Solid 3.5 // Peele steps up his visual craft

Rating: 7/10 (7 April 2019)

Jordan Peele doubles down on his "social horror" premise and manages to considerably expand his craft, though without entirely avoiding the pitfalls of Get Out, his lauded debut. Us is once again built on a clever concept designed to mine the horror from a particular American social tension - this time, class. Peele goes even more off-the-wall with the premise here and, for a mainstream horror film, I admire the degree to which he revels in its outlandishness. The visuals are more unique, striking, and even haunting at their best. It's clear that he spent a lot of effort cultivating a singular iconography for the film and that's probably its greatest success, as many of its images linger. And the social metaphor at the film's heart, while not subtle by any stretch, is a crucial element as it gives the proceedings a sense of weight and purpose, both of which are severely lacking in so many throw-away modern horror films.
It's a bit of a shame, though, that Peele waits until the very final sequences of the film to open things up and delve more fully into the themes. He constructs great opening and closing acts (including the fantastically creepy prologue), but the middle section sags with what's essentially an extended cat-and-mouse sequence that feels too drawn-out. Additionally, though it is less of an issue here than with Get Out, I still struggle with a sense of tonal muddiness. Horror and comedy have certainly been blended to great effect in the past, but something about the execution here bugs me. Peele's making quite a provocative and even experimental horror film here with heavy social commentary and heady themes, but simultaneously seems to undermine himself with occasional shots of low-brow humor seemingly to make the film more palatable. Perhaps it's just my personal taste, but I'd love to see him fully commit to the horror tone in the future; he clearly has the talent to make something truly harrowing.
Solid 3.5/5