"Us” Review
"Us" is the new horror film from Jordan Peele. In it, a family is tormented by doppelgängers. For those who've seen Get Out, you're probably going to see this eventually. And yeah, it's very good. But I think it's one of those movies, that are really fun in the moment but then kind of falls apart when you really think about it.
First things first, Peele has developed this razor sharp style of direction that reminded me of films like The Witch and It Follows (two horror movies that are ingrained into my memory years after viewing them) Every shot and cut feels deliberate and tight. I especially want to mention the prologue that eventually gets revisited in a later scene via match cuts. That particular sequence I'm referring to is, as of writing this review, one of my favourites scenes in a movie... ever. No joke. Also it's cut to Michael Abels' phenomenal traditional classical score which deserves all the praise it can get. To some people, the romantic horror music can sound very cheesy and to others, like myself, it can sound really cool and very memorable. There’s also a great overall use some classic hip-hop and rock tunes that fit those particular scenes in the most ironic way possible.
The movie stars a very enigmatic Lupita Nyong'o in one of the most mind-boggling performances yet. It’s very off-putting and other-worldly at first but as the film wraps up, you’ll realize that her choices and directions might just be even more mind-boggling than you had suspected. Another standout is Winston Duke. He manages to gracefully and perfectly juggle dorky hilariousness with genuine vulnerability and fear. Not to mention that all these actors portray their main characters as well as their doppelgängers.
Just like Get Out, Us’ script is very unique and out there. “Weird” doesn’t begin to describe the mechanics of its world. But it’s this part of the script that falls flat for me. The movie spends a lot of it’s time fleshing out its characters through its relatable and witty dialogue. But then there are these weird and out of place exposition dumps that are there to explain the origins and motives of the doppelgängers. Sure, that’s interesting but I think omitting backstories and implying what’s going would have been more effective and also would’ve been scarier. Instead of having people talking about its mysteries for years to come (think Carpenter’s The Thing and Kubrick’s The Shining), The script simply answers most if not all of the questions you’d have. And I think these moments in particular are really clunky and borderline boring. It’s very unfortunate since the rest of the movie is so well put together.
In the end, Us, is a very unique movie. A lot of its elements work well together. Its strongest moments are some of the strongest moments in its genre while its weaker moments feel too dumb for how smart the movie generally is during the majority of its runtime. By the time the credits roll, Us simultaneously ends up feeling like a smart art house horror movie and a dumb popcorn action flick. Regardless of its flaws, I would still highly recommend everyone to see it.