- Jan 6, 2015
- 14,140
- 26,536
Us (2019)
Latest Jordan Peele horror, same guy that brought us 'Get Out' which I liked (didn't love, liked). This one has good qualities, moreso than bad ones. Basic premise follows a young girl who confronts something in a house of mirrors, comes out silent for awhile (presumeably PTSD), then grows up to have a family of her own (husband, young teen daughter, son about 10-11). Family rents a beach house, near where the childhood trauma took place (odd she never shared any of it with her husband, though she is filled with dread at heading there). One night, four persons show up on their driveway and begin attacking them. I'll try not to give away spoilers, but the four are evil dopplegangers of her and her family. The movie is primarily a survival 'horror' story of sorts, but it folds in a deeper explanation at the end that is given a lot of justified criticism.
The most appealing aspects of 'Get Out' were the feel of it - imagery, references, speech patterns, the authenticity of 'something isnt right' but believable characters trying to figure out what is going on; with a good sprinkling of humor. 'Us' replicates the feel with a lot of subtle references, some not so subtle (gloves anyone?) but driving with a point kinda, and a good dose of humor throughout whilst still maintain a general feel of 'wtf is going on'; not in the way that leaves you frustrated and lost but wanting to understand and follow along.
The Good: Cast was well selected and did the roles very believably (though the dopples were easier for most), the humor was great, the tension of the chase was solid. The Bad: There are themes (all dopples wear red jump suits, one glove, scissors) which aren't explained*. The Ugly: Rather than leave open ended explanations on things for viewer interpretation on the who-why, we get a detailed discussion between our main character and her dopple. This just opens a ton more questions that AREN'T addressed; we'd have been better making our own assumptions. This twist-punchline to the plot is a little bit obvious in coming, and unfolds to leave you questioning which side of the line we're on at the very end. Decent, just a half step behind 'Get Out', 6.5/10.
*I use imdb a lot, in part to understand things I missed or confirm I understood what I saw. In this case, I was reading imdb trivia while watching the film, which led to a lot of spoilers that go in depth explaining all these themes. I'll admit, it ruined the back half of the film a bit for myself, but it also explained things that would have left me with NO explanation from the film in some cases. My point is that the holes are filled by fans online, if you want them.
Latest Jordan Peele horror, same guy that brought us 'Get Out' which I liked (didn't love, liked). This one has good qualities, moreso than bad ones. Basic premise follows a young girl who confronts something in a house of mirrors, comes out silent for awhile (presumeably PTSD), then grows up to have a family of her own (husband, young teen daughter, son about 10-11). Family rents a beach house, near where the childhood trauma took place (odd she never shared any of it with her husband, though she is filled with dread at heading there). One night, four persons show up on their driveway and begin attacking them. I'll try not to give away spoilers, but the four are evil dopplegangers of her and her family. The movie is primarily a survival 'horror' story of sorts, but it folds in a deeper explanation at the end that is given a lot of justified criticism.
The most appealing aspects of 'Get Out' were the feel of it - imagery, references, speech patterns, the authenticity of 'something isnt right' but believable characters trying to figure out what is going on; with a good sprinkling of humor. 'Us' replicates the feel with a lot of subtle references, some not so subtle (gloves anyone?) but driving with a point kinda, and a good dose of humor throughout whilst still maintain a general feel of 'wtf is going on'; not in the way that leaves you frustrated and lost but wanting to understand and follow along.
The Good: Cast was well selected and did the roles very believably (though the dopples were easier for most), the humor was great, the tension of the chase was solid. The Bad: There are themes (all dopples wear red jump suits, one glove, scissors) which aren't explained*. The Ugly: Rather than leave open ended explanations on things for viewer interpretation on the who-why, we get a detailed discussion between our main character and her dopple. This just opens a ton more questions that AREN'T addressed; we'd have been better making our own assumptions. This twist-punchline to the plot is a little bit obvious in coming, and unfolds to leave you questioning which side of the line we're on at the very end. Decent, just a half step behind 'Get Out', 6.5/10.
*I use imdb a lot, in part to understand things I missed or confirm I understood what I saw. In this case, I was reading imdb trivia while watching the film, which led to a lot of spoilers that go in depth explaining all these themes. I'll admit, it ruined the back half of the film a bit for myself, but it also explained things that would have left me with NO explanation from the film in some cases. My point is that the holes are filled by fans online, if you want them.