Jordan Peele's Us

Today I caught Jordan Peele’s latest film, Us. It concerns a family vacationing in Santa Cruz that are suddenly confronted by their creepy, violent doppelgangers.

 

It stars Lupita Nyong’o as Adelaide. It begins with her as a child, in Santa Cruz with her parents, when she wanders off while her dad is playing games on the boardwalk and has a very odd, disturbing experience. Cut to present day, and she’s now a wife and mother of 2 children. She and her husband are taking the kids to their family’s beach home in Santa Cruz. Adelaide slowly begins to feel uneasy, as memories from what she experienced as a child slowly come back to her.

 

 

Her discomfort continues to creep up to the point where she tells her husband she wants to leave. From there things turn very crazy and the horror really kicks into high gear.

 

 

 

I went into it with no real expectations. I had just heard that it was very unusual. I was pleasantly surprised at how different it was, and found it immediately refreshing that it doesn’t recycle the same old tired horror cliché tropes. Even more interesting were the metaphors that I found throughout the film. This is definitely one which the viewer could benefit from repeated viewings as there as so many small little things peppered throughout that don’t immediately make sense until you’ve thought about it later.

 

 

 

Without giving away much details, there are things such as the Hands Across America craze that happened briefly in the 80’s, rabbits, the number 11:11, and even Michael Jackson that end up having much deeper meaning that what they initially appear to. There are some serious political overtones throughout that make it so much fun to try to decipher. This is definitely a thinking person’s horror film.

 

 

Peele deserved major credit for managing the feat of making it all work. At times things get rather over the top and preposterous, but his skill as a director keep it from going overboard. He knows when to let loose and to hold back. He manages to create tension and fear without the use of jump scares, which is another testament to his talent.

 

 

The entire cast is fantastic, but it’s Lupita Nyong’o who really let’s loose and gives a hell of a performance. Between Adelaide’s growing panic and her doppelganger’s creepiness, she nails the role and makes it memorable.

 

 

 

On a personal level I had a fun time with the Santa Cruz location, as I recognized so many areas in the film that I’ve actually been to. I find myself thinking “I know that place!” and “I’ve been there!” many times. These instances made the film even more enjoyable.

 

This is one of the best horror movies I’ve seen and it’s definitely a change of pace. I highly recommend it but caution the viewer to go in with no expectations, or to keep in mind that it’s not the typical horror formula. It may surprise you.