Us (2019)

Us (2019)

2019 R 116 Minutes

Thriller | Horror | Mystery

Husband and wife Gabe and Adelaide Wilson take their kids to their beach house expecting to unplug and unwind with friends. But as night descends, their serenity turns to tension and chaos when som...

Overall Rating

8 / 10
Verdict: Good

User Review

  • WHAT I LIKED: The first thing to say about Jordan Peele's 'Us' is that it's not 'Get Out,' so when mysterious things start happening, don't look (as I started to) for some kind of social allegory, as this isn't that film. I mean sure, it paints an extremely cynical picture of modern day America and it has a few amusing commentaries on its surface, but most of all this is a full-bodied original-concept horror movie in which a family are violated by a zombie-like imitation of themselves, and things begin to spiral further and further out of control. In fact, things get so zany that you will likely find yourself questioning what the hell is going on at many a point, but if you stick with it, you'll be rewarded by a brilliant final act in which some (for once, much-needed) exposition explains the reasoning behind the events that you've been watching. Sticking with it shouldn't be hard though, as - much in the same way as 'Get Out' - Peele engages with a brilliantly-built set of characters in jeopardy that you genuinely care about, and a tongue-in-cheek, satirical attitude to make the madness swallowable even when you're not sure what's going on. That's helped to life by some excellent performances from Lupita Nyongo and the rest of the cast who all balance the comedic with the horrifying very well, and some superbly assured direction from Peele who also walks that line perfectly with some extremely tense and yet amusing sequences and some heavy satirical nods to horror movie tropes that we're all familiar with. Couple that with an intentionally intrusive and utterly brilliant soundtrack that serves as its own spectacular character, in the end what you've got is another great horror movie from Peele that will keep you engaged, terrified and amused all that same time, no matter - or arguably because of - how crazy it gets.

    WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: It's intended, but you really will sit there wondering what the heck is going on for the majority no matter how engaged and entertained you are by everything...

    VERDICT: A bat-shit crazy horror movie with the perfect expositional payoff, Jordan Peele's 'Us' will have you perplexed up to the final act - but thoroughly engaged, entertained and terrified all the same. What an unusual but brilliant film this is.