‘Us’ Horror Movie Review

The 2019 American horror-thriller ‘Us’ directed by Jordan Peele, starring Lupita Nyong’o and Winston Duke, is one of those rare few films that fall under the horror genre and yet have a more than 90% approval rating on ‘Rotten Tomatoes’. Although IMDB users are not as kind, with the movie raking a 6.8/10. That’s a good enough score for a horror movie; Asian & Indian parents wouldn’t agree.

The story follows the Wilson family, who are vacationing in their beach-house. One night, they find themselves confronted by intruders – four people who look exactly like them (but creepier) and are baying for their blood. Which side will survive? The real family or their creepy clones? That’s the rest of the story, along with answers to what the hell is going on.

The cast is fantastic – Lupita plays Adelaide Wilson, a mom who is haunted by an incident from her past, actors Shahadi Wright and Evan Alex who play her kids match up to her talent with their equally brilliant dual performances, first as the regular Wilson kids and then as the evil doppelgangers.

Deeper philosophical and metaphorical meanings aside, the plot of the film just doesn’t make much sense on the surface. Most average viewers are not going to sit and meditate on the symbolism of it all. When it comes to sheer entertainment value, ‘US’ doesn’t fare too well. It could have been more fun and more fast. The movie definitely has a few moments where the viewer would be left exclaiming “oh shit! oh shit”, especially due to some graphic violence. That’s a good sign when it comes to thriller/horror films.

Watch ‘US’ for some interesting performances and a decent enough plot-twist when the climax comes. It’s a 6/10 from me.