[Header Image: Lupita Nyong’o as Red | Universal Pictures]
“Once upon a time, there was a girl and the girl had a shadow. The two were connected, tethered together.”
I have been wanting to see this movie ever since the first trailer dropped. After seeing (and loving) Get Out, I was already pretty excited to see what Jordan Peele’s next work would be and Us really did deliver.
For those of who don’t know, Us follows a family who, while on vacation, are terrorised by their doppelgängers.
I genuinely loved this movie and while I do have a couple of criticisms, it really didn’t affect my enjoyment of it. The pacing and the structure of Us is really well done and unfolds beautifully but if you’re someone who doesn’t like much of a slow build up or looses interest quite quickly, then the beginning might be a little too slow for you. I would definitely recommend giving Us a chance though because it really does pick up and the movie becomes even stronger as it progresses.
Something that Peele pulls off really well (which he also did in Get Out) is the ability to create a horror flick but not go too over the top with it. There’s no unnecessary jump scares and it’s just genuinely creepy in some very subtle ways. Don’t get me wrong, there are moments that are a little more on the head but it does feel surprisingly fresh and unique even though I wouldn’t say the use of doppelgängers in horror movies are either of those things.
Another thing that I really appreciated about Us, was the comedic time. There were various moments where I found myself giggling or even laughing out loud because it was genuinely funny. It never once takes away from the horror or the story but instead, adds to it. It gives much more depth to the characters which only ever adds more layers to the story. Honestly, it really is just a good experience to be watching a movie that could creep you out one minute but then make you laugh the next while maintaining a balance where one doesn’t take away from the other.
Us really is just a movie with great balance and structure that gives you the information just as you need it. There is a twist towards the end that works really well and the best thing about it is that there are so many hints dropped throughout the movie and they’re really not that subtle. Don’t get me wrong, you can miss them very easily but if you do catch them, it doesn’t ruin the ending, it simply enhances it because it makes it feel more like it was incredibly well thought out (and planned) and not just a twist that was thrown in to shock the viewer.
I can’t fully decide if this is one I’ll re-watch on any kind of regular basis but it is most certainly worth checking out and I do consider it a favourite. It was a surprisingly fun time and it only has me more hyped to see more of Jordan Peele’s work.
Rating: ★★★★½ /5
wonderoes 