Us — A Movie Review

Title: Us

Release Year: 2019

Runtime: 116 minutes

Cast: Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, Shahadi Wright Joseph, Evan Alex

Director: Jordan Peele

When director Jordan Peele released his first major feature film, Get Out, in 2017, it was an instant hit. Coming from a filmmaker who was originally at home in the comedy genre, no one expected a film as deep and layered as Get Out was at the time.

So expectations were pretty high for the newcomer’s sophomore effort. It took him 2 years to make Us. But the question is: Can the movie live up to its predecessor, or was it just a flash in the pan?

The plot

The Wilson family, consisting of Adelaide (Lupita Nyong’o), her husband Gabe (Winston Duke), their daughter Zora (Shahadi Wright Joseph) and their son Jason (Evan Alex), are vacationing at a beach house on the coast of California.

One evening, their vacation is interrupted by the appearance of a group of doppelgangers who look exactly like the Wilsons, but exude a menacing and disturbing presence. These doppelgangers, known as “The Tethered,” attack the Wilsons and force them to fight for their survival.

As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that the appearance of the Tethered is closely tied to a childhood experience Adelaide had. A nightmarish rollercoaster ride unfolds that is not limited to the Wilson family.

The cast

The performances Jordan Peele demands of his actors are always remarkable. In Get Out, star Daniel Kaluuya had to cover a wide range of emotions.

In Us, Peele takes it to the next level, as the doppelganger theme increases the demands on the actors. They have to play two roles in one, and they all do it brilliantly.

First and foremost is Lupita Nyong’o, who carries the movie and the main character Adelaide with her top-notch performance. Peele spares no actor and keeps the camera on them from the front. This cinematography makes every nuance count. However, Nyong’o never makes a mistake and knows how to play her role with confidence.

Winston Duke is responsible for the comic relief in the role of Gabe Wilson. And he can actually play the gags so appropriate and unobtrusive that they never seem embarrassing and fit perfectly into the horror setting. That is a special talent

The Wilson kids should also be mentioned. Although Alex and Wright Joseph have very demanding roles for their young age, they handle them very well.

I’m really impressed with the acting in this movie.

Better than the first movie?

Let’s turn to the question whether Us is better than Get Out. First of all, the movie is definitely different. Where Get Out was more subtle in its depiction of violence, the camera in Us is more aggressive. There is a lot more blood.

The cinematography is sensational in both movies. You can’t complain about that. The performances of the actors and the effects are also on the same level in my opinion.

I just liked the story better in Get Out, especially the resolution at the end. Anyone who watches Us should be able to accept that many questions remain unanswered and that the movie leaves a lot of room for interpretation and speculation.

According to Peele, this is probably the intention. I like the approach. But I think Get Out has a clearer message.

Nevertheless, both movies kept me busy for 1–2 days after I watched them. And I think that’s always a good sign. But even without the guesswork of which scene could be meant, the movie works perfectly as a pure horror flick. And so Peele offers a product that appeals to a wide audience and can satisfy them.

Conclusion

In my opinion, Us is not quite as good as Get Out, but it is far from being a bad movie. On the contrary, many a director could take a leaf out of Jordan Peele’s book.

I can recommend Us to anyone who wants to see a horror movie that also has a real message without pointing a finger at the viewer. For me, Jordan Peele has become a director whose movies I have to see.

Us is an exceptional movie that bears the clear signature of a Peele work.

Rating: 9/10

This article was first published on Medium.com.