The name should be familiar to many film fans Alex garland. While first gaining attention as a novelist in the 1990s, Garland later wrote screenplays for several critically acclaimed genre films before going on to direct. Garland’s official directorial debut Ex Machina is particularly notable for not only winning an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects in the same year Mad Max: Fury Road and Star Wars: The Force Awakens but also became a quintessential sci-fi genre.
However, Garland’s latest film men differs a little from his other directing work in that it tones down the sci-fi and ups the horror. First announced in 2021, the movie stars are Oscar nominees Jessie Buckley as a grieving widow whose journey into the English countryside takes a dark turn when a mysterious stranger follows her. If this brief synopsis of the plot doesn’t pique your interest, you should know that dime novel regular Rory Kinnear also appears in the film as the many inhabitants of this landscape.
Whether you’re a Garland fan or want to watch the film out of curiosity, this handy guide will answer any questions you might have about watching men like when it’s coming out, if it’s coming to theaters, and what critics have to say about the film.
The first trailer for men was released on February 9, 2022. This 90-second teaser features several spooky images, including Buckley’s character walking toward a menacing-looking statue and a bunch of apples slowly falling from a tree. The trailer doesn’t reveal much about the plot of the film, but it still encourages viewers to want to know more. Not to mention the echoes of Buckley’s phone call repeating throughout the teaser, adding to the uneasiness.
A full-length trailer was released on March 23, 2022. This preview reveals more about the plot and features some of the characters Kinnear plays (a priest, a bartender and a child to name a few) as the film continues to be mysterious and exciting. Also, just like in the first trailer, the echoes of Buckley’s calling play everywhere, and they’re still as creepy as ever.
When are men released?
men was released on May 20, 2022 in the United States and June 1, 2022 in the United Kingdom. The film will also be screened at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival on May 22 as part of the bi-weekly directors’ selection.
Will men come to the cinemas?
Yes, men will be released exclusively in US cinemas on May 20, 2022. Click here to find out if the film is showing in a theater near you.
Will men be available to stream same day as cinemas?
No, men will not be available to stream on the day it hits theaters. As of this writing, there’s no word on when the film will be available to stream.
However, A24, the film’s distributor, signed an exclusive output deal with Showtime Networks in late 2019 to stream and air all of their films Non-Apple Films released theatrically by November 1, 2022. Therefore men will likely appear on Showtime and its affiliated channels and streaming services sometime after it leaves theaters.
When can you see men on Blu-ray and VOD?
men has not yet received a Blu-ray or DVD release. However, films are usually available on these platforms three to four months after their theatrical release, which means that men is expected to be released on Blu-ray and DVD in August 2022 or September 2022.
For those who prefer to see men On VOD, films are usually available on this platform a week or two before they are available on Blu-ray. That’s why, men could still be on VOD in either August 2022 or September 2022.
What are men about?
Whether as a writer or director, many of Garland’s films have explored masculinity, and he wanted to make that even clearer with the title of his new film. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly In April 2022, Garland had this to say about the title men:
“It happens a lot, in different ways. With men, I was just kind of like, ‘Fuck that, I’m just going to get straight to it.’ Maybe it’s just that meninstead of walking under it, it sits there on the surface.
Whether the film contains any #MeToo messagesGarland says it’s up to viewers:
“A lot of it is about how the viewer reacts to it. The film is about giving 50 percent of what could be touchstones, and the viewer gives another 50 percent. If that’s your answer to that, I’m intrigued.”
Here’s the official synopsis of the film if you want to know more:
After a personal tragedy, Harper (Jessie Buckley) retreats alone to the beautiful English countryside, hoping to have found a place of healing. But someone or something from the surrounding woods seems to be following them. What begins as a smoldering fear becomes a reality in Alex Garlands (Ex Machina, annihilation) feverish, shape-shifting new horror film.
How is the critical reception for men?
If you are still unsure about seeing men, it might help to know that the film did very well with critics. At the moment men has an overall score of 85% on Rotten Tomatoes. Furthermore, the critics’ consensus reads, “While its narrative and thematic range sometimes exceeds its comprehension, magnetic performances aid an outstanding cast men makes the most of his horror provocations.”
colliders Ross Bonaime had this to say men in his review:
“It’s exciting to see a writer and director like Garland take a huge leap forward meneven if it doesn’t hold together quite as tightly as something like this Ex Machina or destruction. men is certainly more question than answer, a challenging, strange and often terrifying journey that doesn’t hold back when it comes to weirdness and wants to crawl into the viewer’s brain. With menaudiences get Garland 100% unfiltered, and while it doesn’t all work, it’s fascinating to see what happens when a storyteller like Garland can experiment and show a story like we’ve never seen before.
continue reading
About the author
Piter Witer 