I enjoy a good thriller. I'm not much for slashers, but I like thrillers. Us has a little of both. I recall being pleasantly surprised by Jordan Peele's first foray into this genre with his film Get Out. The film did very well, bringing home the Oscar for best screenplay. It was really a no-brainer that I was going to see his next film in this genre.
The Wilson's are not an atypical family. They have the same goofy quirks as any other family. Gabe (Winston Duke) is a caring father with a lot of inner child. Adelaide (Lupito Nyong'o) is the mom that has to keep dad in line at times. Zora (Shahadi Wright Joseph) is a typical phone-addicted teen. Jason (Evan Alex) is the weird little brother. A family vacation to Santa Cruz turns deadly as the shadows of Adelaide's past comes back to haunt.
I thought the concept of Us was intriguing, although there was a lot of back-story left untold. The film focused on the characters well, but felt sluggish at times. For a thriller, anything that isn't action should be tension-building. Extended periods of filler made this film feel tedious to me. I liked the characters and I enjoyed the concept, but felt it wasn't delivered with the same deft hand as Get Out. I somewhat figured out the big plot twist about two-thirds through the film, although the seed was planted early. This film had a lot of potential that whiffed a bit in the delivery.
Us had great casting. I really liked Nyong'o in what I would call the lead role. She was credible and strong. Yet she possessed the depth needed to carry this film. She had great chemistry with Duke, who was exceptional. His character was my favorite. I identified with him. Goofy, but sincere. Joseph and Alex were solid as the children. Tim Heidecker provided some comic relief as Gabe's friend. He was delightfully unlikable. I thought the cast held things together nicely.
Us doesn't quite reach "slasher" status in my book, but it comes close. This film is brutally violent. Deaths range from stabbing to getting chopped up in a rotating blade. There is plenty of blood, with a moderate gore factor. This is the type of film that is destined to give children nightmares. Particularly if they are prone to nightmares. Other than violence, the film has some strong language and a bit of alcohol consumption. The tension and violence are the prime drivers of an R rating from the MPAA. Run time is one hour 56 minutes.
I hoped that Us might come close to Get Out in terms of uniqueness. It was unique, but slow. I was a bit let down by this film. It is currently enjoying a rating close to Get Out but I suspect it will drop in the coming weeks. It is not a bad film. It is actually very interesting. There seemed to be some messaging peppered in, but some of it seemed a bit muddled. The slow pacing at times was my biggest complaint. But I did enjoy the film overall. 7/10.
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