Coming off the heels of the critically acclaimed, box office smash hit and Academy-Award-winning film “Get Out,” Jordan Peele is back to follow up his directorial debut with his sophomore effort, “Us.”
Peele already has a star-studded cast from the likes of Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’O (“Black Panther”), Winston Duke (“Black Panther”) and Emmy winner Elisabeth Moss (“The Handmaid’s Tale”). All are great in their respective roles, especially Nyong’O, who many people are saying deserves an Academy Award nomination for her performance. Newcomers Shahadi Wright Joseph and Evan Alex also bring a lot to the table and show much promise for the near future. The production was stepped up from “Get Out,” with not only a larger budget but also better lighting and cinematography and a score from returning composer Michael Abels that really kicks.
While the plot is seemingly about a group of doppelgangers terrorizing the central family on their summer retreat, it is so much more than that, especially considering how well-known Peele already is for putting social messages in his films. The best aspect of this film happens to be the ambiguity of its interpretation, with the internet buzzing about what certain frames in the film say in regard to the message and the fan theories that could be plausible. To back that up, Peele delivers genre thrills that will satisfy most audiences expectations. However, “Us” proves that even with a larger budget and better production design, a better follow-up film is not always guaranteed. Compared to “Get Out,” “Us” is lacking in brilliance and is overall a weaker film thematically. Perhaps this is because “Get Out” was more focused on one major theme as opposed to many of them and, frankly, because the humor and characters were stronger.
There is also an exposition dump at the end that was not particularly interesting and held back the film from more levels of ambiguity beyond those it already possessed. The twists that Peele puts in are not particularly new or interesting, as some people even guessed what they were without having even seen the film. While Duke delivers most of the laughs, they are lackluster compared to what Peele has done with comedy in the past, specifically with that of Lil’ Rel Howery’s (“Bird Box”) character in “Get Out.” These comparisons are inevitable, but that it is not to discredit Peele for trying something different.
“Us” is undoubtedly an ambitious horror film, even if it is not executed perfectly and is ultimately somewhat disappointing. Audience members may also want to go back and see the film again to see how the events that unfold put things into context. Some will not like the way things play out and refuse to give it a repeat viewing. However, one thing is for sure, and that is that Jordan Peele is here to stay as a filmmaker and is someone who will most likely have a few classic horror films under his belt in the years to come.
Image from Universal Pictures via YouTube
