After his directorial debut with Academy Award winning film Get Out, Jordan Peele returns to the horror genre with another film – US. Like Get Out, there are many surprises in US that I want you to experience yourself and I will try (extra hard) to not give away any spoilers. I also recommend you avoid any trailers because, upon re-watching them after watching the movie, they frankly spoil a few key moments.
Positives – Technical-ly speaking, this movie is a masterpiece. The cinematography is absolutely gorgeous and every shot in this movie is well-thought and meticulous. Throughout the movie, Peele sprinkles in little clues that upon multiple viewings, no doubt will become more noticeable. The score is eerie yet wonderful at the same time. The tension, especially in the house invasion scene(s) with the doppelgängers, was palpable and really frightening at times. The performances were solid throughout, but man, really have to praise Lupita Nyong’o. She is easily one of the best thespians working today and her performance is arguably as good as Toni Collette’s (Oscar snubbed) performance in Hereditary. She effortlessly plays a vulnerable mother/wife and a menacing, scissor-wielding individual. This movie is brimming with symbolism and metaphors and without going into any detail, it does have a lot of political and social commentary.
Negatives – If you’re expecting a straightforward horror movie, you might leave disappointed because this is definitely more than your average horror fare. It requires you to devote your full attention and even then, it’ll (probably) leave you confused and scratching your heads by the end. In other words, you might have to see this movie at least a couple of times to fully understand Peele’s message, which will leave people frustrated. This is definitely less “satisfying” than Get Out and lets us interpret the movie more than spoon-feeding us with answers, which will bug some people. Even though the comedy definitely landed, it did feel contrived at times and there is a tad bit too much humor in this otherwise scary flick. Once Peele starts revealing the surprises, there is quite a bit of logical inconsistencies that you have to get over for the sake of the narrative.
Rating – Jordan Peele’s sophomore outing is definitely a very unique movie with a lot to say about society. While it’s not quite as good as Get Out, it’s still a solid movie buoyed by excellent performances, especially from the lead Lupita Nyong’o, and shows once again that Peele is an auteur. 4/5
Naman's Movie reviews 