A Masterpiece Of Identity Horror & Dark Reflection On America's Past

Rating: 9/10 (22 March 2019)

A masterpiece of identity horror & dark reflection on America's past with chilly atmospherics, originality in concept, psychological torment + twists, old-world suspense-building, and one of the best scorings in modern Horror history. 9.4/10.
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A pair of golden scissors. That was all Jordan Peele needed to build hype for his newest nightmare and sophomore follow-up to 2017's psychological race-fueled horror entry Get Out. And it worked. If Get Out was meant to be an appetizer showing glimpses of skill and greatness amplified in the main course: Us is that five-star dining experience we, and the horror genre, have been starved of and craving for years. Let's start with the score since it's so *unbelievably* good. Ever since I first heard that spooky, slowed concerto remix of Luniz's '5 On It' in the trailers and Peele's motivations/classics he wanted to pay homage to from Psycho to Jaws to The Shining to The Babadook to It Follows, I knew it was going to be something different & special. From its staccato-plucked orchestral themes rife with jarring string aggressions reminiscent of Psycho and Jaws iconic themes to its soft-balanced, airy quartet melodies discordantly happy-go-lucky and sweepingly Shining and It Follows-like, plus everything from tribal drums to theme rehashes to even hip-hop, the score is breathtakingly original and disturbing while also culturally authentic and auteuristic. It might not only be one of the best scorings I've heard in a horror film post-2000; but one of the best scorings ever in horror. It's THAT good.
The scoring echoes the darkness and effectively-chilly atmospherics in visuals, location settings, and concept. The cinematography is incredible, with strong compositionally-creative shots and innovative camerawork that will make you double-take several times at the artistic craftsmanship on display. The location setting is phenomenal lifting a long-unused setting just ripe with horror potential I'm not sure why hasn't been explored more: the carnival. From its opening scene in the downright-creepy funhouse amidst disorientating mirrors and blue-hued, white-knuckled heart-pounding (that feels positively old-world and almost Hitchcock-like), you are in for a thrill ride that keeps up its psychological horror and identity crisis until the final reveal/plot twist. The concept is breathtakingly original & absolutely brilliant as well: what could be scarier than a dark reflection or evil shadow of ourselves out to get us - a literal personification/amplification of our demons hunting us down in an equally-horrifying and brutal way with scissors? Just like in Get Out, Peele's penchant for bringing back imagination and original flair to a horror genre plagued by endless slasher reboots/sequels is extremely welcomed.
The performances and plot structure are equally sensational. Lupita Nyong'o delivers one of the strongest performances in her already-illustrious career as Adelaide/Red, showing serious acting chops and range being able to play both distinctly-far ends of the spectrum so believably (&, at times, simultaneously). Beyond that, there is not a weak link in any other supporting performance either, especially young scared Adelaide in that fateful stormy night, Winston Duke's hilarious Rod-like comic-relief Gabe, and the dark Tethers displaying undeniable skill to play two drastically-different, worlds-apart versions of yourself so convincingly. The shrewd two-way reciprocal plot structure also hits high notes unraveling the mystery and story while getting crazier at every turn as we're through the past and modern day before the two finally converge in that unbelievable final plot-twist revelation and multi-interpretive symbolic ending that reflects/parallels America's dark slavery and Native American-genocide past and trying to cover/hide/forget it when victims aren't always able to move on.
Minor flaws include sometimes-jarring MCU-like humor interjected at unnecessary, serious times and more needed fleshing-out and development/explanation of the government angle - why was it done? how? no back-up plan? etc. These are mostly inconsequential gripes though in an otherwise-brilliant and disturbing psychological-horror film. Bravo, Mr. Peele. 9.4/10.