Us Review.


The Lupita 2020 Best Actress campaign begins.
Lupita Nyong'o in Us (2019)

Two years ago, Jordan Peele shocked movie fans across the world with Get Out. It’s easy to forget that before 2017 Peele was just another one of America’s brilliant comedic actors. For years he slogged away, making sketches with his best friend Keegan Michael-Key. Their show Key and Peele made them household names following their breakaway from Mad TV.  Out of nowhere Peele, on his directorial debut no less, serves us Get Out. A film which is amongst the best of horror. No film this decade has struck me in the same way as Get Out. The ideas and techniques Peele implanted into his film was genius. No other director would dare attempt a film like Get Out. After just two years I firmly believe that it’s a classic. Fast forward to now and Peele has returned with his new project. Us arrives off the back of a renaissance in horror. Can the man who kickstarted the renaissance strike gold once again? I’m pleased to say that Peele has done it again.

Us centres around a family who are spending their summer at their holiday home in Santa Cruz. The next two hours are filled sun, sand and shenanigans. Us is the feel-good family film of the year, which will leave you feeling inspired to visit Santa Cruz soon. Wait what? No forget that, I’m wrong. This is a Jordan Peele movie. Adelaide (Lupita Nyong’o), Gabe (Winston Duke), Zora (Shahadi Wright Joseph) and little Jason’s (Evan Alex) holiday turns into a nightmare when they are hunted by a group of doppelgangers. Us is magnificent from start to finish. The opening act sees the Wilson’s holiday going without a hitch. It’s in this segment of the film where Peele makes you feel invested in the family. The Wilson’s are just like any other family. Mom is protective of the kids. Dad tells corny jokes that annoys the entire family. The older sister is more focused on her phone than anything else. The youngest is bickering non-stop with his sister. The film could have been a straight comedy for its entirety. I wouldn’t have felt hard done by. However, once the scares begin to arrive in the second act. Us becomes one of the finest films I’ve seen in some time.

I’m not going to give anything away. There are doppelgangers who show up to the house and that’s all your getting. All I can say plot wise is that it will have you hooked from beginning to end. The horror is inventive. There are scares which come from places I didn’t know were even possible. One scene had me squirming uncomfortably in my seat. That’s what you want from a horror movie. You want to feel uncomfortable. Month after month a horror film comes out that’s just loaded with jumpscares. The Nun, my worst reviewed film of last year, is a prime example of this. Having someone jump at the screen is not horror. Horror comes from mythology which isn’t convenient for the sake of film. Horror is about characters whose lives you care about. Horror is when you have no idea what is going to happen next. Us has all these qualities. This is horror done right. Movie fans deserve to be treated as intellects. We spend our hard-earned money to see these films. I don’t want to go out of it feeling that I could find scarier things on my walk home. I was terrified by Us. The premise for starters of doppelgangers is freaky even in concept. I’m scared of myself, never mind an evil version of me.

The performances are what turns Us from a 4/5 to a 5/5. Every single actor involved takes their role and runs a marathon with. Lupita Nyong’o gives her strongest performance to date as Adelaide. Nyong’o is riveting as the mother who will do anything for her family. Nyong’o balances fear, vulnerability, humour, determination and emotion into a performance which is ground-breaking. Even when she isn’t speaking you know what the actress is thinking. I felt that following her breakout role in 12 Years a Slave that Nyong’o got left out in Hollywood. She was criminally underused in Star Wars, The Jungle Book and even Black Panther. These Hollywood blockbusters had one of the finest actresses working today and wasted her. It’s time for everyone to realise just how good she is. Nyong’o can carry anything. Give it a few years and she will have added to the Oscar that’s under her belt.

The supporting cast hold their own too. Winston Duke plays Gabe, a father that no matter what is going wrong tries to stay upbeat. I’ve heard a lot of people complaining that the humour Duke brings to the film is out of place. I beg to differ. It was refreshing to see someone who no matter how bad things got is still cracking jokes. Sure, one or two of them don’t land, but it does not derail the film. Duke is excellent and could take his career in a dramatic or comedic direction. It was refreshing to get a big laugh after sweating from fear for 20 minutes on end. Young actors Shahadi Wright Joseph, Evan Alex and Madison Curry all showcased maturity in their roles. These young actors have a bright future ahead of them. Tom Heidecker and Elizabeth Moss are stellar in their limited amount of screen time. Moss shows a comedic side which I was not aware of. The casting in Us was perfection. Every single actor nailed their role. None of this would be possible without one man.

Jordan Peele in just two films has hit the big time. Not many directors make 2 masterpieces in their first two roles. Chazelle was probably the last person to do it. Peele feels as if he’s going to end up with the same status as Hitchcock, Tarantino or Scorsese. Peele is vibrant in both his direction and his writing. The screenplay for Us balances horror and comedy perfectly. Its astonishing that this is an original idea from Peele. It tackles Americas problems in a clever way which left me digesting the film for hours after.  The direction is slick. Every scene engrosses you with its style. Peele is proving himself to be the master of balancing style and substance. Mike Gioulakis delivers unforgettable visuals as cinematographer. Gioulakis contrast light and darkness in a manner which creates stunning imagery. Surprisingly, one of things I loved most about Us was the music. Michael Abels used original and hip-hop classics to add layers to Us. Everything from behind the camera ticked perfectly. When magic is happening in front and behind of the camera. Audiences are going to witness a marvellous film.

Us is exceptional. Everything about the film feels perfect to me. The plot is one of the best you’ll see this year, which also takes a sly dig into politics. The actors all add something to the film. Especially Nyong’o who is an early front runner for Best Actress at next years Oscars. Movies like Us is why I love cinema. I’m ready to have endless conversations with my friends about it. That feeling when a film reaches its end and you see that your friend loved it as much as you did is one of the best feelings in the world. Whatever Jordan Peele tackles next, I’ll be there. This is a man who firmly believe will be one of the greats. Go see Us immediately. This is cinema at its best.

Liam’s Summary of Us.
Best Moment: There’s one scene which features a hip-hop classic that will leave you speechless.
Worst Moment: Almost choking on my popcorn from a scare.
Best Character: Lupita will take all her awards now.
Worst Character: Ophelia was a jerk

Watch this if you liked.
Get Out: I couldn’t not include it.
Enemy: Evil doppelgangers, but with 100% more Jake Gyllenhaal.
Keanu: Calm yourself down after Us with a film which stars Key, Peele and a cat.

Overall Rating: 5/5

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