Following Jordan Peele’s amazing Get Out, I was looking forward to his next go at horror. Us is one of those movies that you can peel like an onion, discovering layer upon layer of meaning while heading toward the core. I do not have room here to delve into these middle and bottom layers, so if you’re looking for that kind of analysis, I suggest checking out critics’ reviews linked on IMDB. I do, however, have room for a quick peek at the top layer, a story which is both slow (the plot feels a bit thin for me) and fast (wait, what just happened? what does that mean? step back a minute), and which features some humor and nice twists along the way.
When the Wilson family of four heads to the beach for a vacation, staying up the road from their friends’ house, a day in the sand ends early after young Jason wanders off. When he reappears, his mother Adelaide becomes even more fixated on a childhood memory of when she once wandered off at the beach, and pushes for the family to cut the vacation short. She’s too slow, though, because that night, a doppelgänger family breaks in, wanting more than just a nice visit. As the truth dawns on the Wilsons and they call on their friends for help, they quickly learn they must do whatever is necessary to overcome each of their darker sides.
- Top Scare: Lupita Nyong’o
- Heartbeats: 2 out of 5
- Gore Factor: 4 out of 5
- Suspense Factor: 2 1/2 out of 5
- Recommended for: 17 and up