It’s been a long while since the last time I wrote an entry to this blog. Not because I’m not going to the cinema lately (of course not, otherwise it would definitely kill me, LOL), but just because my work is really killing me.
Ok, since Jordan Peele released the first trailer of his latest thriller Us, people already compare it to Mr. Peele’s 2017 Oscar-winning horror, Get Out. Mr. Peele won an Oscar for his writing on Get Out, and it wasn’t surprising since Get Out is written very thoughtfully, carefully and meaningful beside served us the smart horror we all need. Us, on the other side, of which Mr. Peele directed, produced and wrote himself, serves us the same intensity of thrill like its predecessor, with amazing acting of its all casts, but a kind of unsettling in the overall story.
The story is fresh, and suprising. Us tells about the story of all-American middle-class family of four, with university-graduated parents (the father wears Howard University sweatshirt) Gabe (Winston Duke) and Adelaide “Addy” Wilson (Lupita Nyong’o) and their two children Zora (Shadadi Wright Joseph) and Jason (Evan Alex). Their vacation to the summer house near Santa Cruz beach becomes a nightmare when a set of family, also consists of four persons, emerge in front of their house. They soon find out that the family, who looks exactly like them, want nothing but to kill them and replace them in the real world.
As a horror movie, Us is fascinating. The movie opens the movie with a blast, a shot when little Addy met her doppelganger in a funfair is haunting her for years. The next first hour is a solid background for the storytelling, where we are introduced to the characters. The clues are cleverly spread everywhere, and you must pay attention close enough to know the reason behind ever character’s action. The horror starts when the Wilson’s doppelgangers appear on their backyard, and the story is getting more intense in every scene ever since.
Not to mention that this movie is also well-acted. Miss Nyong’o plays her parts (as both Addy and her doppelganger) so incredible so we can see her character’s every emotion, from feeling terrified to be terrifying. She’s so effective in battles, as well as believable in drama. The two kid actors Joseph and Alex also play their parts well, each being creepy as their doppelgangers. Mr. Duke, on the other side, shining with his humorous side so he can balance Miss Nyong’o’s terrific performance.
The unforfunate comes near the end of the movie. The last act falls down compared to the solid storytelling from the beginning, and it raised more unanswered questions towards the ending. The twist (yes there is a big plot twist in the end) didn’t resonate with the big picture that this movie is trying to build. Mr. Peele maybe tries to give us clues and breadcrumbs to the puzzle he tried to build, but the execution of the ending created no conclusion upon what is really happening.
Maybe you would come out the cinema questioning the ending of Us. Maybe this movie would make you frustrating. One thing to be sure, you should enjoy the thrill and horror more than you think about the metaphor Mr. Peele tried to tell you about this movie.
Directed by: Jordan Peele | Produced by: Jason Blum, Ian Cooper, Sean McKittrick, Jordan Peele | Written by: Jordan Peele | Starring: Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, Elizabeth Moss, Tim Heidecker | Music by: Michael Abels | Cinematography: Mike Gioulakis | Edited by: Nicholas Monsour | Production Companies: Blumhouse Production, QC Entertainment, Monkeypaw Productions | Distributed by: Universal Pictures | Official Website
8.7/10
The Lady in Pink 