Accompanied by her husband, son and daughter, Adelaide Wilson returns to the beachfront home where she grew up as a child. Haunted by a traumatic experience from the past, Adelaide grows increasingly concerned that something bad is going to happen. Her worst fears soon become a reality when four masked strangers descend upon the house, forcing the Wilsons into a fight for survival. When the masks come off, the family is horrified to learn that each attacker takes the appearance of one of them.
Director: Jordan Peele
Cast: Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Elisabeth Moss, Tim Heidecker
Release Date: March 22, 2019
Genres: Horror, Thriller
Rated R for some violence and disturbing images
Runtime: 1h 56 min
Review:
Us, Jordan Peele’s sophomore effort, is hard to classify as a horror film. Much like Get Out, it’s a film that’s never particularly scary even though it’s filed into the horror genre. That’s not to say that the film isn’t well done, it’s a fun thrill ride, but it’s just not a horror film. Once we move past that point, again much like Get Out, it works best as an interesting Twilight Zone type film. Peele’s references to other better horror films are sporadically throughout with some being more explicit while others are implicit. On its own merits, the film moves at a fast pace playing out much like a rollercoaster ride where once it gets going it never stops. Ultimately, even with all the references, Us ends up feeling much more like George A. Romero criminally underseen 1973 film The Crazies. Peele delivers some beautifully composed shots and sequences that are sure to leave an impression but at the center of it all is Lupita Nyong’o. Nyongo’o duel performance is the oil that makes this engine go here; she does wonderful work throughout even though you are left wanting more of her as her doppelganger. The supporting cast is just as strong with Winston Duke showing some strong comedic chops. I do wish we’d gotten a tad bit more of Elisabeth Moss and Tim Heidecker who make the most of their limited screen time. On it’s whole, the film is a fun ride even though it seems to find it’s last second reveal much more mind blowing that it actually is.
B+
