Us (watched March 21, 2019)

Jordan Peele’s (unrelated) follow-up to the wildly popular “Get Out” is finally here; and, it does not disappoint. As one can gather from the trailers, “Us” is about a family (the Wilsons) that is on vacation and for reasons not particularly clear to anyone, is forced to come face-to-face with another family that is comprised of individuals who, for the most part, bear a striking resemblance to each of its own family members.

What is immediately palpable from the very start of the movie is the particularly gripping musical score. There are reworkings of a number of famous tunes that at different times set the tone, heighten the intensity and also settle us down before taking us on the next roller coaster scene of high and lows. The musical accompaniment to Us deserves a lot of credit for driving the film forward and should undoubtedly be recognized with accolades in the form of several award nominations. Think Kanye West in "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy."

Us starts out with some backstory that sets up the entire movie with just enough information to reel the audience in and without divulging much at all about how it is connected to the present day story that takes place more than 30 years later. That aspect, in fact, is reminiscent of The Prodigy; but, this plot bridges that time gap much more quickly. That, in turn,  means that MOST of the movie actually takes place in conflict, which is great news for moviegoers who have a tough time paying attention during moments of particularly less activity. Once the main conflict is introduced, the family finds itself in the crux of this “family feud” for the duration of the film, making it immensely suspenseful for basically the entirety of the audience’s experience.

However, Us is also just as thought-provoking and, at times, even confusing, as it is attention-grabbing. I could not help but try to find some sort of rhyme and/or reason behind the events that were unfolding before my eyes. And in those very moments I appreciated the film even more because the next big shock moment always came as I was in the very middle of my theorizing. This led to a very interesting dynamic wherein my mind and thoughts were often being pulled one way while my heart and emotions were being tugged in another.

The film boasts such Black Panther favorites as actors Lupita Nyong'o and Winston Duke, who are both amazing in their own right and both of whom are destined to continue making magic on screen. But, the Wilson family is actually on vacation with another family whose matriarch I was ECSTATIC to see because I love this actress and had no idea she was in this film as well. I will not divulge her identity to avoid spoiling it for those of you who did not know she was in the film either. Us is one hour and fifty minutes long but because of the aforementioned nature of the plot, it does not suffer from even one dull moment that I can recall. The film is thoroughly suspenseful throughout and perhaps even more thought-provoking, which is why I give Us 4 STRONG reps out of 5. There are some who, even like myself, to some extent, might have a gripe with the ending; but, that is the nature of the horror genre. No ending is ever perfect for everybody; but, the discussions that will inevitably be had as more and more people watch the film should overshadow any such nit-picking. Us definitely deserves to be experienced on the big screen; and, I would suggest doing so sooner rather than later before everyone is spoiling it for those among you who will inevitably take longer to see it than one should. Jordan Peele has firmly entrenched himself as a modern day horror genre pioneer seemingly out of NOWHERE and I can’t WAIT to see what he comes out with next.  There is a real sense of "magical realism" that runs through US more so than in Get Out, a trend which I would love to see continue with subsequent Jordan Peele films.

So, did you come face-to-face with “Us” yet? Let me know in the comments section what your thoughts are regarding the film whether you have or haven’t seen it yet!


TRAILER THOUGHTS!

Aside from the now too often repeated "Avengers: End Game" trailer, one other trailer stood out. Matthew McConaughey will soon be BACK alongside such favorites as Jonah Hill, Zac Efron, Martin Lawrence, Isla Fisher and Snoop D-O-double G himself in what promises to be a HYSTERICAL time with "The Beach Bum." That looks like a BALL OF LAUGHTER waiting to explode.