Packs a punch, but not as creepy as expected!

Rating: 8/10 (5 April 2019)

Where do I start with this one? Based on the trailers alone, it seemed genuinely creepy and I was already excited after the amazing Get Out. I went in expecting this new Peele entry to be extremely sadistic, frightening, and tense. I received most all of these feelings; the film was innovative and mostly fresh.
Peele has a talent for drawing in his audience through exposition and character development; we are genuinely interested in Adelaide Wilson (Lupita Nyong'o) and the traumatic experience she went through as a child. The film starts out extremely creepy with a sense of foreboding doom; this draws the audience in completely. It almost begins to fold out as a psychological drama about trauma and its impact on individuals and their families. While this would have been an interesting idea to explore, the film quickly moves on to the infamous Doppelgangers and their animosity towards our protagonists. I feel at this point, aside from the bloody violence, the film is no longer really horror and ceases to be truly scary. While I was initially disappointed, the film continues to be so well filmed, acted, and crafted, I was willing to continue the journey. While the third act is not as compelling as the rest of the film, it certainly ties in many of the film's central themes and delivers an expected, but effective climax. I am thrilled to see what Peele has in store for us in the future.