Directed by: Jordan Peele

Written by: Jordan Peele

Starring: Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, Elisabeth Moss, Tim Heidecker, Shahadi Wright Joseph, Evan Alex, and Madison Curry

Studio: Universal Pictures; Monkeypaw Productions; 2.39:1

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.

Jordan Peele surprised many when he released Get Out in 2017. The film was met with great praise for its story, eerie setting, social commentary message, and the amazing performance from Daniel Kaluuya. It also showed that Peele can very well master the horror genre. Peele would then win the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay the following year. Shortly after winning the Award, there was no time to waste and Jordan Peele began production on Us.

Starting with the writing, Jordan Peele makes it clear that he loves horror and loves to have the audience disturbed. The film’s writing contains some unbalanced comedy and the cliché horror tropes but they’re just minor flaws to what is one of the most frightening original stories one can think of. Peele’s writing is extremely clever, having to need to pay close attention to even the smallest lines of dialogue. It’s the type of writing where things click after the first viewing and become familiar upon rewatch; much like his writing with Get Out.

Coming off of Get Out and the social commentary that came with it, one can think that there could be a message in Us. Although it might not be as quick to catch, the message is there. Many parallels are spread throughout the film to try and piece together the message.

The direction Peele went for here is darker in suspense, making it more of a horror-thriller whereas Get Out was dark in tone for a psychological thriller. There are elements found in a horror film that can easily be pointed out here. All that said, it’s easy to say that Peele can, in fact, have the viewer on the edge of the seat and have them thinking. The tone can be changed from scene to scene because of the comedy thrown in, but there’s no question that it is a very dark and suspenseful film.

One thing is for sure is that the film does a great job with tension. There’s a lot of locations where it involves tight spaces and there’s a feeling of suspense. You never know what’s around the corner, so you’re in the seat expecting something. The film’s setting of the beach shore also helps suspense since there’s a feeling of nowhere else to go.

Another aspect that can be said is Jordan Peele’s movement with the camera. He pans the camera around rooms to draw in more suspense. He also pans the camera when there’s dialogue in a scene where anything could happen. It’s definitely an improvement from his first work, as he used it little back then.

Lupita Nyong’o steals the show here, both as her true self and as her doppelgänger. Her real-world character is scared for her life and can’t believe what she and her family have gotten themselves into. Lupita nails the role of being terrified very well, with expressing her feelings through facial expressions and acting. She also nails her role as her doppelgänger as well. She’s creepy, wide-eyed, and talks with an extremely raspy voice. She stands up straight, walks with her hands together, and runs after her victim at a medium pace. It’s terrifying and Lupita nails it.

Winston Duke plays a very “dad”-ish dad for his true self. He’s making dad jokes, doesn’t think anything could go wrong, and wants to spend the vacation relaxed. His performance as the doppelgänger is totally different. He’s menacing and not easy to take down. Duke does a great job at both of his characters.

Shahadi Wright Joseph and Evan Alex play the two kids and they are really great with their performances. They’re the typical kids seen in horror films when the family is on vacation. They work well with acting terrified but it’s they nail their performances as their doppelgänger. Shahadi Wright Joseph’s doppelgänger is much like her except creepier. She shows it by a creepy smile, wide eyes, and maniacal laugh. Evan Alex’s doppelgänger is more animal than human. Very strange but it plays in well.

A standout performance would be from Elisabeth Moss. There’s not a lot of her in the film, but she really knocked it out of the park with her performance.

The film as some great looking cinematography to capture every detail that can be taken in. Smart play by Peele and cinematographer Mike Gioulakis. The score is amazing, with the main theme being as catchy as Get Out‘s. Michael Abels reteams with Peele following Get Out and the score might be better than before. Abels did a great job, including his eerie work on the film’s version of “I Got 5 On It” by Luniz. The costumes for these doppelgängers are simple, but it’s their look that really haunts the viewer. Great work by the hair & makeup designers along with the costume designers.

There are not that many technical specifics issues. The editing is clean and the pacing is smooth. As mentioned, Peele’s camera work has improved in suspenseful situations. The sound mixing plays a really important part here, and it’s safe to say that it works best. The best scares come from the things that make little to no sound at all. Great work from the sound crew.

There are fans giving Jordan Peele the title of “this generation’s Hitchcock”, and while that’s one thing to talk about, it is safe to say that he has his own flare to the horror genre. He doesn’t follow most horror films bait. He has his own style, his own messages, his own feel, etc. Jordan Peele has a specialty for this sort of things. Now 2-for-2 with his work.

In the end, Jordan Peele shows he can very well handle the horror genre. He has an eye for this and loves to have audience thinking and on the edge of their seats. Us is disturbing, creepy, and an overall thrill ride. Stellar writing and directing from Peele, a fantastic performance from Lupita Nyong’o, and a story that is so original and haunting. The film only faults to a little more comedy than it needed, and follows some cliche horror tropes. While Get Out worked well as a psychological thriller and Us works well as a horror thriller.

82/100

Thanks for reading! What are your thoughts on Us? Comment below!