Now available on Blu-ray, DVD and on Digital is Jordon Peele’s creepy thriller, Us.
Us stars Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, Elizabeth Moss, Shahadi Wright Joseph, Evan Alex and Tim Heidecker.
I wanted to see this film when it was still playing in the theater. The first time I saw the film’s trailer I KNEW I just HAD to see it. It looked super creepy.
I head people say that Us was a very scary movie. As a bit time fan of the horror genre, I couldn’t wait to see this film.
Sadly, I never had the chance to see it while it was in theaters, but I was sent a copy of the film to review (thankfully).
The movies start off with Adelaide (Nyong’o) as a young girl. The year is 1986. Adelaide and her parents are spending time on the Santa Cruz boardwalk.
No abiding to her mother’s rule about not wondering off, Adelaide takes off on her own to the beach where she discovers an attraction far off from the rides and games on the boardwalk. Fearless, Adelaide heads into the attraction where she discovers a hall of mirrors, and something terrifying.
Fast forward to present day. Adelaide and her family (husband, son and daughter) are taking a vacation to Santa Cruz. Adelaide is not keen on returning to the area after what happened in her youth.
The family meets up with their friends at the beach. After some strange occurrences, the family returns to their vacation home for a quiet night. Their peaceful evening is soon interrupted when strangers appear on their driveway. But are they truly strangers?
The family soon discovers that the people in their driveway are their doppelgängers, and creepy ones too.
Their lives are thrusted into an unimaginable nightmare. Who are these people? Where did they come from? Why do they look identical to each family member? Could the event that took place in Santa Cruz when she was younger have anything to do with it? To find out, you need to pick up (or rent) Us. Look for it where ever movies are sold or rented.
I can see why people consider this a horror movie. If you are easily frightened by things that pop out at you on the screen, then this is the movie for you. As a die hard horror fan, I wasn’t scared at all. But I will say that this movie is very, very, very creepy.
I did find this film entertaining, but I also was left scratching my head. They way it ended can be interrupted in different ways.
That is the thing about this film. There is so much symbolism in the film that you’ll spend more time analyzing it than you will watching it.
If Peele wanted to create a film that people would be talking about long after the last credits rolled, then he succeeded. It’s been days since we watched the film and my husband and I are still talking about it. We replay the film over and over in our heads, questioning some things are FINALLY understanding the meaning of other things. You can literally Google “Symbolism in the movie Us” and A LOT of web pages will pop up.
Peele has discussed many of the details of the film (which is also one of the bonus features), but a lot of things are still open to our own interpretation and how we see the visual clues presented to us on screen. I might see and think about something differently than my husband, and vice versa. It’s not a “one size fits all” type of movie.
I think there was too much symbolism in this film. I just wanted to be entertained (and possibly scared). I didn’t want to have to analyze the film as I’m watching it or days later (no offense to Peele).
I do highly recommend that you check out the bonus content on the Blu-ray/DVD versions of the film. There are a lot of bonus features (I still need to watch a few of them), many of which go into more detail about the film and the meaning behind it.
Included in the bonus features are:
- Scene Exploration – A detailed look into three pivotal scenes in the film.
- The Duality of Us – These are the bonus features you really should watch to get a better understanding of the symbolism in the film.
- Deleted Scenes
- We’re All Dying – Oddly enough, there was some humor in the making of this film.
- As Above, So Below: Grand Pas de Deux – An extended look at the ballet dance scene in the film.
As for the acting, all of the actors did an amazing job. I think the film was perfectly cast. Nyong’o especially did an exceptional performance. Who knew she could portray such a creepy persona.
Even the young actors in the film (Joseph, Alex) were well casted and were very believable in the film.
I’m not sure if the film has an official website. I did find the film on social media under “UsMovie,” but I am not sure if they are official sites or not.
Below is the film’s theaterical trailer for your enjoyment. The film is no longer in theaters.
Did you see the movie Us? If so, I’d love to hear your thoughts about it.
Kimberly
*I received a free screener copy to review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.