Us
Director: Jordan Peele
Screenplay: Jordan Peele
Minutes: 116
Year: 2019
Score: 8.4
Release: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
First thing first, I loved Us. It is some of the finest, modern, general release, horror films that I have watched in a while. You can enter to win a copy HERE.
From UPHE.com:
From Academy Award®-winning visionary Jordan Peele comes another original nightmare. Starring Oscar® winner Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave) and Winston Duke (Black Panther), an endearing American family is pitted against a terrifying and uncanny opponent: doppelgängers of themselves.
I want to take a moment to think about the idea a “general release” horror film. It isn’t complicated, but someone will likely ask. What I call a general horror film is something that I could recommend to my mother, while it has some intense moments it is not an overly gory film. For example, while I could be comfortable suggesting Us to my mom I will never, ever, suggest she watch Terrifier. This is not a condemnation of either film, it is a matter of accessibility. While there are some gruesome scenes in Us there it is rather G than some of the more torturous films.
Something that I find interesting in Us is that even though the Wilson family is portrayed by black actors the film is wholly relatable. There were jokes and references that I didn’t get but that did not distract from my enjoyment of the film. I love that Jordan Peele is making the movies that he wants to see, and I love what he said earlier this year. “I don’t see myself casting a white dude as the lead in my movie. Not that I don’t like white dudes,” he said, nodding over to his moderator pal Roberts. “But I’ve seen that movie.”*
When I started my rating system I decided that I needed to include a category for diversity in film. While it penalizes some (read: many) older films I feel it is necessary to use it to celebrate films that manage to not just be white dudes, as Peele says, there are plenty of those. I have no doubt that he will continue to challenge viewers and I am grateful for this. I have sought out more diverse films and have been impressed with the results. Stepping outside of your comfort zone long enough to see something through someone else’s eyes you might just realize that they are not so different.
I see a great deal of Hitchcock in Us, from the pacing to the suspense, but when it comes to the writing Us far surpasses any of the writing in the Hitch films. With Hitchcock being in my pantheon of filmmakers it is imperative that this does not come off lightly. Peele has cited Hitch as one of his key influences, so I am sure that all his films will be similarly compared to the master, but I feel like he is up to the challenge.
I supposed all of this is to say that I hope everyone who can stomach a little horror watches the film. I expect that they would find it enjoyable. Now, on to the release. The special features are a mixture of the studio Electronic Press Kit. Some standard talking head interviews with a few stand outs. Becoming Red is one of the most eerie collections of clips I have seen as a bonus on a disc. It is a handful of lead-in moments with Lupita Nyong’o getting into the character of Red before action is called. The deleted scenes are more interesting than many because they are a mixture of outtakes as well.
I doubt that anyone with horror pedigree will skip this release. It is a highly recommendable film and a fairly well stacked release. Click the link above if you want to take a chance of a free copy.
Special Features:
- The Monsters Within Us
- Tethered Together: Making Us Twice
- Redefining a Genre: Jordan Peele’s Brand of Horror
- The Duality of Us
- Becoming Red
- Scene Explorations
- Deleted Scenes
- We’re All Dying
- As Above, So Below: Grand Pas de Deux
Director: 10 – Cinematography: 7 – Edit: 5 – Parity: 10 – Main performance: 10 – Else performance: 7 – Score: 10 – Sound: 9 – Story: 7 – Script: 10 – Effects: 10 – Design: 5 – Costumes: 6 – Keeps interest: 10 – Lasting: 10