Us. Yes, another
movie with an incredibly short and non-descriptive title has been
bequeathed unto the general public so that the good people can ask
one another “which one is that?” whenever it is mentioned in
conversation. So what is Us? Is it as good as the critics say
it is? And is this really my 100th movie review? Let's
take a look.
Written and directed by
Jordan Peele, Us follows Adelaide Wilson, her husband, and her
two children who vacation at their beach house in Santa Cruz where
Adelaide once had a frightening experience as a child. Her fears come
back to haunt her as the Wilsons are attacked by doppelgangers of
themselves known as the Tethered. Think of it as The Purge
meets a zombie apocalypse movie, and you've got a pretty clear idea
of what Us is like. As far as home-invasion movies go, it's
decent; it's only towards the end where Us starts to lose
steam. Although some of the kills come a little too easily, the film
has a good amount of tension and suspense, especially during its
opening scene. It also has a commendable sense of humour, with quick
little jokes poking fun at the situation the characters find
themselves in, and yet these jokes avoid distracting or clashing
with the scene's tone.
However one moment that
really didn't work was the pointless twist ending; not only does it
add absolutely nothing to the story but it makes no sense whatsoever.
Without spoiling too much, let's just say that this twist completely
screws up some backstory.
That's not the only
plothole here; Us has loads of them! How did the Tethered know
how to mimic their true counterparts? Are they psychic? What's up
with their names? What is their goal? Why did some attack the Wilsons
but not the others? There's also a Bible verse that's referenced
several times throughout, but the film doesn't have the courtesy of
actually letting the audience know what it is. It's something I had
to look up myself and since doing so this verse's significance to Us
is just as dubious as before. Perhaps Jordan Peele simply tried
cramming too many ideas into one film.
The acting is done
rather well. Winston Duke gives a fun performance as the enthusiastic
try-hard dad, Gabe. And of course Lupita Nyong'o is riveting in her
dual role as Adelaide and her doppelganger, Red.
All in all, Us
is alright but it's not as glorious as the critics say it is. From
the reviews I've glanced at it seems as if critics are projecting
grander themes upon the film that aren't truly there (at least, not
in any substantial or meaningful way). The only argument I got from
Us is that we need to support the proliferation of firearms –
seriously, there isn't a single gun in this whole movie! But no, Us
is an adequately entertaining thriller with a good sense of humour,
decent acting, and professional direction but also a script riddled
with logical fallacies that would have benefited from another round
of editing. I can see why it'd be easy to fall in love with it if you
don't think too hard about it... but you know me by now. We've been over this one hundred times, you know.
Grade:
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