Amazing addition to the horror genre

Rating: 8/10 (24 March 2019)

Us is another notch in Jordan Peele's belt in regards to being a horror movie master. I know he only has two movies but there are very few writer directors in the genre that accomplished two effective movies back to back. As a matter of fact, his second film, although undoubtedly won't garner the attention that his first did, could be a more successful installment within the horror genre. Both films are laced with social commentary but unlike Get Out, Us doesn't depend on it in order for it to be impactful.
For example, if the lead character in Get Out was white then the thriller would have been a bit common and cliched. Us ,on the other hand, is just as good of a horror film without the social commentary. The scares are unique and well developed. The details are even better. Most horror films, especially modern American ones, forget about sound or language. Peele uses it to his advantage. Not only is the soundtrack and score placed perfectly, the use of the human voice is perfected. The main villains voice is truely horrific. The growls and grunts that come from the little evil boy is masterful. The mute yells from the fathers doppelg채nger was primal and bone chilling.
In addition to sound, the story was well written and well paced. The intensity increases as the scope of the film increased. I seriously thought the film was going to be more insulated, ie, the home invasion type,but when I realized it was going to be more, I was pleasantly surprised. The twist is minor compared to the final conflict. The reveal is well delivered but once again minor compared to the horror of the imagery and then there is the social commentary. Like I said, to me it's minor, but Jordan Peele does really know how to interweave complex topics like race and social class with horror. It's not done as well as movies like, The Babadook, The Planet of the Apes or Rosemary's Baby, but it's still intriguing and fits well within the jumps and scares.
The only negatives I have with this film is the cinematography and the use of comedy. The first quarter of the film uses lighting and color to its advantage but once the scares leaves the first house, it becomes secondary. Also the use of daylight was wasted. I love films that make use of daylight as a scare tactic. Peele didn't do a good job here. Everything is too bright and would've been better if it was shot near dawn. Also unlike Get out, where the comedy fit, this time it didn't make sense at all. Why would a family who just had to fight for their lives sit around a table and crack jokes????
Other than those small things, this is another horror masterpiece. I'm so happy that the horror genre is getting the respect it deserves and even more happy that a it was delivered by an African American writer, director.