Comedian Jordan Peele made a huge splash with his debut feature, Get Out. Whilst I found it an above average chiller, with things to say, I was a bit bemused about the rapturous reception it received. Now Peele returns with Us. A family in their holiday home are terrorised by what appears to be their doppelgangers, bringing back awful memories of her childhood for mother, Adelaide (Lupita Nyongo’o).
As enjoyable as Get Out mostly was, I didn’t find any of it frightening. That’s not a criticism I could make of Us. From the opening woozy fairground scenes that give us part of young Adelaide’s story to the appearance of the mysterious new family, the opening act is truly creepy. As is usual, the more that is revealed, the lesser the tension, and whilst the final twist explains many of the earlier events, there are still some logic issues.
It’s pretty hard to go into any more detail without using spoilers but we are in similar satirical ground as Get Out. The criticism of American consumption, and the economic divide is not always subtle, but is pleasingly reminiscent of George A. Romero’s work. Nyongo’o is excellent in both her roles and I enjoyed Winston Duke as Adelaide’s husband, as well as Shahidi Wright as their daughter.
Polished and with some scary, atmospheric moments, the movie does rely on home invasion and slasher cliches to be a classic.
Rating: 8 out of 10