In the grand, silent theater of evolution, humanity stands alone under a spotlight it never asked for. We are the only species cursed with the full knowledge of our own mortality, a cosmic joke delivered with no punchline. This hyper-awareness, this relentless inner narrator, is not a gift but a fundamental design flaw, a tragic misfire in the code of life.
Zapffe (1899–1990) was a Norwegian philosopher renowned for his pessimistic critique of human consciousness, which he described as an evolutionary mistake that imposes insatiable needs and existential burdens on individuals.
The Concept of Human Consciousness
Human consciousness is often regarded as a complex and paradoxical phenomenon, described by some theorists as an evolutionary mistake that produces cognitive dissonance between biological needs and psychological desires. The intricacies of consciousness, which are subject to ongoing debates across various disciplines, raise fundamental questions about its nature, purpose, and evolutionary significance.
The paradox of consciousness lies in its dual role as both a tool for self-reflection and an impediment to efficiency. While it allows for profound introspection and creativity, it also subjects individuals to existential anxiety and dissatisfaction with their circumstances. Philosophers like Peter Wessel Zapffe have articulated this view, arguing that consciousness is not inherently advantageous and may, in fact, represent an evolutionary error.
Alex: "Honestly, I’m still buzzing over The Menu. It was such a wild ride — taking this high-end food culture and completely flipping it into a psychological thriller, all while shredding those pretentious foodie types to pieces."
Елена: «Да, вообще огонь! Фильм просто гениально стебёт всю эту элиту, которая ходит в рестораны не поесть нормально, а тупо понты поколотить и показать, насколько они 'в теме'».
Alex: "Right? Chef Slowik was basically the ultimate burnt-out creative. He was completely trapped by his own success, forced to cook for these insufferable rich snobs who couldn't even tell you what they ate five minutes later."
Елена: «И Марго просто шикарно сломала всю его систему! Она единственный нормальный человек, который отказался играть в эти странные игры и попросила то, от чего у него когда-то вообще загорелись глаза — обычный, блин, чизбургер!»
Alex: "That scene was absolute gold. That cheeseburger was like a total reality check for him — it completely cut through all the fake, over-the-top drama of fine dining and brought him back to basics."
Елена: «А атмосфера-то какова! Сидишь и дико напрягаешься: вокруг всё такое стерильное, красивое, подача идеальная, а параллельно разворачивается какой-то полный треш и безумие».
Alex: "And don't even get me started on Tyler! He’s literally the poster child for toxic fanboys. He was so obsessed with all the fancy terms and technical stuff that he completely missed the whole point."
Елена: «В общем, послевкусие от фильма отличное. Вышла и злая сатира на всё это общество потребления, и классная метафора про то, как любимое дело может превратиться в ад, когда теряешь душевность».
The Menu review – darkly comic foodie thriller is tasty but undercooked
The intimate 12-person group represents different types of wealth – old money, new money, Hollywood money – but all are united by their desire to experience the very best. Here that best is taken to the extreme by pretentious chef Slowik (Ralph Fiennes), whose idea of food is less about enjoyment and more about admiration. His courses are prepared and presented with maximum theatricality and they’re accepted with chin-stroking awe by most of the diners, apart from a bemused Margo (Anya Taylor-Joy) the last-minute replacement date of Tyler (Nicholas Hault), a rather sycophantic foodie fanboy. She’s the voice of reason breaking the coos for a plate of foam and leaves (she calls it the “basecamp of mount bullshit”), but her presence soon irks the chef, whose strict plan for the evening didn’t count on her attendance.
Taking aim at extreme wealth and the extreme stupidity of high-end restaurant excess, writers Seth Reiss and Will Tracy have plenty of fun mercilessly throwing rocks at low-hanging fruit in the first act, as mystery surrounds the specifics, and we have plenty of fun watching them fall to the ground one by one. There are some fantastically ridiculous moments, such as the arrival of a breadless bread plate and Janet McTeer’s hilariously awful food critic basking in her own nonsensical wordplay, and while it’s all very silly, it’s also not unrecognisably so. The world of fine dining can very often be one of pompous, straight-faced stupidity and the details of the food and how it’s presented feel informed and loosely real, just a fraction away from something we might expect to see on Chef’s Table
The upstairs downstairs class warfare is slight but stings enough; there are some bracing shocks that hit well and despite the acts of violence that start to pile up, the gore is more suggestive than savage: a horror film made for people who can’t usually stomach horror films.
But as the courses progress and the unravelling begins, the ingredients begin to curdle and that sharpness begins to blunt. It’s a mystery that works better when it’s being teased than when it’s being revealed, the promise of a labyrinthine plot replaced with a surprisingly straight line. There are niggles I had in the last act that would be impossible to explain without spoiling, but certain events and decisions felt too improbable or too unexplained, a major character’s survival strategy never making sense (there’s also a grand, emotional swell of music in the finale that feels curiously unearned).
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