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Alex Garland has started to make a major name for himself with his cerebral narratives. His prior two entries, Ex Machina and Annihilation both were released to massive acclaim and award buzz. Unlike the predecessors, Men is not science fiction, but still keeps Garland’s surreality that has some of the best body horror moments in recent history.
The movie focuses on Harper, played by Jessie Buckley, who goes away following the suicide of her husband. While on this trip to the countryside, she encounters a growing number of bizarre men, all of whom are played by Rory Kinnear who is best known for his time as Bill during Daniel Craig’s tenure as James Bond, and becomes increasingly unnerved by their continued appearances.
Garland is a master of suspense and builds the same sense of intense foreboding for basically its entire runtime and does not let up for the whole movie that has become the standard for his films. While thematically the movie may not land for everyone, Garland’s delivery and packaging of the themes of the movie (toxic masculinity and dealing with abusive relationships) to make them palatable is masterful.
In terms of the more “physical horror,” namely the horrific imagery that is not the tone of the movie that is designed to give a more visceral reaction, the movie does not disappoint either. Some audience members who have a problem with truly horrific body horror should probably skip this movie. The movie climaxes with some of the most bizarre sequences of body horror in recent history, putting even Richard Stanley’s 2019 adaptation Color out of Space to shame. Without getting too far into it because it is best experienced not knowing it is coming, the sequence is going to be one of the biggest moments in a movie this year that sticks with the viewer far beyond seeing the film.
As for who should see the movie, the audience is limited as to who would find seeing this an enjoyable experience. People who enjoy horror will enjoy the movie, however even then there is a large subset of people who enjoy horror movies but hate movies that deal in horrific displays on the human body beyond just they typical gore or dismemberment. If that is a problem for a viewer, they should skip this movie or wait until it is on home media. That said, if one can move past that issue, this is definitely a movie that horror aficionados will be able to get behind.
Men is currently playing in theaters and is unavailable to watch at home until late summer or possibly early fall.
Final Rating: 8/10
