Review of Us (2019) by Ghostofebert — 01 Apr 2019

Peele did a great job of mixing both horror and misdirection in Get Out. You thought one way, the movie went another way revealed the trick of where you assumed wrong like a magician. The low budget didn't spoil its cleverness and fun. In comes "Us" with an even creepier atmosphere but also features stronger political imagery. Sadly, while there are big points for a creepy style, visuals and a terrific performance by Lyong'o, the story is too clever for itself. It leads you into misdirection from the beginning and completely forgetting that it's supposed to resolve why you thought right and the film swung left. The big reveal does not resolve at all. It laughs in the face of the viewer trying to make sense of why anyone would act the way they would if you knew from the movie's outset. The answer is that the actions of the characters are based upon false assumptions. And this is why you'll see so many dislike and are frustrated by this movie.

Case in point without spoilers. Why would a family stand still, without movement, for a long time in the driveway of a family's home? A: Because that's what all low budget creepy crappy slasher films do in order to create "an atmosphere" of terror. And the film's reveal about who the victims are in this film are just as wooden, hollow and phony. Had this film been less a vehicle of praise by liberal reviewers (who are clearly terrified to say anything critical about a certain niche of directors and actors), this film would have received a 5 at best for a great atmosphere, great Lyong'o, and a lousy, illogical, sloppy, lazy script by a director who had a certain class of people and nationalities to blame and let social media loose with its insipid insinuations. The number of plot holes and illogic is literally in the dozens and it's very disappointing that it's all style with no substance or consistency. My review - fun to watch the first 2/3, a frustrating reveal and not a movie you'll watch again.