One of the most stunningly original and fierce films of 2019 has arrived on DVD, Blu-Ray and digital download formats. Us is the follow-up to the Oscar winning Get Out from Jordan Peele. Whereas his first horror flick pointed a camera at race relations in our society, his next film does that in some ways, but above all else—it is a cinematic indictment of the class structure that exists in our society.
Lupita Nyong’o and Winston Duke are Adelaide and Gabe Wilson, parents to two kids—Zora (Shahadi Wright Joseph) and Jason (Evan Alex). As Peele’s latest thrill ride commences, the Wilsons are heading out on their yearly visit to a delightful northern California beach town and to meet up with their longtime friends, Kitty and Josh Tyler (Elisabeth Moss and Tim Heidecker) and their teenage daughters Becca and Lindsey (Cali and Noelle Sheldon). By the time their first day of sun and fun ends, fate wastes no time getting haunting. First, little Jason sees something on the beach that sends his family into a temporary panic. Secondly, as teased in that riveting Us trailer, later that night, a family silently stands in their driveway. They don’t say a word, looking downright spooky.
As Gabe grabs a baseball bat from inside, heads back out and famously utters, “You want to get crazy? Let’s get crazy!” Things don’t exactly go as he believes they will. It’s a full on home invasion before all is said and done and that’s not even the scariest aspect of this entire situation. Those menacing folks look an awful lot like the Wilsons … as their daughter says, “They are Us.”
What is so riveting about this entire concept is what is happening to the Wilsons, the viewer learns, is actually happening to millions of people across the country. The fascinating part of this entire endeavor is as Peele starts removing the layers to his mystery, it becomes horrifying in the most gnarly of ways. There are movie twists, and then there is what the writer-director delivers with Us. It is the most haunting of premises and an absolute delight to witness unfold before our eyes.
After Get Out, Peele became a creative force of nature whose name alone would get this writer front and center for whatever he produces. When Us was announced, my ticket was purchased the millisecond they were available. As he rebooted Twilight Zone on CBS All Access, I signed up for the service to be swept away by his evocative brilliance. If Get Out was a talent announcement for Peele, then Us is a full on declaration of divine gifts being executed to their full brilliance.
As Daniel Kaluuya was able to do with his game changing turn in Get Out, a similar spectacular stroke of genius is achieved by Oscar winner Nyong’o. What is asked of her by her auteur is even deeper and infinitely more challenging than what Kaluuya had to bring with Peele’s 2017 effort (not taking anything away from the Academy Award nominated turn by the actor). Nyong’o is simultaneously Adelaide and her doppelganger, known only as Red. Who is Red and what she signifies in Adelaide’s life landscape is chilling. As executed by the filmmaker and his electric ensemble, it has a scope that spans far beyond the reaches of the Wilson clan. What is so fabulous about Us is that, like Get Out, it is a film that emotionally lingers in your soul for the foreseeable future. What makes Us unique is that by focusing on the class divide, that feels an awful lot like the caste system that exists in India, it transcends the color of one’s skin. The film addresses the disproportionate wealth disparity in our country, sure, but more accurately Peele paints a picture about access and opportunity and how that aspect of “wealth” is truly the life changer for so many. Countless souls fail to live up to their potential due to the fact that, for whatever specific reason, they do not have the same opportunities placed in front of them to change their lives. Access to life changing moments permeates the haves and is vacantly vapid from the have nots.
Don’t miss my “A” theatrical Us review!
Nyong’o’s character double duty spotlights her rich talent that seems to know no bounds. The role was custom made for her and I cannot picture any other thespian portraying the role in such a palpable manner that produces a seismic reaction from the audience. Matching her in the most different of ways is her cinematic partner in crime, Duke. The Black Panther star is all of us in Us in a way that it is through him that the viewer gets their take on the story. It’s a fascinating angle for Peele, storytelling-wise, and as commanded by Duke, we are with him every step of the way. Their onscreen kids triumph. Finding the right child actors to tackle what Us demands of these dual roles could not have been an easy endeavor for Peele and his team. But what they receive from Alex and Joseph is supremely sublime.
Us’ arrival on home video could not be more of a gift to the movie appreciators of the world. The ability to witness Peele’s masterpiece repeatedly is priceless. One can expect to find something unique and majorly discussion-spawning with each successive view. Then, of course, there are also those enlightening and wholeheartedly entertaining bonus features that enhance the film, as the best home video releases are known to do …
Besides serving as a haunting moniker, Us makes us all think about the evil that each one of us could be capable of and exploring that sentiment is the brilliant bonus featurette The Monsters Within Us. It spotlights the electric eight (aka the Wilson fam and their mirror selves). Wonder how these four actors approached the potentially thankless challenge? Within Us answers that question as the performers offer insight into their process and how their filmmaker was an invaluable and endlessly helpful asset.
Tethered Together: Making Us Twice is the best of the bonus features in that it takes what could have been a mundane subject (how Peele literally filmed his actors performing with their doppelgangers, i.e. having to film every single scene with them twice). The seven-and-a-half-minute piece illustrates why I have been heaping so much praise on Peele and his quartet. This featurette shines a light on the filmmaking aspect of achieving this feat and for those of us who spend our days exploring the film industry from every angle, what Making Us Twice delivers is an insight into the concrete method of the art of filmmaking.
Some critics have already made wide-swathing statements about Peele and how what he’s doing is so unique and revolutionary. I think it’s a little too early to attach genius-like monikers to the writer-director. But one thing cannot be denied. There is no one out there making movies like he does and as such, that effort should be lauded and celebrated. Redefining a Genre: Jordan Peele’s Brand of Horror finds the cast and crew, as well as Peele himself, exploring the filmmaker’s passion for the horror genre. We get a real entertaining and informative look at his horror film inspirations and what makes him cinematically tick. Enhancing this featurette is another one in this vein, Jordan Peele’s Brand of Horror. This one focuses on his artistic voice and how this comedian and comic creator of the supremist of talent in that milieu, has truly made his mark and quickly in a genre that could not be on the more opposite side of the moviemaking world.
The Duality of Us is a ten-minute journey with Peele where we can see how the horror of the doppelganger and its mythology truly terrifies the artist and how he utilized that mode of storytelling to address some serious societal ills. Oh, and it fascinatingly explores that whole 11:11 element of this film that is simply awesome.
Nyong’o gets the (rightful) spotlight in Becoming Red. The actress chimes in on how she achieved such greatness and shows us the adjustments she made (even mid-scene) that all added up to something sensational.
Peele and his cast divinely deliver insight into how three key scenes in Us where made with Scene Explorations. From storyboards to interviews and film clips, scenes Seven Second Massacre, It’s a Trap and I Just Want My Little Girl Back are the perfect trio of scenes to encapsulate the entire tale and why it hits all the right notes.
Lastly, I must salute the featurette that focuses on the dance routine of Zora and Umbrae. It brilliantly intercuts between a teenage Adelaide at her dance recital and Red doing her thing in the Underpass. It’s chilling … just like the movie itself.
Film Grade: A
Bonus Features: A