"Accompanied by her husband, son and daughter, Adelaide Wilson returns to the beachfront home where she grew up as a child. Haunted by a traumatic experience from the past, Adelaide grows increasingly concerned that something bad is going to happen. Her worst fears soon become a reality when four masked strangers descend upon the house, forcing the Wilsons into a fight for survival. When the masks come off, the family is horrified to learn that each attacker takes the appearance of one of them."
Written and directed by Jordan Peele. Us is the much-anticipated sophomore release after his runaway hit Get Out. The film stars Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Shahadi Wright Joseph, and Evan Alex as this family that confronted by a coordinated group of doppelgangers.
What is good about this film is how balanced everything is. This isn't a family with scared, defenceless kids, or stupid, naive parents. Everyone has a modicum of common sense and is able to look after themselves to a point; there are no damsels in distress here. There is a good mix of story and horror, as well as a good comedy and thriller combination. In a way, this sense of balance does prevent the film from being absolutely amazing as each balance represent a compromise in the characteristics that make each category thrive.
The casting was brilliant, Lupita Nyong'o, in particular, putting forward a commendable emotionally unstable performance which her character required, while still showing great strength and being the voice of reason throughout. Winston Duke (both Duke and Nyong'o you may recognise from Black Panther) also shows off his acting chops in a more family man role and proved to be the source of subtle comedy in the film.
The child actors Shahadi Wright Joseph and Evan Alex were well chosen for their roles pulling off the widely variable roles of their protagonist characters as well as their opposing doppelganger antagonists, with some great action scenes.
While the film does feel a little disjointed at the beginning, it all comes full circle with an intriguing backstory that feels right out of an episode of Black Mirror or The Twilight Zone. There are certain parts towards the climax of the film that I would have loved to have not seen, as I had already predicted the outcome, but not knowing for sure creates a great sense of tension and conversation. It was a missed opportunity in my eyes to lift the film that little bit more.
The comedic elements of the film did a great job at reducing tension to give better control of the pacing, to prevent an overwhelming acceleration as the action does set in very early on in the runtime. but it does reduce the height that the suspense can reach, which could have been so much more if the comedy had been toned back a slight bit, allowing the film to bathe in the true chaotic darkness that the trailer imbibed.
The premise alone is really enough to warrant checking out the film; seeing the doppelgangers interacting with their counterparts was a fascinating watch. The cinematography was exciting, with some dark, yet rich imagery and colouration, and an intense score that really stood out. it's not at the same level as Get Out, but still has enough appeal to make a trip to the theatre worthwhile.