Us: a review
When I began to see the trailers for the film Us, it was very blatantly a horror themed movie. There were a lot of eyes on this new movie, and a lot of it was due to the fact that Jordan Peele was the writer, producer, and director. This name will sound familiar from the widely known movie, Get Out. The two movies seemed to have similar aspects.
One of the main things I noticed within the movie Us were the numerous comedic breaks. This is a similar theme that was present in Get Out. I did not mind the comedy, even though it was marketed as a horror film. The breaks lightened the mood of the movie as a whole.
The movie consisted of the main characters and then the “shadows” of the characters. The shadows were the opposites of the main characters, but they wanted to take the place of them. Lupita Nyong’o played Adelaide Thomas, and the parallel roles provided a great dynamic that was able to show off the actress’s talents. The shadow characters were played really well and the way they sounded and acted was extremely disturbing.
The soundtrack, made by Michael Ables, was a mix of creepy backing tracks and classic hip hop and rap songs. I did like the touch of upbeat songs when different fight scenes were occurring, and I think this was also something that made the movie completely less intimidating. There was a reoccurring tune of children singing when something particularly dejavu occurred, and that added an extreme creepiness. My favorite song of the track was “I Got 5 On It (Tethered Mix from US)” by Michael Abels, Luniz, and Michael Marshall. I really liked the 80’s thriller vibe it provided.
Within the camera work, most of the shots had dark aspects to them. At some points in the film, it was so dark that one could hardly see what the characters were doing. This helped to add suspense when the viewer themselves cannot see what is happening. Along with these dark shots, there were very bright shots as well. One extremely memorable scene that diverged from the feelings of the others was when the main character, Adelaide Thomas, opens a door to find an extremely well-lit escalator. This contrasted with almost the entire movie that previously occurred; however, shadows remained throughout the scenes that were well lit.
Although it was marketed as a horror film, and the trailers were quite scary, the movie itself was not as scary as one would think it would be. I was very much looking forward to a jumpscare-esque movie, but that wasn’t exactly what I received. One interesting concept within the movie was the idea of genetic copies, but it was not furthered more than just mentioning it.
Yes, the movie was not your classic horror film, but it did end in the classic way: with a twist. The twist as the end was unexpected and very well done. The movie ended with only one resolution, and many others to be ended. Leaving one hoping for a possible sequel, but I myself do not think that is a good idea. I would rather remain coming up with possible conclusions than receiving one and having to accept it.
I did enjoy watching this movie, and the concepts behind it. I just felt like there was something missing that I can’t put my finger on.
4/5