Read Mixed User Reviews for Men

4

Rebecca31Jun 5, 2022

After a hugely traumatic experience, Harper (Jessie Buckley) takes a solo vacation to the English countryside. Harper is hoping to take some time to heal and what better place to do it than a little village in a beautiful country house for aAfter a hugely traumatic experience, Harper (Jessie Buckley) takes a solo vacation to the English countryside. Harper is hoping to take some time to heal and what better place to do it than a little village in a beautiful country house for a couple of weeks. Well it’s not long before everything isn’t quite what it appears in the little picturesque town and things go from strange, to stranger to what the actual hell is happening and why can’t I stop watching. From early on you already feel a constant state of unease. The feelings of pent up trauma, and that someone is stalking Harper, who must now confront her darkest fears and Men soon turns into a proper nightmare of a movie.

Men is a difficult movie to process, and be it for good or bad reasons it’s definitely going to stay with you once it’s over. I’d consider myself a fan of director Alex Garland, particularly his film Ex Machina which I absolutely love. Because of this I had very high expectations from Men and unfortunately I hate to admit that it didn’t quite deliver. There’s some very positive reviews for this alright and if the trailer has intrigued you then I’d still recommend you give it a chance but not everyone is going to like this. There are scenes in Men that will undoubtedly make you squirm in your seat, at times it’s so uncomfortable a part of you wants to look away but by that point the movie has you in its clutches and you simply can’t stop watching. Like a car crash happening in slow motion.

The first half brilliantly builds suspense and the sense of impending disaster but it really falls apart in the second half and towards the climax it’s both horrendous and horrifying. It’s very heavy and in your face with all the biblical references. The forbidden fruit, original sin and all that. Harper is clearly carrying around this immense trauma and meeting these different stereotypical men (Rory Kinnear) in the town who range from nasty and creepy to misogynistic and savage. The best thing I can take from Men is Jessie Buckley and Rory Kinnear, they are absolutely brilliant and I can’t fault them at all. Their characters have a lot to do and together they carry the weight of the movie. But unfortunately some nice cinematography and Jessie Buckley aren’t enough to save this movie.

For all the horror fans, Men is worth checking out because nothing divides film fans better than the horror genre and even though myself and the rest of the cinema couldn’t quite believe what we were seeing it’s definitely a unique experience that you’re not going to forget any time soon. Recommended for anyone who liked Mother! and Midsommar.… Expand

4 of 4 users found this helpful40

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5

JLuis_001Jul 3, 2022

A24 continues to sell many of its stories to the audiences in a way that makes them believe they're tackling some remarkable and intellectual themes, when in reality they only end up trapped in the subjectivity of the makers, and in this caseA24 continues to sell many of its stories to the audiences in a way that makes them believe they're tackling some remarkable and intellectual themes, when in reality they only end up trapped in the subjectivity of the makers, and in this case Alex Garland has gone way overboard.

The experience may seem more visceral than it actually ends up being, but there's no doubt that it won't leave anyone indifferent, but I think that will depend more on what it tries to do in the area of creating a shock than what it achieves in terms of plot, which I have to say feels deeply superficial.

The idea of Men is to feel uncomfortable, perhaps not the way Jessie Buckley's character feels, - She's great by the way - but between the methodically languid pacing, the development of tension, the visuals and the sound. Everything is setting the stage for trepidation and discomfort.

The horror builds itself apart, because the horror is the climax piece of it, and yet when we reach that moment, Garland constructs a sequence that is ruthlessly grotesque, but inexorably hollow and uneven.

Admittedly, the film never seems to fall apart on him, but it clearly slipped out of his hands, when its weaknesses are exposed and the extent of its pseudo-erudition doesn't compensate for anything we just went through.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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5

TVJerryJun 3, 2022

Jessie Buckley is one of her generation's most talented actors and she needs all her skills to make this mild thriller watchable. She plays a recently-widowed woman who retreats to the English countryside. Every man she encounters is a bitJessie Buckley is one of her generation's most talented actors and she needs all her skills to make this mild thriller watchable. She plays a recently-widowed woman who retreats to the English countryside. Every man she encounters is a bit creepy, which is made even more weird by the fact that one actor (Rory Kinnear) plays them all. He mostly manages to create different characters, but the digital de-aging on the boy doesn't convince. Director Alex Garland (my review of Ex Machina) takes most of his time setting up an ominous atmosphere with pensive pacing, interesting imagery and portentous sound design, saving the weird stuff for the final few moments. Even so, there's never any suspense, just creepy characters and a slow-burn that never really pays off.… Expand

4 of 5 users found this helpful41

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5

royalguy07May 21, 2022

Loved the performance and some of the early vibes. I think it fell off a cliff and the last 15 minutes were really not engaging or intriguing. A step back for me for Garland, Love love his 1st 2 movies.

4 of 6 users found this helpful42

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5

PerfectPortalJul 1, 2022

It seems promising at first, but its sanity drops like a stone halfway through. It’s clearly going for symbolism, but I utterly fail to see how the imagery relates to Harper’s issues. If it was trying to make some kind of comment on sexism orIt seems promising at first, but its sanity drops like a stone halfway through. It’s clearly going for symbolism, but I utterly fail to see how the imagery relates to Harper’s issues. If it was trying to make some kind of comment on sexism or victim blaming, it failed miserably.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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5

Compi24May 24, 2022

"Ex Machina" writer/director Alex Garland leans further into the more metaphorical stylings of his second film — "Annihilation" — with "Men," a sort of figuratively surrealist exploration of. . .I mean, what else could this movie be about?"Ex Machina" writer/director Alex Garland leans further into the more metaphorical stylings of his second film — "Annihilation" — with "Men," a sort of figuratively surrealist exploration of. . .I mean, what else could this movie be about? Part of me hopes this is more than just an allegorical deep dive into the annals of toxic masculinity and its effects on women, but if there is a deeper meaning behind all of the apparent overtones, it's a tad lost on me. In fact, I'm not even all that certain what it is this movie's trying to say about the subject of wanton testosterone beyond the fact that "it's a bad thing." Look, I'm not beyond the idea of there being media about this topic. Even as a guy, I have to admit that there are very specific issues and tendencies that plague men far more than women (generally). Tackling these issues at this point, however, requires nuance, creativity and a deft hand. Simply presenting the issues in question isn't as compelling as it was a couple of years back. Seriously, what season of "Handmaid's Tale" are we on now? This subject matter deserves a fresh take. If — and that may or may not be a big "if" — "Men" is about what a lot of people on either side of the discussion surrounding the film seem to think it's about, then it just didn't do it for me. If — still a possibly big "if" — there's some kind of deeper meaning that we're all neglecting to pick up on, I personally could have used a bit more hand-holding. In the end, this was well designed, with terrific images and some truly committed performances throughout. I just wish there was more for me to go off of on the whole.… Expand

3 of 7 users found this helpful34

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4

dani3poJun 26, 2022

The most pretentious home-invasion movie I have ever seen. The plot goes in circles without offering any conclusion.

2 of 5 users found this helpful23

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6

CalvinCrackMay 20, 2022

What the f*** was happening here

Overall didn’t really grasp the meaning of the film. I am either over or under thinking it. I enjoyed watching it though and found it entertaining although I don’t want to see it again, which feels like aWhat the f*** was happening here

Overall didn’t really grasp the meaning of the film. I am either over or under thinking it. I enjoyed watching it though and found it entertaining although I don’t want to see it again, which feels like a miss for a movie with mind bending aspirations. As I said, I don’t know whether I’m over or under thinking it.

If you liked “mother!” you may enjoy this.… Expand

2 of 6 users found this helpful24

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6

bertobellamyDec 17, 2022

This is the first time Alex Garland has let me down as a director. I mean, 'Men' is not a terrible movie, but, at least for me, the discourse falls flat. The "all men are evil" concept is intriguing initially, but it quickly becomes too onThis is the first time Alex Garland has let me down as a director. I mean, 'Men' is not a terrible movie, but, at least for me, the discourse falls flat. The "all men are evil" concept is intriguing initially, but it quickly becomes too on the nose. The comparison between "Watcher" and "The Invisible Man" seems inevitable. Both are female-centric films that denounce the subtle and extreme hostilities toward women in clever ways that are still part of the main story. In this case, the folk theme never became clear. I was not demanding answers, but at least some other context. And although 'Men' has some scary and gruesome parts, I never felt uncomfortable or anxious; but the last sequence, of course, is the biggest WTF of the year. You got to praise Jesse Buckley for trying to give some depth to her characters and the story —and also Geoff Barrow for his effective and disturbing music — but Alex Garland sure got messy this time.… Expand