"Us" Review - (Non-Spoiler)
We are our own worst enemy. To say this was my most anticipated film of 2019 is an understatement. A little more than two years ago, Jordan Peele blessed the world with his debut masterpiece "Get Out", a film that pushed boundaries and brought up conversations while still delivering on the thrills and laughs. Now, two years later, he brings us his huge sophomore feature. There was a ton of hype surrounding this film, and for good reason. Having to follow up a film like "Get Out" is extremely difficult, especially since no one knows what to expect with your latest movie. Nevertheless, I had faith in Jordan when it comes to delivering another great film, and my god does he do it again.
Moving away from the social commentary and metaphors, Peele decides to lean more on the true horrors of the human psyche when it comes to both physical and psychological horror. For starters, the casting is terrific. This role was built for Lupita Nyong’o, she completely gets lost in the two roles, blending terrific and horrific moments on each side of the coin. Winston Duke is also pretty solid, he’s built as the massive yet lovable dad that does his best to protect his family, and in the process, he delivers some pretty quippy lines. Both child actors are very good here, although Evan Alex was a bit hit or miss throughout the film. There aren’t many supporting characters that have a chance to shine beside the Tyler family who has a fantastic scene to shine in during the second act.
The look and feel of the film are fantastic, Peele has cemented himself as not only a capable director but one of the best working today after this film. The music handled by Michael Abels is terrific, the soundtrack, in particular, is absolutely perfect with the song selection, the actual score is haunting and very creepy. When it comes to the story, there is a ton to unpack.
This movie focuses way more on world-building than "Get Out" does, so Peele really has to lock in on getting the details of everything out both visually and audibly. You have to really focus on what is going on in every frame in every scene to piece together the dense puzzle that Peele has designed, and he wants his audience to do their best with putting it together. After the final revelation, it makes you think about everything that you just experienced throughout the entire runtime and see if everything adds up, and luckily everything does. This is a meticulous, radical, and horrific journey we take, and just like the roller coasters at the Santa Cruz boardwalk, it’s one hell of a ride.
Themes of identity, psychological horror, and past trauma are prevalent throughout the movie, and it goes over very well. Jordan Peele has completely mastered the horror genre, and there’s no stopping him. You can tell how much he appreciates the works of Alfred Hitchcock and the marvelous "The Twilight Zone" TV series because we are watching the birth of a cinematic genius. This is a much more supernatural horror compared to his previous film, and I really appreciate the different route he decided to go with his second effort.
My only problem with the movie is some of the pacings during the second act, there were times where you want the film to run more smoothly and unfortunately it doesn’t flow as well as "Get Out". I highly suggest seeing this with friends that love and appreciate film as much as you because I had a very great discussion with my best friend after the film ended, and both of us picked up on a lot of different things after we watched it. Like "Get Out", discussing this film will be an absolute blast for many, many months. If you appreciate true, horrific horror done well as I do, you’re in for an absolute treat. Jordan Peele has placed himself in the elite category of young filmmakers with his latest film, and I don’t see him slowing down anytime soon. I'm going to give "Us" an 8 out of 10.