Us (2019) Reviews

• So much potential...so much confusion.

  thejilliebean162019-03-21

  I liked the movie a lot. I thought it was very well shot and very well acted, and I can appreciate Peele's subtle homages to previous horror films throughout. However, the story itself is very weak and a bit of a mess. A big concern for the main characters, as well as for the viewers, is why these doppelgängers (known in the movie as The Tethered) are attacking. So we are lead from almost the beginning, to want those answers, and when they're actually delivered, it's pretty unsatisfying. The logic (or lackthereof) of The Tethered's existence and motivation is very messy and ultimately ruins the final conclusion of the film, because it leaves too many holes in the story that need to be answered. If Peele had removed the explanation element as to the Tethered's existence, functionality etc. it would have made it a better story in my opinion. It becomes then a survival horror film, and leaves more to the viewer's imagination and thoughts as to the how and why, and that could even leave some good opportunities for symbolism etc. which Peele is known for. Not to mention it would have made the final conclusion even more shocking, compelling and thought provoking, and viewers would be talking about it for a long time, in all the best ways. Instead we're left talking about the many plot holes in the explanation. All in all, as a standalone movie, it's really good and I can appreciate it for what it is, despite some of it's plot points I'd like further explanation on. Also, I don't really think it can or should be compared to Get Out in any way because they're two completely different films, in genre and the overall tone. Us is a horror film and Get Out is a social thriller. So it's unfair to pit them against each other, or put them in the same league, even though they share the same director. I feel like people looking to do that are going to end up disappointed with this movie no matter what.

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• Great idea, questionable execution...

  The_Film_Auditor2019-03-23

  I am torn on whether or not I like the story of Us. Part of me really likes the originality of the idea and the subtle social commentary the film delivers; however, I felt that despite Us having an interesting idea, the execution led to a disjointed story that felt a bit scatterbrained. There were definitely parts of the film that were suspenseful and horrifying, but at the same time, other parts felt too over-explained or tropey. This leads to me having many unanswered questions about certain aspects and feeling like other aspects shouldn't have been explained at all to keep the mystery. I think the story is hard to talk about without spoiling it, but overall, I expected more from Jordan Peele's writing but did enjoy some of it. Despite my indecisive feelings of the film's story, many pieces of the film were exceptionally well done. One aspect that stood out in Us was the soundtrack and the usage of music. I think the original soundtrack was memorable and used appropriately to accentuate the feeling of horror at some points in the film. On the flip side, the soundtrack was used to perfectly contrast what was going on onscreen. This led to some great sequences (the Beach Boys scene) that utilized the soundtrack in an interesting way. Another part of the film that I really enjoyed was Lupita Nyong'o and the child actors' performances. Nyong'o in particular is the most terrifying part of the film. She plays both a horrific monster and a badass mother, making it easy to forget that the same actor plays them. As a whole, I think Us is an enjoyable horror film that has some missteps with its story elements and structure. I would recommend this film to horror fans, but don't go into the film expecting anything like Get Out.

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• Disappointed.

  coopde-886842019-03-22

  Trailer was better than the movie. To me this movie just never takes off. It's a shame because there is some fantastic imagery and a wonderful theme lying underneath but in the end it can not overcome its plot holes and failed delivery of the message its trying to speak. It truly believes it's deeper than it is, but left me unfulfilled. Kind of lazy/rushed writing in my opinion. Kind of just throws a bunch of mediocre stuff at you without any real substance and expects the audience to give it purpose and deeper meaning in there own heads. Which is fine to do but to me this movie wasn't worthy of that merit of thought. You keep waiting for it to evolve but it just never does. Honestly can't believe critics are putting this on such a pedestal giving it such rave reviews.

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• The plot ruins this film

  edwardjsmith-020902019-03-22

  I understand what was trying to be achieved but it fell flat. This movie reminded me of movies like the mist or cloverfield. There is this underlying plot of "sci-fi experiment gone wrong" that doesn't get explained. However in this film we get a small but lazy explanation. This came in the form of a text card at the beginning of the film that basically reads "There thousands of tunnels in the world. Who knows what's in them". This was the movies only explanation and setup for a civilization of 6 million clones of people living in an underground tunnel. When the movie ended and it pieced together to be this it made for an overarching plot that was just stupid. Now these clones did refer to themselves as shadows because they were sometimes forced to mimic the movements of the person they are cloned after. It was weird how selective that was and is very inconsistent in a way that hurt a couple scenes in the movie. The rest of the movie is just those 6 million clones coming out of the tunnel and killing the person they are cloned after. Once they accomplish that they hold hands and form a line stretching across the United States. And no I'm not kidding, this is exactly how the movie ends. The only redeeming qualities was good acting, good music, and decent humor. However, none of that can fix a terrible plot that ended with an nonsensical twist. Like a sour cherry ontop.

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• most overhyped movie

  nikosxen2019-03-22

  I am sure that this review is going to get a ton of down votes and I am pretty sure that all those 10/10 reviews are bot accounts (if you dont believe me check the profiles) so I wont spent much time analyzing the film. Many many plot holes,little substance and ultimately you have a movie with a weak script based on a good idea that takes itself way to seriously without achieving even half of what it promises. Get out worked that well because it didn't take itself that seriously and there was always an underlying tone of dark comedy to it. It gets a 5 because I liked the cinematography and I thought that the performances where actually quite good!

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