A change for the worse

Rating: 4/10 (24 July 2019)

Peele's directorial debut 'Get out' was far from perfect. But that was simply because it didn't deliver on the big picture. Then again, there was a lot of good things that showed how good Peele's work could get by just adjusting a few details. So, with a bit more experience on his back and a very promising trailer, 'Us' was expected to be most likely his first masterpiece and a well awaited return to the good atmospheric horror in an era plagued by supernatural or posession movies driven by jumpscares, completely dark scenes and overly strident music scores.
And for a short time he delivers. Not kicking out some of his old habits, Jordan Pelee still creates a great opening that -although too reminiscent of 'The strangers'- sets an incredibly eerie ambience and introduces some of the creepiest antagonists/killers the horror cinema has ever seen -thanks mainly to some awesome acting from the cast, specially the younger ones-. Then the film suddenly takes a turn. For the worse. For the very worst. After building this tense and serious atmosphere the story simply derives in some strangely clumsy comedy, with cringy catchphrases, clichee situations and a vibe more reminiscent of 'Zombieland' or 'Shawn of the dead' than a proper horror movie. And just so, the dread feeling and the sensation of danger vanish. All that remains is a mediocre movie that fails as a horror tale and doesn't deliver on the comedy or suspense either. The jokes are cheap, the backstory of the menace is never told -aside from a vague nonsensical explanation of their creation and a very mainstream motivation for their actions- and the overly open ending just adds more salt to the wound of finishing watching a movie that promised so much and not only failed to become a milestone of modern horror, but also fell way short of being a thrilling watch.