Many film fans are likely familiar with the name Alex Garland. While he initially garnered attention as a novelist in the 1990s, Garland would later write screenplays for several critically acclaimed genre films before making his way into directing. Garland's official directorial debut Ex Machina is especially noteworthy as it not only won a Best Visual Effects Oscar in the same year as Mad Max: Fury Road and Star Wars: The Force Awakens but also became a quintessential entry in the sci-fi genre.
However, Garland's latest film Men is a little bit different from his other works as a director in that it tones down the sci-fi and tones up the horror. First announced in 2021, the film stars Academy Award nominee Jessie Buckley as a grieving widow whose trip to the English countryside takes a dark turn when a mysterious stranger starts to follow her. If that brief plot synopsis doesn't pique your interest, then you should know that Penny Dreadful regular Rory Kinnear also appears in the movie as the many inhabitants of this countryside.
Whether you're a fan of Garland or want to watch the movie out of sheer curiosity, this handy guide will answer all the questions you may have about watching Men such as when it comes out, if it's in theaters, and what critics have to say about the movie.
Watch the Men Trailer
The first trailer for Men was released on February 9, 2022. This 90-second teaser shows several creepy images including Buckley's character walking towards an ominous-looking statue and a bunch of apples slowly falling from a tree. The trailer doesn't reveal much about the film's plot, but it still intrigues viewers into wanting to learn more. Not to mention the echoes of Buckley's calling repeating throughout the teaser adds to the unease.
A full-length trailer was released on March 23, 2022. This preview reveals more about the plot and shows some of the characters Kinnear plays (a priest, a bartender, and a child just to name a few) while continuing to keep the movie mysterious and suspenseful. Also, just like the first trailer, the echoes of Buckley's calling play throughout, and they're still as creepy as ever.
When Will Men Be Released?
Men has been released in the United States on May 20, 2022, and in the United Kingdom on June 1, 2022. The film will also screen at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival on May 22 as part of its Directors' Fortnight selection.
Will Men Be Released in Theaters?
Yes, Men will be released exclusively in U.S. theaters on May 20, 2022. Click here to find out if the movie is playing at a theater near you.
Will Men Be Available on Streaming the Same Day as Theaters?
No, Men will not be available on streaming the day it hits theaters. As of this writing, there's no word on when the movie is available on streaming.
However, A24, the movie's distributor, has signed an exclusive output deal with Showtime Networks in late 2019 to stream and air all their non-Apple movies released theatrically through November 1, 2022. Therefore, Men is likely to appear on Showtime as well as its affiliated channels and streaming services sometime after it leaves theaters.
When Can You Watch Men on Blu-ray and VOD?
Men has not yet been given a Blu-ray or DVD release. However, movies are usually available on those platforms three to four months after hitting theaters, meaning that Men will likely come out on Blu-ray and DVD in either August 2022 or September 2022.
For anyone who prefers to see Men on VOD, movies are usually available on this platform one to two weeks before being available on Blu-ray. Therefore, Men could still be on VOD in either August 2022 or September 2022.
What Is Men About?
No matter if he writes or directs, many of Garland's films have dealt with masculinity, and he wanted to make that even more clear with the title of his new film. Speaking with Entertainment Weekly in April 2022, Garland had this to say about the title of Men:
"It comes up a lot, in different ways. With Men, I just sort of thought, 'Screw it, I'm just gonna go straight into this.' Maybe it's just that with Men, instead of running underneath, it sits there on the surface."
As for whether the movie contains any #MeToo messages, Garland says that's up to the viewers:
"A huge amount of it is about how the viewer responds to it. The film is about giving 50 percent of something, which could be touchstones, and the viewer is providing another 50 percent. If that is your response to it, I'm fascinated by that."
Here's the official plot synopsis of the film if you want to learn more:
In the aftermath of a personal tragedy, Harper (Jessie Buckley) retreats alone to the beautiful English countryside, hoping to have found a place to heal. But someone or something from the surrounding woods appears to be stalking her. What begins as simmering dread becomes a fully-formed nightmare, inhabited by her darkest memories and fears in visionary filmmaker Alex Garland's (Ex Machina, Annihilation) feverish, shape-shifting new horror film.
How Is the Critical Reception to Men?
If you're still unsure about seeing Men, it might help to know that the movie is scoring very well with critics. As of this writing, Men holds an aggregate score of 85% on Rotten Tomatoes. Moreover, the critics' consensus reads, "If its narrative and thematic reach sometimes exceeds its grasp, magnetic performances from a stellar cast help Men make the most of its horror provocations."
Collider's Ross Bonaime had this to say about Men in his review:
"It is exciting to watch a writer and director like Garland take a huge swing like Men, even if it doesn’t entirely hold together as tightly as something like Ex Machina or Annihilation. Men is certainly more about asking questions than providing answers, a challenging, strange, and often horrendous journey that certainly doesn’t hold back in terms of weirdness, and wants to crawl into the viewer’s brain. With Men, the audience is getting 100% unfiltered Garland, and while it doesn’t all work, it’s fascinating to see what happens when a storyteller like Garland can experiment like this and show a story unlike we’ve ever seen before."