“Us” had the best opening for an original live-action film since James Cameron’s “Avatar” in 2009. (Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures)
Troy Lafond
Connector Editor
“Us” is the second directorial project by Jordan Peele, following up on the massive commercial and critical success of “Get Out.” Following up a project as fantastic as “Get Out” would be a daunting task for just about anybody, but Jordan Peele manages to not even just match, but potentially even surpass, the quality of “Get Out” with the triumphant “Us.”
“Us” follows the story of a family on a vacation when another family of their doppelgangers starts attacking them. From there, the plot unravels in twisted, unexpected and surprising ways, much like how “Get Out” unraveled from a simple story into something much deeper, complex and unique. While “Us” does not have political commentary like “Get Out” did, it does have a lot of pure entertainment value. This is a constantly riveting and surprisingly entertaining story, with an unexpected amount of strong humor along the way. To say anything about the direction of the plot would be to give some of the movie’s many twists away, but it is quite the ride.
Most of the movie is carried on the backs of the incredibly strong lead performance of Lupita Nyong’o. She masterfully plays the fearful but courageous Adelaide as well as the terrifying and intimidating Red, with each performance being so unique and distinctive from the other. Both performances on their own are already incredibly impressive, but when combining them both into one movie, it becomes unstoppable. When the Oscar season comes, Nyong’o should be the name on everybody’s lips.
That being said, there is no shortage of other impressive performances here. Elizabeth Moss (playing the part of Kitty, the wife of Adelaide’s husband’s friend) takes a mid-movie turn in a relatively short sequence that is haunting and mesmerizing, and even steals the spotlight from Nyong’o in the sequence, which is no small task.
The one slight potential disappointment to the movie is in its ending. “Get Out” wrapped up nice and neatly, with a clear, defined ending with little room for differing interpretation. The ending of “Us,” while it does complete the story, is much more left to the viewer for their own interpretation. This felt very effective in the context of the movie, however it may be isolating to viewers who wanted the movie to end with more explanations for the movie’s mysteries. This vague ending also leaves an opening for a number of unanswered potential plot holes that could be explained away and likely will be through fan theory, but the movie could have benefited from a little bit more detail in the ultimate reveal.
While “Us” may not tackle a theme as directly and heavily as “Get Out” did, the political subtext of “Us” is still clear and important to the story and is extremely well done. The story may be a bit less about this subtext than fans of “Get Out” may appreciate, but at its core “Us” is a movie about privilege and how those who are underprivileged often get ignored and left behind in favor of increased focus on the privileged. It is a perhaps subtle message, but one that adds significant weight to the story when considered. This consideration makes the villains significantly more sympathetic than any presented in “Get Out,” the main thing “Us” manages to do better.
Many people will probably be going into “Us” expecting it to be “Get Out 2,” hoping that the movie compares in some way to Jordan Peele’s original masterpiece. For some, it may miss the mark for a more abstract ending and a lessened focus on the political themes. However, for those who want a different but still comparable experience, “Us” shines with just a little bit of suspension of disbelief.
Final grade: A
