[Movie Review] Us (2019)
Plot Summary: A family's serenity turns to chaos when a group of doppelgängers begins to terrorize them.
Director: Jordan Peele
Writer: Jordan Peele
Runtime: 1hr 56min
Main Cast:
Lypita Nyong'o as Adelaide Wilson / Red- Winston Duke as Gabe Wilson / Abraham
- Elisabeth Moss as Kitty Tyler / Dahlia
- Tim Heidecker as Josh Tyler / Tex
- Shahadi Wright Joseph as Zora Wilson / Umbrae
- Evan Alex as Jason Wilson / Pluto
Review by: Erika T
There was a lot of hype and high expectations for this film on the heels of Jordan Peele’s resoundingly critically and commercially successful Get Out. Was Peele able to avoid a sophomore slump and provide us once again with another interesting and thought-provoking story?
Adelaide (Lupita Nyong’o) and her family go to the beach for vacation. However, unbeknownst to her family, her past comes back to haunt her and them all in the most mysterious of ways. They must face off with maniacal doppelgängers of themselves for continued existence, and only the strongest will survive.
What I Liked:
Jordan Peele certainly brings his own unique directing and writing style to Hollywood. And the cast he selected was able to respond very well to it. It was generally well acted and that’s very apparent when you have to see the same actor bring out their own personal crazy in the same film and in the same scene. It’s a great contrast. Also, unlike Get Out, I enjoyed that there was a better mix of characters that were likable, and it’s not always so cut and dry who you should root for. I enjoyed seeing Lupita in a more contemporary role for a change. Well, one of her roles anyway. She does very well as the lead here.
The creepy remix to the 90s hip-hop classic “I Got 5 On It” was an interesting touch, if a little contrived as I have noticed a lot of film soundtracks putting this kind of spins on old classics these days.
What I Didn’t Like:
Some parts of the film weren’t as well thought out as they should have been and were fairly predictable. I think Peele could have produced something a little smarter than what we got. The film also doesn’t provide as many answers to the questions you may have as a viewer, and you may be left feeling a little more ambivalent about it once you’re leaving this one compared to Get Out.
Images Courtesy of IMDB
