Us Cements Peele As A Modern Horror Master
Jordan Peele has become one of the most talked about men in Hollywood in the past three years, evolving from being a sketch comedy virtuoso to one of the most ambitious horror directors of all time. And in his sophomore film Us he does not miss a beat.
Us is the story of a husband and wife Gabe (Winston Duke) and Adelaide Wilson (Lupita Nyong’o) who take their children (Evan Alex and Shahadi Wright Joseph) to their beach house, hoping to spend time with friends (Tim Heidecker and Elisabeth Moss). Their serenity soon turns to tension and chaos when a group of evil strangers (referred to as The Tethered) arrive, looking exactly like them.
There’s a lot to unpack here, and my head is still reeling as I write this review, so let’s start with the cinematography.
Jordan Peele has perfected the art of the dramatic close-up, and the use of far away shots were nothing short of masterful. And shots where actors encountered the Tethered versions of themselves were seamless in their transition.
The music didn’t disappoint either. The movie’s tension-building score puts the scores in Hitchcock films to shame while simultaneously feeling like an homage. And I will never listen to “I got 5 on it” by Luniz, the same way again.
The overall visuals we breathtaking, from the uniforms of the Tethered giving off the feeling of unity and individuality, to the excellent use of make-up and practical effects.
The acting was superb. Winston Duke is now my favorite corny dad and I want to see him doing more roles like this. Newcomers Evan Alex and Shahadi Wright Joseph gave some truly chilling performances as their Tethered counterparts, with such minimalistic performances they managed to shake me to my core. And while the entire of the Tethered was amazing in its own right, Lupita Nyong’o truly gave a tour de force performance, giving off some of her strongest character acting to date. As a mother desperately trying to protect her family and also the head of this malevolent force trying to take everything away from her, she was convincing beyond reproach as both Adelaide and Red.
The story as a whole was Jordan Peele at his best, using horror once again to convey a message of social commentary. Without revealing too much, there is an underlying message about the downside of how our society can step on others for our own advancement.
I’m shook guys, this movie scared the hell out of me! I spent hours processing this movie in my head, and I loved it.
Us (Universal Pictures & Monkeypaw Productions, R, 1hr 56mins) gets my first perfect score of 2019, a 5 out of 5!
