Peele cements legacy with Us

– Posted on May 9, 2019Posted in: Entertainment, New and Noteworthy, The Editors

 

Ethan Buffalo

Multimedia Editor

FUs movieollowing up the universally acclaimed Get Out looked to be no easy task for comedian-turned-director Jordan Peele. However, in his second film, Us, Peele showed no signs of any sophomore slump.

The film follows Adelaide Thomas (played by Academy award winner Lupita Nyong’o) and her family as they visit their summer beach house in Santa Cruz. The opening sequence takes place in 1986 during a similar visit in Adelaide’s childhood. After wandering off from her parents and into a house of mirrors, Adelaide encounters more than just her own reflection inside.

The film brings the viewer back into the present following the title sequence. An apprehensive Adelaide goes along with her husband Gabe (Winston Duke) and children, Zora (Shahadi Wright Joseph) and Jason (Evan Alex) to the beach. She quickly loses sight of the younger Jason and in a panic, finds him and demands to return home.

After settling down that night, Adelaide attempts to explain to Gabe her erratic behavior. In the process of explaining, Jason comes into the parent’s bedroom to let them know that there’s a family in the drive way. Gabe tries to scare off the shadowy group before the family is attacked and captured. Once they’re all gathered by the fireplace, Adelaide and family can get a glimpse of their captors faces and they’re all doppelgangers of the Thomas family.

The eerie sequence is all that was revealed in the film’s advertising and much of the film is about surviving the murderous doubles and finding out where they’ve come from.

Peele is an admitted fan of the horror genre and showcases his knowledge and filmmaking abilities throughout the film. He doesn’t rely on gore or jump scares to create an aura of tension throughout the film. While it isn’t as culturally relevant as the racially fueled Get Out, it is just as ambitious. Themes of religion and class inequity are prevalent throughout but don’t detract from the sense of terror that Peele is able to convey with the help of Nyong’o’s outstanding lead performance.

Us is a movie anyone who is a fan of the horror genre can enjoy. Even moviegoers who are casual fans of the genre or appreciate Get Out can enjoy the movie. It is a follow-up directorial job that projects Peele to become the 21st century Alfred Hitchcock. On a scale of one to ten, Us is an 8.7.