive films of the year. Rob Hardy's cinematography is truly impressive, navigating viewers through eye-popping visual details with the help of mesmerizing makeup and VFX. The score by Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow is also quite atmospheric and haunting. Nevertheless, Alex Garland exhaustively repeats his obvious, heavy-handed message to the point of losing all emotional connection with the underdeveloped protagonist. The last act focuses too much on excessive, unpleasant gore to prove a point over and over again unnecessarily, functioning as a distracting, underwhelming conclusion. Jessie Buckley - extraordinary - deserves much better, as does the versatile Rory Kinnear, who plays multiple roles." Rating: C