Movie Review: “Us”

“Us”

Release Date: March 22, 2019

Running Time: 116 mins

Directed by: Jordan Peele

Starring: Lupita Nyong’o

                 Winston Duke

                Shahadi Wright Joseph

               Evan Alex

I had high expectations for sketch-comedian-turned-writer and director Jordan Peele’s second film— “Us.” Unfortunately, I walked away somewhat disappointed.

The problems “Us” has are certainly not due to laziness. This is not one of those horror movies which infests theaters at least once a month each year. It does not rely only on jump scares which are really just overly loud bursts of music which frighten people for a second or two but do not leave any lasting impression.

On the contrary, “Us” is a meticulously crafted horror thriller with a purpose. The problem is, when the credits roll, the world of the movie does not make all that much sense. Of course, there are elements to the film which obviously could not happen in reality, but the same can be said of almost any piece of fiction mankind has ever produced.

What I am talking about is when the world established by the film is inconsistent in certain ways. I can accept monsters exist in a film’s universe. However, I cannot believe, for example, those monsters come from a never-ending narrow hallway underground where they somehow have access to food, clothing and tools from aboveground.

“Us” does not totally work on literal terms. It works much better when viewed and thought of in metaphorical terms. The movie’s much-discussed final twist, for example, can only really work when you ignore how it directly and unambiguously contradicts earlier dialogue and character actions and consider what it says about the movie thematically.

Another issue I have heard several people mention—critics and general audience members alike—is what they saw as tone-breaking comedic moments in or immediately following tense scenes. I did not personally have an issue with this, but enough people have criticized it that I feel obliged to discuss it briefly here.

If you can get past the inconsistencies and questionable aspects of the plot, however, there is plenty to enjoy and appreciate. Jordan Peele further demonstrates his unique attention to background detail.

I saw “Us” twice over spring break, and I noticed several details in signs, things playing on the TV, a game being played by a character and more which deepened the film’s themes and sometimes cleverly suggested things which had yet to be revealed.

The performances in “Us” are uniformly spectacular. Lupita Nyong’o (“12 Years a Slave,” “Black Panther”) convincingly plays two characters in the film. While she gives the most impressive performance in the film—partly because both of the characters she plays are able to speak—the rest of the cast give excellent performances as well.

Surprisingly, both of the child actors in this film are superb. This further shows Peele’s talent as a director. Having a child play a massive role in your film has proven to be the downfall of many an otherwise great film. Shahadi Wright Joseph and Evan Alex—especially the latter—display an incredible amount of talent for their age.

The actors cannot accept all of the praise though. Peele wrote four likable characters who make up a likable family. The performances obviously bring everything to life, but they are well-served by good dialogue and a preset map of how this family unit operates.

The directing and cinematography are both sublime as well. This is just a good-looking movie.

My favorite part of the movie might have actually been the score. The way it reincorporates the beat from a song played at the beginning of the film for the climax was something I have not really seen done before, and I think it worked amazingly.

With Peele’s first film, “Get Out,” being as widely loved and critically acclaimed as it was, he set the bar for his next movie unreasonably high. “Us” is not as good as “Get Out,” but few movies are. This does not make “Us” a bad movie by any means.

On the contrary, it is a fun watch, but keep your expectations at bay and enjoy the film as it is rather than constantly comparing it to what came before. It is a tense horror thriller—leaning more heavily on the thriller side of things—which takes a few wrong turns along the way but eventually gets close to where it wants to go.

Drew Eckhart is a sophomore history and pre-law major from Edmond, OK. He has loved movies for as long as he can remember but thinks his passion really began when he watched “The Dark Knight” for the first time in theaters. His favorite type of movie blends comedy and drama seamlessly, and he loves great action films. In Drew’s free time, he enjoys reading and playing video games, as well as watching TV and movies. His favorite TV show is “BoJack Horseman” and his favorite movie is “Whiplash.”