Us

It goes by quickly without getting boring, Peele delivers a very original concept that plays with our expectations, but unfortunately, this incomprehensible genre hodgepodge can’t never fully satisfy its ambitions of social comedy-horror. Get Out was solidly built on paranoia and the humour worked like an almost welcome relief, Us is packed with ideas, jokes and wannabe shocking twists, but it doesn’t give the viewer a chance to comfortably get into the story and enjoy the concept or feel scared. And no, I don’t think the experience can improve with a rewatch. 60% (04/03/2019)

With this grotesquely warped horror movie reminiscent of The Twilight Zone, Jordan Peele has confirmed his position as an illustrious talent in the field of genre films. In Us, those who are so inclined can see a provocative parallel to the basic principle of capitalism, i.e. the presumed right to privilege and living life at the expense of someone else, which brings out the dark side of people. At the same time, however, it is simply a great, original horror flick that is not satisfied with the superficial tricks with which most current contributions to the genre are inundated. (03/31/2019)

Jordan Peele is undoubtedly a huge talent, which he has shown not only in his comedy sketches, but also with his hit Get Out, and high hopes were pinned on Us, based on the amazing trailer and positive reactions from critics. In the end feelings are slightly mixed, the film will definitely once again divide audiences into two camps, similar to Mother or Hereditary. Mainstream viewers and teens can stay home, this is a much more challenging spectacle than it first appears and those expecting a classic home invasion, slasher or horror will be sorely disappointed. The biggest trump cards are definitely the actors, with Lupita Nyong'o giving an extraordinary double performance, the superb craftsmanship, the details, the camera shots, the visuals and the intense music (“I Got 5 on It” is played three times and is quite goosebump-inducing during the final scene), and the very disarming and effective twists and turns, which you may not understand right away, but the creativity cannot be denied. Us also works in terms of horror. The home invasion is filmed in a decently atmospheric manner and the slasher rampage is quite brutal, though unfortunately, there is no explicit gore. In places the film is underpinned by comedy interludes, which work for the most part. It's slightly disappointing that the film isn't downright creepy and there's a distinct lack of a memorable scene to talk about in the future. Many may also be bothered by the fact that some issues aren't put squarely on the table, and whether the whole thing even makes sense is also debatable. I will definitely give this a re-watch and even though I was expecting grittier and more dense stuff, I still have to admit that there hasn't been a horror film this original and creative in years. 80%. (03/22/2019)

I'm almost beginning to think that Jordan Peele chooses the actors for the lead roles for their eyes, but it's also for their acting mastery. Lupita Nyong'o was perfect for the lead role, both for her better version and the darker one, which is truly terrifying. Jordan Peele then shows that he can also build scenes brilliantly to make them scary simply through their visuals. He is truly a horror talent. (06/21/2019)

Is it possible that this was made by the creator of the brilliant Get Out?! Us does not work on any level as an attempt at horror with certain (perhaps philosophical?!) overtones. Though it is a technically flawless Hollywood movie, it is laughable and unbelievable in terms of its content. Scenes that are supposed to be scary are instead embarrassing to the point of being ridiculous; the dialogue, which is supposed to be wittily cool, is unnatural and silly. There is seemingly an attempt at an interesting existential element in the uncovering of the story’s mystery, but it turns out to be WTF nonsense. It’s as if the sophisticated violin of Shyamalan’s early originality and Stephen King’s thematic distinctiveness were supposed to be employed here, but there was only enough talent for a child’s ukulele with half of its strings missing. (10/16/2020)