Jordan Peele has done it again with his new film “Us,” making another horror movie that entertains and informs.
“Us” premiered March 22 and made $70.3 million in its opening weekend. This is more than double the opening of “Get Out,” Peele’s directorial debut that came out in February 2017.
This is Peele’s second film as a director, after “Get Out” won best original screenplay at the 2018 Oscar’s. Before he started directing, Peele wrote and starred in the Comedy Central sketch show “Key and Peele” with Keegan-Michael Key. Peele was known for his sketch comedy, so it was a surprise for audiences to see him direct such a political, serious film.
“Us” stars Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, Shahadi Wright Joseph and Evan Alex as a family of four who are tormented on their family vacation by scissor-wielding doppelgangers who are trying to kill them. The movie takes place between 1986 and present day. Nyong’o’s character, Adelaide, is the main character and what happens to her in 1986 sets up the rest of the film.
Young Adelaide, played by Madison Curry, is at the Santa Cruz boardwalk with her parents. She wanders off and ends up in a house of mirrors attraction on the beach. In the house of mirrors, she sees not just her reflection, but
her actual doppelgänger. This traumatizes her for life and throughout the movie we learn that it eventually led her to not be able to speak for many years.
Flash forward to present day and Adelaide is at the same beach on vacation with her husband and family. She keeps seeing things that remind her of that fateful day, and she eventually shares with her husband what she’s feeling
and he doesn’t believe her. That is until they see a family standing in their
driveway. This starts the action of the movie and things start to move fast.
There is some amount of violence in the movie, but like in “Get Out,” it’s done
pretty tastefully and is not overly excessive. However, there is one scene where Winston Duke’s doppelgänger is mangled by a boat propeller that is pretty gruesome. What is also impressive about this movie is Peele’s attention to detail. Every little placement and detail in the movie matters.
Peele, once again, proves that he is not just a comedic powerhouse, but that he has talents in the horror genre as well. He is able to make a movie that doesn’t just scare you, but also makes you think. And not many directors are capable of doing that.