Jordan Peele has had a very interesting career to say the least, having gone from comedian to horror filmmaker. Peele first entered the scene when he joined the cast of the sketch comedy show Mad TV in season nine. After the show’s cancellation in 2009, Peele, along with fellow cast member Keegan-Michael Key, created a new sketch comedy show. The show, Key and Peele, was a huge hit with viewers, and many of its skits became viral hits online. While ultimately cancelled in 2015, Key and Peele did team up again to star in the 2016 comedy film, Keanu. But then, in 2017, Peele made history with the release of his directorial debut, Get Out, which was massively successful. Not only was it one of the highest grossing films of the year, but it even got several Oscar nominations. Two years later, Peele released his highly anticipated follow-up, Us.
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In 1986, young Adelaide Thomas wanders off while with her folks at Santa Cruz, encountering something that leaves her traumatized. Several years later, an adult Adelaide (Lupita Nyong’o) and her family take a trip to their summer home for vacation. She’s accompanied by her husband Gabe Wilson (Winston Duke), daughter Zora (Shahadi Wright Joseph), and son Jason (Evan Alex). After going to Santa Cruz beach with her family triggers her past trauma, Adelaide wants to leave right away. That night, they’re visited by a family dressed in red that looks almost like them but slightly off. The doppelganger family attacks the main family, and soon similar doppelgangers show up seemingly out of nowhere and start killing. After their neighbors Josh (Tim Heidecker), Kitty (Elisabeth Moss), and their daughters are killed, the Wilson’s run for the hills. Will they survive, who are these doppelgangers, and what do they want?
Us is definitely one of those rare instances where a relatively new director strikes gold twice in a row. Compared to Get Out, this is much more of a pure horror film with some thriller elements thrown in. Much like with Get Out, what makes Us work so well are the performances, especially from the lead actors. Lupita Nyong’o does a phenomenal job as always, definitely giving one of the best performances of the year so far. Winston Duke, who typically plays heavies, is convincing as your average dad who cracks jokes and cares for his family. The kids also do a good job, as do the rest of the supporting cast, given they’re playing dual roles. What’s most surprising is how they’re able to play two different versions of the same character and make it believable. There really is no performance that falls flat or drags the movie down.
While there are plenty of tense and frightening sequences, some moments are slightly ruined by comedic moments. Granted, Get Out similarly had comedic moments mixed in, but here, they seem to clash with the more intense scenes. That said, some of the more comedic elements do work, especially with how well the cast delivers it. Much like Get Out, while the premise is fairly simple, there’s a lot more going on under the surface. As the story unfolds, Us gives us some answers, but leaves the rest up to your imagination. Suffice it to say, you’ll be thinking about this well after seeing it, and you’ll have plenty of questions. Hopefully, I won’t jinx things by saying this, but Jordan Peele is on a roll with two hits behind him. Overall, while the tone is slightly off at times, Us is still a great horror film that deserves its acclaim.
