Review: Us
Apr. 13th, 2019 01:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
glitter_n_goreI missed seeing Jordan Peele's previous horror film in theaters, and I was not about to make that mistake again--even though this is a little after the initial release. Also, half my workplace has been going, "Have you seen Us yet???" for weeks because I'm one of the known horror aficionados there. I'm excited to finally gush about it.
Us, in a nutshell, is about a family of four being stalked by another family of four who look exactly like them. As plot hooks go, that's enough to get an audience into seats. But, as you can imagine, there is a lot more going on under the surface. I'm still struggling to make sense of it. I mean that in the best possible way.
There will be no spoilers in this review, however you should know that many of the most interesting talking points about this movie ARE spoilers, so this is going to be a tricky one. Namely, exactly what is going on with these doppelgangers, where they came from, and what they want.
As you might expect given Jordan Peele's track record, there is a hefty dose of humor to levy the terror and violence, much of it supplied by Winston Duke. I loved his performance in Black Panther, and his role here as the almost aggressively fun-loving father of the household is delightful. He steals every scene he's in. The two children, Shahadi Wright Joseph and Evan Alex, are fantastic as well, holding their own alongside Duke and Lupita Nyong'o to make this feel like a true ensemble piece. It's even more impressive when you remember that everyone is playing two characters: the main family, and their doubles.
However, Nyong'o is the emotional and dramatic center of this story, and Peele gives her ample opportunities to shine. I often feel like actors in genre films, particularly horror, get overlooked when it comes time for awards season. (You should've heard me whining about Toni Collette, who didn't get so much as a nomination for Hereditary. Ahem.) Not always though, so I hope Nyong'o gets the accolades she deserves here. What she's doing with her voice, facial expressions, and body language are phenomenal, and kept me riveted more than anything else.
One thing that did surprise me was the amount of classic fairy tale motifs. Repeated images like rabbits and mirrors suggest a childlike version of fear that, rather than becoming less frightening over time, expands and grows monstrous. The setting of a seaside vacation, complete with a Lost Boys-like tourist carnival, makes it both more familiar and more fantastical. There's a truth to that I'd like to see explored more often: that childhood fears never really go away. They plant roots and evolve as you get older.
At its heart, I believe this movie is about self-actualization. A brutal kind of self-actualization, the claiming of one's identity and place in the world with sharp objects, bloody fists, and primal screams. Although the ending leaves me with more questions than answers, the idea that becoming oneself is a fight and a struggle resonates on many levels.
I think I need to watch it again.
Us, in a nutshell, is about a family of four being stalked by another family of four who look exactly like them. As plot hooks go, that's enough to get an audience into seats. But, as you can imagine, there is a lot more going on under the surface. I'm still struggling to make sense of it. I mean that in the best possible way.
There will be no spoilers in this review, however you should know that many of the most interesting talking points about this movie ARE spoilers, so this is going to be a tricky one. Namely, exactly what is going on with these doppelgangers, where they came from, and what they want.
As you might expect given Jordan Peele's track record, there is a hefty dose of humor to levy the terror and violence, much of it supplied by Winston Duke. I loved his performance in Black Panther, and his role here as the almost aggressively fun-loving father of the household is delightful. He steals every scene he's in. The two children, Shahadi Wright Joseph and Evan Alex, are fantastic as well, holding their own alongside Duke and Lupita Nyong'o to make this feel like a true ensemble piece. It's even more impressive when you remember that everyone is playing two characters: the main family, and their doubles.
However, Nyong'o is the emotional and dramatic center of this story, and Peele gives her ample opportunities to shine. I often feel like actors in genre films, particularly horror, get overlooked when it comes time for awards season. (You should've heard me whining about Toni Collette, who didn't get so much as a nomination for Hereditary. Ahem.) Not always though, so I hope Nyong'o gets the accolades she deserves here. What she's doing with her voice, facial expressions, and body language are phenomenal, and kept me riveted more than anything else.
One thing that did surprise me was the amount of classic fairy tale motifs. Repeated images like rabbits and mirrors suggest a childlike version of fear that, rather than becoming less frightening over time, expands and grows monstrous. The setting of a seaside vacation, complete with a Lost Boys-like tourist carnival, makes it both more familiar and more fantastical. There's a truth to that I'd like to see explored more often: that childhood fears never really go away. They plant roots and evolve as you get older.
At its heart, I believe this movie is about self-actualization. A brutal kind of self-actualization, the claiming of one's identity and place in the world with sharp objects, bloody fists, and primal screams. Although the ending leaves me with more questions than answers, the idea that becoming oneself is a fight and a struggle resonates on many levels.
I think I need to watch it again.