Us review – Social commentary that taps into some scary places

Writer and director Jordan Peele’s new production, Us, is a clever and often wry excursion into the field of horror.

Its stark imagery, nail-biting tension and frightening storyline form an intriguing excursion into the mind that will, at times, hold you spellbound.

Not as ground-breaking as his Oscar-winning debut, Get Out, Peele manages with his second film offering, to unearth deep emotions. By employing dark humour within an unrelenting “slasher” format, Peele delivers on many fronts.

The impressive Oscar-winning Lupita Nyong’o portrays Adelaide Wilson, whose childhood memories of events at a Santa Cruz amusement park have haunted her for 30 years.

Us. Photo: Universal Pictures

Now married to goofy Gabe (Winston Duke) and with a family of her own – a shy boy (Evan Alex), a tween girl (Shahadi Wright Joseph) – Adelaide is enjoying life.

The family decides to go on an idyllic summer getaway to Santa Cruz, where strange things begin to happen. Adelaide is slowly being engulfed by an overwhelming feeling of paranoia.

Also on holiday are their friends, the Tylers (Elisabeth Moss, Tim Heidecker, Cali Sheldon, Noelle Sheldon), whom they meet on the beach.

Adelaide and her family return to their holiday home but when darkness falls, the Wilsons discover the silhouette of four figures holding hands as they stand in the driveway. When this ungodly family invade their home, they discover to their horror that these individuals are uncanny replicas of themselves.

Us is an ambitious concept that not only serves as a social commentary, but also taps into some scary places most people would rather not go.

Us. Photo: Universal Pictures

As is his style, Peele changes pace with dollops of comedy to lighten a situation, but I could have seriously done without the unrelenting violence and blood-letting that punctuate the narrative.

Peele also packs the film with a number of references, echoes of Spielberg and Lewis Carroll and elements of zombie land.

An interesting perspective is that Peele reminds viewers at the end of it all that he was telling an intricate story all along, not just a case of piling up bodies.

Info

Rating: ★★★☆☆
Cast: Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, Shadi Wright Joseph, Evan Alex, Tim Heidecker, Elisabeth Moss
Director: Jordan Peele
Classification: 16 HLV

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