Way too complicated

Rating: 5/10 (23 March 2019)

Just like "Get Out," I eagerly waited to see this but then walked out of the theater this afternoon scratching my head when it was over. Unlike some of the reviewers here I can't say I was disappointed, as I thought so much of the film was well done. First and foremost it's a horror movie , and Jordan Peele really knows how to build terror and some great suspense (as an example, there's a horrifying scene in which a family is matter-of-factly massacred to a Beach Boys soundtrack that was masterfully done). The problem is that the plot and logic of "Us" became so complicated and convoluted that I stopped trying to follow it halfway through the film. In fact, I just read an explanation of the ending on the Digital Spy website and I seriously doubt most people will be able to figure it out... there are way too many details that aren't spelled out very well during the film's running time, many of them unnecessary.
"Us" reminded me of an updated version of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," with references to other horror films like "The Birds" and "The Purge" thrown in. There's also a humorous wink to a part of the plot early in the film by a scene with a videotape of "C.H.U.D." in the foreground.
Lupita Nyong'o gives an incredible performance and carries a lot of the film, as well as Winston Duke, Shahadi Wright Joseph and Evan Alex.
I hope Jordan Peele continues to make horror films, because I think he has the skills to make a great one; but when the audience is so distracted by trying to understand what's actually happening and why, the film loses a lot of its impact. "Us" seemed to me to be a series of well-directed scenes but I couldn't tie them all up at the end so they made sense and I felt kind of cheated by that.