Us Review

​The Double Haunts Me

Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Evan Alex, and Shahadi Wright Joseph in "Us" | Monkeypaw Productions

Us | Directed by Jordan Peele | Horror | R | 1 H 56 MIN

​Written by Anton Charpentier
 
Jordan Peele’s Us is already this year most celebrated original horror films, and rightfully so. In comparison to his first film Get Out, Us proves to be an outright horror film from the start, and has the jumps and gore to prove it. Us also deviates from the obvious social commentary that was established in Get Out, leaving a larger aperture for individual interpretation. Which, might I add, is a very strategic move on Peele’s part to move away from being the social horror director many wanted to define him by. Additionally, moving away from an authorial standpoint that he held so strongly with Get Out. Although, the marketing material may suggest otherwise. In the end, we get a brand-new horror movie that’s both refreshing and severely f****d up (in a good way).
 
The first thing I want to mention is Lupita Nyong’o’s performance, which is simply, out of this world. Nyong’o truly matches, maybe even surpasses classic horror performances like those of Anthony Hopkin’s Hannibal Lecter and Jack Nicolson’s Jack Torrance. This statement is no exaggeration, and I promise in 20 years, we will look back at this role with the same reverence. The supporting characters are also incredible and help build a world that’s hauntingly iconographic of our real world and humorous when it needs to be. Impressively, all actors not only play a single character, but their demonic doubles as well. Doubles which are, in a matter of speaking, so scary I might have lost control over my bodily functions more than once.
 
If you asked me what all of this lead up to or meant, I’d probably begin to panic attempting to generate an answer than makes me sound intellectual, then spew out the most basic response: capitalism man… To be fair it’s not like I’d be wrong, it’s just that I’d be simplifying the hell out of the film. In all honesty, I’m still not sure what it all meant, and it will take more than a few days of reflection and reading twitter posts to come to a consensus, at least in my mind. What I can say about the films themes is that it will challenge your perspective and really worm itself into your brain.
 
In summary, you’re doing yourself a disservice by reading my review and not ordering your tickets for Us. Definitely go see this movie in a theatre, preferably a sold out one, because sitting there in indescribable fear with a bunch of strangers is just, amazing. Although I won’t judge if you choose to watch a matinee, because that’s what I did. Look I don’t want to walk back to my car in the dark after I see lots of spooky stuff! Don’t judge me!

Watch the Official Trailer Below