MEN - Movie Review 

Honestly, I think if it was a short film, it would've been so much better.

I remember watching the trailer for this movie when I went to watch The Northman. Everybody chuckled when the title "Men" appeared. Kinda like a "here we go again" feeling

I dunno, I really like the atmosphere, cinematography, sound design, pacing, symbolism, acting and direction that overall this movie is a win.

Beautiful images. Shallow writing. I came for a horror movie but left with a crush on Jessie Buckley. That woman could tell a story without words. During "that" scene near the end someone behind me commented, "this is out of control." I hope to make a movie someday that gets that kind of response.

🎵"MEN! WE DON'T KNOW WHAT WE DID." 🎵

I'm no analyst but for me the point of the film wasn't "ugh, men, amirite" but how she saw all men as the same until she could get to the root of the baggage she was carrying from her husband.

Has everyone forgotten that Alex Garland wrote Dredd (2012)? Karl Urban has even gone on the record saying that Garland actually directed a large portion of that film.

I think what you describe at 14:00 is what my first experience was with Annihilation. It felt like a culmination of everything he had been a part of, and took me on a grander adventure than his previous work. Men was like taking 3 steps backwards in every possible way.

First time seeing a review of yours, really good stuff. Thank you! You really break the film down well with well thought out points. Not that my two cents matter but you’ve earned yourself a new subscriber and I look forward to see future reviews.

You have excellent in-depth reviews. Your page is so underrated. I didnt see the movie but I knew that before I buy a ticket I must at least peek at the beginning of the review to get the general idea. Thanks!

Totally agree with you that the film 'lost it' after the magical forest scene. Also, I noticed some flaws in the editing, idk if it was international or not - many shots were glued together in a way that they created a kind of glitch (when she was walking, shot from two perspectives, or when she was having a dialogue with her husband)

The biggest problem for me is nothing is learned, gained or really questioned by the end of this. It is a statement and one that you can get from just reading the title. "Men want women and sometimes they act in fucked up ways towards women over their desire for them." Sure, but that's not news, it's not profound and it's not even controversial to say that. It is an extremely basic idea and concept presented like it's groundbreaking. By the end of the film, it doesn't even have anything to say on the subject, and the big reveal falls flat. Men wanting love from women isn't some grand revelation to anyone and that is supposed to be the dun dun dun! moment. It made me feel like I sat through a murder mystery only to find the reveal was that the killer did it because they didn't like the person. No shit.

always the best breakdowns. any chance have you reviewed gattaca before?

damn, I haven't seen the movie yet but I was looking forward to seeing it. I haven't watched your video yet because I want to watch it with a clean-slate but judging by the thumbnail and comments it seems like I shouldn't be excited to see it. :( congrats on 40k tho you deserve so much more

I thoroughly disliked this movie overall , but I loved the scene when she was in the forest. I like venturing out into places like that as well.

great review! pretty much agree with you here. aesthetically the film was flawless, and that first scene with jessie buckley frolicking was dazzling... however, i felt like the film doesn't expand upon its themes and narrative beyond what you can parse of it in the trailer. outside of the final act, the film just kinda felt like an extended version of the trailer and it just felt very underdeveloped.

Are you planning on reviewing “everything everywhere all at once”? I’d love to see your views on it

Have you seen Naked Lunch? I'd love to hear your opinions on that film.

really agreed with your take on this one, the imagery and ideas presented can be intriguing, but it is lacking that kinda 'connective tissue' or binding to make it feel like a cohesive experience.

great video! fair points. i can totally see how the hammering of themes and weak narrative could kill it for some people. personally, it didn’t bother me. it felt like his first attempt at really leaning into the poetry instead. of course this has always been an aspect of his films but this time with a capital “P” (if that makes sense). the execution was so mesmerizing and visceral that i was hooked the whole way through.

The movie reminded me a bit of Darren Aronofsky‘s mother. Interesting performances and imagery, but not really saying much of anything

I really like how you speak. Very efficiently... your sentences are dense with meaning.

Totally agree here. I loved some of the scenes and imagery, some of it is great in isolation but as an overall story and as a whole? Nah it wasn’t there. I was disappointed as well since I really REALLY like Alex Garland but this was so just base level “men bad women victims” type of message. Way too on the nose and simplistic message. So basically perfect for modern Hollywood. Excellent analysis, you got a subscriber for this video

I wonder if you're able to get early movie screenings (I'm not aware if you have any connections or film affiliations). Anyway, looking forward to your impressions on Top Gun Maverick, since it's getting such rave reviews (e.g. "summer blockbuster")

What do you make of Judge Dredd, 2012, starring Karl Urban, which was produced and written by Alex Garland?

Any thoughts on The Offer???

I love your dress or shirt you're wearing. Where did you get it? You have an eloquent way of speaking as well. Descriptive and understandable.

Thanks, this is the review I was waiting for.

I think he has pulled it together in Annihilation and DEVS. Those really had an emotional punch for me. This one was a little one step depth, similar to how I felt about Ex Machina, but still worth it on a primal storytelling level. There definitely was a lot of value for me in thinking of storytelling in its most primitive form; these archetypal images of the green man/horned man and the first mother goddess [oldest deity images in history]. I can see what he was going for in that sense; exploring how these stories have been transmitted since pre-writing humans. What must have that been like, way back when, telling these myths around fires under a sky full of so many stars compared to what we usually see today. It may have been much closer to a psychedelic experience for primitive peoples; deeply affecting.

I kept waiting for it to not just be an artsy movie about toxic masculinity, but here we are. I'd like to take it as a grieving process for her relationship and a rebirth of her as an independent being,... But I don't think that was the intention.

Congrats on 40k Maggie!

Damn, I thought this film was great; although I am a much bigger fan of Garlands work than you are. Like always theres no fault in your negative takes on the film I just dont agree with them. I think it was great visually and I found the symbolism and ideas that Garland was tossing around to be absolutely fascinating. Also that ending is a scene that would have Cronenberg jealous. I think its a great film but I do feel that with all of Garlands movies they're all great but none of them are "fantastic" and I feel like while he has alot of skill as a director he seems to be missing the filmic and emotional aspect of movies at times, and he doesn't quite have the ability of someone like Coppola who could effortlessly direct immersive and artistic movies.

Just had a look through your videos, I was surprised to see you haven’t reviewed any films by robert rodriguez, I thought you would be a big fan, Desperado is probably my favourite of his.

Loved your review. Echos my thoughts perfectly

i don't have the eloquency to explain this but as i watched this film i couldn't stop thinking that, were this film directed by a woman, some of the same critics who praised it would accuse it of being too obvious. it has the depth of an easily digestible instagram infograph on patriarchy. i watched it with a friend and we were perplexed by how ridiculous it felt, for two women to be sitting there hearing this pathetic breakdown of male violence and its repetitive, cyclical nature... from a male director. the title does express how we reacted while the credits rolled: (sigh, eye roll) men.

Great review! Have you seen A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night? That's a movie that I feel has great cinematography, but the movie lacks in other areas and overall comes off as underwhelming, at least in my humble opinion. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it.

One of the absolute heaviest dramatic scenes I've seen in awhile, towards the opening of this film. Intensely realistic dialogue & it's dramatic delivery. This is not an expression I'd use regularly but it was a very "sobering" moment & grounded the story so beautifully, I just wish the entire movie stayed within that level of perfection.

Excellent review. Had to sub.

I enjoyed the film. But it didn't stick the landing the way I was hoping it would.

Thank you for this succinct and astute review.

This is a great review! I personally really enjoyed the movie and got a lot out of it, but I do understand why you and other people wouldn't enjoy it. There are some things I'd definitely critique and fix but overall I really liked the piece. I liked that it had the same actor for all of the men. I think it was more so an artistic choice of how similar Harper sees these men rather than them actually looking similar in real life. I also like the symbolism with the Green Man and the fact that it takes place during springtime and she's going to this place to renew herself and heal. It reminds me a lot of the religious imagery in Midsommar. I thought the scoring was incredible and terrifying, but I am biased to finding modal gregorian-like chants to be absolutely haunting. I thought the very end was a little strange. There was no real "climax", and thats probably my biggest gripe. But overall a great movie and I appreciate all of your insight on thinking about it in a different way!

Great review and analysis!

Congrats on 40k

Dammit, I really wanted to like this film. Some sequences were so stylistically pleasing, and the whole movie overall was such a mood, but I did not personally find anything of value other than the style.

as a horror film I think it's good. The split-hand scene and birthing scenes were gnarly and well executed. Just not enough storytelling or plot development here to make it a great film. 6/10 for me.

I was thoroughly turned off by the trailer for this movie. I think I grew out of this genre of movie, I dunno.

From the Church onward it could've been heavily truncated for me but overall I liked it well enough. I heard he was inspired by Attack On Titan to rework the ending to really go out there. Which I can respect at the very least.

Great points regarding the lack of particular elements in Garland's films- even with all the great things he does- I saw that early on on his novel "The Beach" - great concept, but execution fell short.

First time visit to this channel but it won't be my last. Wonderful review and right on the money regarding this particular film.

After watching all of Devs, i find Garland's movies to lack some emotional intelligence just as an experience. Which is why the robot movie is his best xD.

People seem to think that the theme was "all men are the same" but I do not agree

I really want to know your opinion on everything everywhere all at once

I still enjoyed it in the visceral aspect of it - even if I agree the plot and/or the message is uninspired as a kind of thrilling audio-visual roller coaster it was fun

This what I'd consider a Post modern art movie would be like. The blood on the floor at the very end suggests all it happened was real and not a trauma which would make more sense. The movie is well acted with a nice use of scenery to create a mood and the ending is clearly a metaphor coming to life in the literal sense. The message the movie is trying to give away could be more developed and have a little more reasoning. Men's insecurities, fears and all the negatives of dealing with relationships are somewhat portrayed here but it could be done better. Does this movie wants you to hate men? That's subjective, the final 10 minutes do seem to make a point on "every men is the same" stigma but barely makes a point on why. I don't consider this a bad movie because it's interesting but it could be much better in my opinion.

Loved this review keep uploading pls :>

You encapsulated my every thought. This movie got more dissapointing as it went along. It felt like they held back alot and I wanted more intensity because this concept could've been executed so much better. I wish the character (the lady) was written better and I didn't like the score as much either. Just felt lazy for a movie I actually looked forward to seeing

Thank you, Maggie. I'll check this out!

Great review! Big fan of Ex Machina here and liked enough parts of Annihilation that I own it. But this sounds like the worst combination of a high-minded art-film with heavy-handed messaging. If I want to be lectured about toxic masculinity, I can just watch a Gillette commercial and be done with it in thirty seconds. If you want to see a good horror/sci-fi/suspense movie about a grieving woman and ominous tunnels and strange creatures, check out Absentia.

My favorite strange movie of all time is “Beyond the black rainbow”. This one here I agree with you. No need to watch it again. I like strange...but soundtrack and imagery fascinated me. This one here lacked that.

she said she wasnt good at piano to avoid further conversation with the creepy friendly keeper of the house.

With this and Annihilation I feel Garland definitely has taken inspiration from Tarkovsky in his depiction of nature texture, but with Garland I don’t FEEL it as much due the amount of editing. I think the film thinks that the more pretty shots the better at expense of the pacing and immersion. I also did not like this movie much.

4:50 I was absolutely enchanted by the film… but my interest wavered as it went on! That 3rd act was DULL 🤷🏾‍♂️😂🚫

I wish I could flip this horizontally.

Couldn't agree more. The beginning was really strong but I think it lost itself in the metaphor and forgot it was supposed to be a horror movie. Too heavy handed and self important for me to stay invested unfortunately. Great review!

You are so intelligent. I genuinely enjoy hearing you speak

I actually kinda dug this, more out of love for Rory Kinnear and Jessie Buckley than anything else. But I agree with all of your points. A couple people got up and left midway through the birthing and rebirthing scene, unsurprisingly

Just left the theater. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Watchmen on the Shelf and a Guitar in the Back! Thanks for the Review!

Boring? I couldn't take my eyes away. The sound and vision captivated me.

One easy way to remember how to pronounce Ligeti is the t-shirt my college theory professor wore "Ligeti Split"

The title of this might be one of the worst movie titles of all time

Great take on the film, new subscriber here. I like how you said the story seemed slapped together. I couldn’t agree more, it was a pretty basic story and it didn’t really have much to say…besides how terrible “Men” can really be…it’s been done better In other films. I think this was Garland’s Covid film….being simplistic, small cast, I think this was his Covid project, much like Blomkamp’s “Demonic”. I think the imagery was okay but “Annihilation” is miles better than this film. The performances were great but I agree that it would have been nice to have more of a jarring characters than what we got. Great take on the film, you got a new fan!

Enjoyed your review.

Very spot on review.

I feel like in the first and second act you could pause at any point and put it on a shirt

Did you watch the Mission impossible trailer yet??

At the 2:53 minute mark of this review, the word you're looking for is "flaccid." Great review.

I think this movie was a brave attempt. The truth is, that horror is hard to do something new with, so i give it its just due. And also, i think this film was pretty low budget with a minimal cast so maybe we should grade it on a curve. But yes, the visuals, acting, and music score did carry this film. I could of done without the misongynistic narratives.

Great encapsulation of Alex's first 2 directorials. As well as this one. Ultimately a letdown as a film, I found myself laughing towards the dramatic peak, as the artifice became too much to entertain for me. It went over the top in an unintended way.

Amazing lush visuals and sound design, but I tend to agree with your review. Maybe simply a retelling of the green man myth of rebirth

Feels like all his previous films were building up to this lol

Cinematography was excellent, trully a marvel to watch. Writing and script were very bad, very very bad. I liked the concept of trauma by gaslighting ex, and that after that every man is "the same" in her head, but the execution was abysmal. Alex Garland seems to struggle writing female characters, and for some reason his male characters were cartoonish as well. Also, sound design felt way off for some reason. What I kept from this movie is that Rory Kinnear is an amazing actor and I want to see more of Jesse Buckley. Edit : Really loved your analysis and reasoning behind your thoughts, definitely gained a subscriber.

sounds like magie is redy to return to monke, natur

It seems people have somewhat misread this film, the whole fact she says “he’s a very specific type” about Rory Kinnears landlord character - that’s the point, that her trauma is reflected in these dream like characters that they’re all stereotypical characters of male gaze. She’s gone away to escape but her demons live within her perspective. She can’t shake them. My personal opinion (reaching) was that as a patriarchal influence Rory Kinnears appearance is probably rooted in the aesthetics of her father and that’s why all characters are played by him.

I loved this film, but I actually couldn't agree more with you on the writing. It's really shallow and it reminded me of Aronofsky's Mother! in that it kinda feels like an angry teen wrote it. Like in a high school project. Cool review as always!

Your review was SHOCKING to me, because I felt the opposite. To me this movie is so deep, I'll have to watch it more times. It's like it's said at the very beggining. The concept is simple, but very very true. I felt nervous and angry and scared... helpless, when putting myself in the main character's shoes. And there was so much research behind it!! I really feel like we watched different films lol

He wrote 28 Days Later & Dredd, the later of which no one saw. Good scripts on those films.

I like high concept and horror films. That said, I did not like this film. It didn't lift a finger to help us to understand what was going on in the plot. It was a visual masterpiece, but if there's no exposition to bring the audience along with the story, it makes it difficult for us to connect through our shared experience and understanding of the film. Just my opinion, but it felt like high concept for the sake of high concept

Thank you ☺️ greetings from France 😊

Have you seen DEVS?

Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986): "... he feels tricked, while she feels wronged."

I saw this movie at night. Once it was done I was pretty scared. I locked my bedroom doors and closed doors to my closet and bathroom in hopes nothing would come out of it while I am asleep. Birthing scene I didn’t want to watch so I fast forwarded thru it. I thought that acting was good. Not sure what I think of this movie as a whole since I just saw it on Max.

Good to know i should save my money. I love Ex Machina to death but Im mixed with Garland because i was underwhelmed with Annihilation. So this 'Men,' i was very wary of.

Extremely cool review. Love the points you mention and the way you describe your thoughts in detail. Sad the movie didn’t do much creatively!

Liked your review.👍

absolutely well said. found myself deeply engaged through the first hour, particularly with that cool sequence in the tunnel and the echo/reverberations that make their way into the score. Unfortunately our main character's only qualities are that she is a victim of trauma and she plays the piano I guess? At least in Annihilation Natalie Portman's character is not painted as all good/all bad, there is some characterization there. This just felt derivative of Annihilation and hollow in all the important parts. Great review!

Jesse buckley is a fabulous actor. 1 of my favourite. A disturbing movie but i found it intriguing

I had a very divisive experience seeing this film in theater. Nihilistic films like this and The Northman I think I'll stop going to. They're done well but don't leave me with a good feeling when they end.

Spot on review.

I did like the image of the house as a womb and instead of being found inside at the end she's outside of it. Opaque or not, I liked it ig. Freud makes my skin crawl, horrifying for me heh.