Consider us disappointed.

Rating: 5/10 (13 May 2020)

I hope this movie is judged on its own merits. Not by Jordan Peele's previous movie, Get Out. Not by it being a Jordan Peele film alone. Because it is not the unflinching masterpiece that Get Out is.
Don't get me wrong, Us is a very good, competent film. The cast is perfect. There isn't a single main or side actor that has a weak performance in this picture (except for the twin sisters). Special shoutout goes to Lupita Nyong'o and Shahadi Wright Joseph playing the mother and daughter. This is also one of the few times where licensed music was well inserted in the movie. There is even an orchestra-heavy mix of "I Got 5 on It" by Luniz that is used during the final conflict that I thought worked very well.
That said there is a lot the kept this from being a great film. This is not Jordan Peele's "next nightmare" that the marketing so proudly proclaims. There are a couple of twists in this film. One in the beginning of the third act and another at the end. The reveal of who Lupita's character really is was supposed to be this huge, Shyamalan twist. The only problem comes from the fact that I predicted the reveal an hour ago. So big shock here and you will most likely guess it before the movie just tells you. The other problem is how I felt there was no stakes in the movie. This is kind of a spoiler, but Peele wrote the family to be so likable that you assume that the four of them will survive some pretty close calls. The other family in the film is comparatively under-written and not really likable so you know their fate. I appreciated this "horror" movie not having any jump scares in it but I was also kind of hoping for some scares of any kind.
This movie is perfect for the masses who don't expect too much from their movies. For those who don't want multiple layers that you can un-Peele (sorry) from multiple viewings from films like Get Out. For everyone else, if you haven't seen Us yet, skip it.