- Chipper F. Xavier, Esq.
The intense buzz for Jordan Peele's sophomore effort, Us (2019) brought movie fans into cinemas by the droves. Trailers for the film were rampant and visceral. Winning an Oscar for his first movie,Get Out (2017) (a masterpiece), it seemed Jordan Peele had only to sign his name to this project to have us all line up with money in hand at the box office. Unfortunately, most people learned belatedly that all that glitters is not gold: Us is far from perfect.
Starting with The Good: Casting Lupita Nyong'o as the adult Adelaide Wilson was a master stroke. Lupita is the perfect, warm mother who holds her family together at a time of incalculable crisis. Young Adelaide Wilson, played by Madison Curry, is a real treat. Zora Wilson, played by Shadai Wright Joseph, is especially convincing as Adelaide's fearless daughter. The family dynamic between the Wilsons is predictably complex but also familiar, and all of the actors do a great job of interacting as real family members would.
The set pieces are saturated in color and convincing in a horrific way; the carnival, beach, and summer home all share a duality between naturalistic and horrific, as the script demands. The film's horror, once it begins, is complete and shocking. Unfortunately, that immensely negative energy does not have a sufficient vehicle to channel it.
The Not-So-Good: Jordan Peele wrote himself into a rabbit-hole with this script. Sheer horror is never enough for the film connoisseur; eventually the audience wants to know why it is being led along a certain path. Once the killing starts, it either makes sense, or it doesn't.
Is it reasonable to assume that doppelgangers populate tunnels underneath us, mirroring our actions? Is it reasonable to assume that these twins want to kill us all and take our places as we pay taxes, stand in line to pay for groceries and schlep our children to Little League? Is it reasonable to assume that each of these shadows beneath us has been supplied with a perfectly fitted red jumpsuit and a pair of finely sharpened killing shears? If it is not reasonable to assume these things on our own, then the story-teller must give us a powerful story which convinces us. Unfortunately, this is where Jordan Peele, writer-director of Us, fails.
The Bad: Once the killing starts, we are transfixed with the sheer violence of it all. Unfortunately, by the time the movie is shifting into its third act, we no longer care. The main characters seem to be repeating their actions over and over, with no apparent resolution. Kill, run, and kill again. Once the film shifts into expository mode; all hope is lost. Shadow-mom gives a powerful speech which confuses us, the underground home of the shadow people looks a bit like an abandoned shopping mall, and the rabbits hop madly about without a turd in sight. Worst of all, Lupita Nyong'o is revealed to be something she isn't supposed to be.
Us is a fine film if you remove the impossible elements, like a million shadow people killing their counterparts in order to join hands while standing in the sunlight. Some scenes are just unimaginably horrific and frightening, but this is not a painting - it's a movie. When you sum up all the gory images and still end up with nothing, the movie is not a success - it's a tragedy.