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Jordan Peele has done it again. Just as he did with his 2017 hit film Get Out, movie goers are in for a thrill in the sophomore followup by the writer and director with his latest film, Us.
Just for the record, I won’t release any spoilers, only honest thoughts about the film, the cast and the overall plot for what is now Hollywood’s largest opening weekend for a horror film. The film has now surpassed A Quiet Place.
When I first saw the trailer for Us I was instantly hooked because it would allow me to see more of Winston Duke’s acting capabilities after seeing him in Black Panther when he portrayed the character M’Baku. To be quite frank, Duke’s character in Black Panther was just eye candy, and it didn’t give avid movie goers a real chance to see him as an actor.
Us is a psychological thriller about a family whose confronted by a troupe of doppelgängers and their survival literally depends on getting rid of the enemy. For starters, I had to look up the definition of doppelgängers because I had no idea what it meant and how it related to Us. Again, without giving away any spoilers, I will say by looking up that word alone gave full clarity of the outcome of the film.
Prior to going seeing Us several reviews were published that the film was scary and some people walked away with nightmares. As a person who has a wild imagination, watching the film did not give me nightmares but instead it provided the suspense and thrill I was looking for in a film.
Alongside Duke, the film starred Lupita Nyong’o and newcomers, Shahadi Wright Johnson and Evan Alex. Both Wright and Alex who are the youngest of the cast each gave a great performance with some shockers at the end.
Undoubtedly Nyong’o stole the show. Literally while watching the film I had to remind myself this was just a film because her character was very believable and true to life. She stole the show.
Just as with Get Out there were plenty of thought provoking moments in Us as well as laughable moments. There were also metaphors throughout the film that bring relevance to modern day issues.
The cinematography of the film itself was beautiful. Peele opted for bold and sharp imagery in the film that again leaves room for thoughts after the film wraps. Us also gets kudos for the music in the film. The opening scene features a beautiful score that is played throughout the film and we also hear a Hip Hop great,I Got 5 On It by Luniz which also has a stark meaning to it in the film.
Duke provides the comedic relief while also being the eye candy in Us. Ladies, the only spoiler I will give away is that we see a handsome and tall Duke in boxer shorts. I’ll leave it at that. The overall plot of the film will leave you wanting more and there will be points in the film where you’ll want to scratch your head and figure out what is going on.
In typical horror film fashion, there are moments where you’ll want to scream, “Lock the door!” or “Turn around!” But that’s to be expected. Overall, Us was not a super scary film, but instead it was a suspenseful thriller and a good follow up to Get Out.
Many horror film critics may give the film a not so stellar rating on that alone. This film should be seen in the movie theaters and then again once it’s released on streaming services and DVD. I’d see the film again and that is saying a lot because I rarely see films more than once.
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