Men [Blu-ray]

My second favourite Alex Garland film. I understand this had a bit of a mixed reception on release, but it did what I believe all horror films should do, and that's scare me! There were some very eerie moments, and jump scares that were actual scares, and some body horror to top it off. The section near the beginning, on the old railway, was truly unsettling, and the unease just built and built. Surreal events, but real scares! Jessie Buckley and Rory Kinnear were brilliant. I think Alex Garland is a unique film-maker, who takes chances, and who depicts things that you won't see elsewhere. It's a shame if he gives it up.

Weird & totally unrealistic ending but worth the watch

Yes, this film can be disturbing. I like the scenery, location. Acting very good. But to understand it, I had to read some explanations. It is a good movie, but I was seeking a terrifying horror movie. For me, this is not a horror or psico-horror.

After reading favorable comments about this film I decided to give it a watch. Wish I hadn't.To be fair it would make for a great short film (as The Headhunter was), but instead of getting that I'm subjected to an hour and forty minutes of mind-numbing pretentious drivel.After the suicide of a husband she wanted to divorce our main character heads off to a cottage in the country to relax. She's inexplicably unable to notice that every man in the area is the same man. The house keeper, a creepy naked guy, the town victor, the local teenagers (with hilariously CGI'd faces) and even the police are all the same man. Apparently they're all nasty as well in one way or another, except the housekeeper who is always nice. Each version of the man scares and chases her in ever escalating weirdness. Until the entire film devolves into utter nonsense and then ends. Ignoring (for the moment) the utterly gorgeous cinematography the only really remarkable part of the film is the end. All the men (who are the same man) take turns at stalking our main character and as she fights back their injuries become those her late husband suffered as a result of his suicide. This tedious train of events ends with one of the men giving birth to another one of the men, who gives birth to a man, who gives birth to a man and repeat ad nauseam. With the last birthing producing her late husband.That's it all in a nutshell really. The entire story could have been told in an hour, but hour long movies don't sell so we get a bunch of that wacky weirdness and slow mo faces in close up that so many will celebrate for the 'arthouse' style.I've heard so many people praise this film for it's subtlety and symbolism. Let me tell you something. It's not subtle if it's being rammed down our throats and symbolism doesn't make something good just by virtue of being there.We get it. All the men in the town are the same man, because all men are the same.It's a very difficult film to watch for a variety of reasons. It's bloated, it's pretentious as all hell, the CGI faces are hilarious (breaking the mood), the casting is so "alright" it barely merits talking about and the dialogue is also there. The only saving grace this film has is that it's perfectly shot, the cinematography crew clearly knew what shots they wanted and knew how to get them. It's borderline stunning. Shame that the entire rest of the film is in the way.I gave the film one star because it exists. I was tempted to give it another star for the cinematography, but honestly, it's hard to enjoy even that when the rest of this film is making your brain numb.

I really enjoyed this film and in particular the 'body horror' towards the end.As a fan of folk horror and body horror films this one hit a sweet spot between the two sub-genres and it was very well shot with competent direction and a satisfying progression from beginning to end.There's not really much more to say since the less you know about the film the more you will get from it.Anyone with a basic understanding and / or interest in folk horror will enjoy this.I'd much rather watch 100 films like this than anything Hollywood is churning out now.However, the best folk horror film from the last 10+ years for me has been 'November' from 2017 which is an Estonian film shot in black and white - that has more visual richness and depth or lore than anything else I've ever seen.Unless you get distracted by subtitles or can't comprehend 'foreign' concepts of superstition and folklore you will get much more from 'November' than you will from 'Men'.

This film does have some intriguing concepts, is well shot and acted with some nice visuals, and has a subtle build of sinister undertones escalating throughout.There’s one thing that irks me though, and it’s a big thing.To me this film presents itself as an abstract commentary of some sort. i.e. you had to see it to figure out what it was trying to say. i know it’s meant as some sort of insight into the effects of trauma, but we never find out what’s actually going on anyway so the point of is all is lost on me.Is it the whole point for nothing to make sense?I don’t know. It seems to just get bogged down in it’s own metaphors and abstract imagery just try to mask the fact that it has no real resolution... and so nothing to say and no real point.A real shame since i have enjoyed this directors work in the past. It literally just needed an ending. Instead, it just ends.

Wow. I feel sick after watching this, so many disturbing things happen throughout and it was constantly unsettling. This film depicts the controversial phrase 'not all men' beautifully. The point is that as women, we do not know which men are safe and who are not, because they all look the same and it has always been that way. In reference to the Green Man, representing masculine carnal nature. The apples are in reference to Eve eating the forbidden fruit which again relates to the beginning, and the relationship between women and men. The birthing scene was iconic yet horrific, but I really hope other viewers pick up on what exactly this meant. Be prepared if you decide to watch this and don't be put off by negative reviews. I don't think many people have understood what this film was highlighting.