Jordan Peele, director of Get Out, directs this rather surprising horror film in the vein of The Body Snatchers.
Us is a strange and even surprising film in which, for once, we don’t get that boring and, yes, so often stupid kind of horror. This is a good one.
Starring 12 Years a Slave Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o.
Plot
The Wilsons are a more or less normal family going on vacation. The mother is traumatized by a vision she had of herself although, of course, it wasn’t herself exactly, but her shadow. At the door a family that looks strangely similar to them is waiting for them, dressed in red.
The Movie
Well, it is original and at the time it delves into classic horror themes and gives it a touch of Capgras Syndrome (when someone believes that a family member has been replaced by his double). The tension is well handled, the story is good and keeps us glued to the seat. It is not the typical idiotic horror movie and its director, Jordan Peele (who had already excelled with Get Out), does it great and surprises us again.
The idea is quite groundbreaking, and it plays a little with the scares, yes, but without being a horror movie or a slasher, although it has its moments. In the background there’s a political touch to it, but we leave that to each one’s criteria because we are free (or so they say, I think less and less every day).
By the way, Jordan Peele’s debut feature film was Get Out and it is also worth your time.
Our opinion
Very entertaining, original, well-paced, well scripted, with good performances and an ending that… we liked.
We give it four stars.
Awards
New York Film Critics Circle: Best Actress (Lupita Nyong’o)
Los Angeles Critics Association: Best Actress nominee (Nyong’o)
The Director
Jordan Peele
Jordan Peele is an American filmmaker, writer and actor known for the movies Get Out (2017), Us (2019) and Nope (2022).
Jordan Haworth Peele was born on February 21, 1979 in New York, USA.
This brilliant filmmaker began his career as an actor in Comedy Central and he made his first film in 2016, Keanu. The following year, he rose to fame thanks to his movie, Get Out for which he won the Academy Award for Best Screenplay.
After that, he directed Us (2019), starring Lupita Nyong’o.
His latest movie is Nope (2022).
He is also a great voice actor (Toy Story 4).
Cast
Lupita Nyong’o
Lupita Nyong’o is an Oscar-winning actress for the film 12 Years a Slave (2013).
Lupita Amondi Nyong’o was born on March 1, 1983, in Mexico City.
Lupita Nyong’o became world-famous when she won the Oscar for British director Steve Rodney McQueen’s film, 12 Years a Slave (2013). Since then, she starred in many movies like Us (2013), Little Monsters (2019) and others.
She starred in Jordan Peele‘s movie Us (2019).
She has also participated in Star Wars saga, The 355 (2022), and Black Panther (2018).
And we will see her in the new John Woo‘s movie The Killer (2023). She is the producer of the film.
Movie Reviews
“Peele uses the metaphor of the divided self to explore what lies beneath contemporary America, its double consciousness, its identity, sins and terrors.”
Manohla Dargis: The New York Times
“Nyong’o delivers one of the great performances in horror movie history (…) [She is] right up there with Sissy Spacek in ‘Carrie’ and Jack Nicholson in ‘The Shining’
Peter Travers: Rolling Stone
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