Us (2019) ***

For his sophomore effort director Jordan Peele has delivered us Us (2019), a well-made and thoughtful but ultimately overhyped horror film. That's coming from someone who loved Peele's first film, Get Out (2017), on both the first and second viewings. That film was quite hyped as well but I felt it delivered in ways that Us does not. Honestly though, I'm still processing Us and I feel like I need a second viewing to form a better opinion. Here's my thoughts after the initial one...

Without getting into plot mechanics or specifics, Us is undoubtedly a more ambitious film than Get Out. It's also more muddled because of this though. The themes explored—doppelgängers, nature vs. nurture, the ambiguity of good and evil, cyclicity—are all intriguing, but the plot and characters feel underdeveloped as a whole (even in a film where I felt the running time dragged a bit).

I also found some of the technical aspects to be lacking—murky shots, poorly filmed action (I was confused what exactly happened during some key moments), and a few too many quick-cuts. Overall the humor worked for me, but there were scenes where I felt it took away from the gravity of the situation.

The four lead actors are all quite good throughout, doing an especially commendable job of distinguishing between their dual roles. Lupita Nyong'o, clearly intentionally, is given the most screen time and also the opportunity to explore both her roles the most thoroughly.

The fact that I'm underwhelmed by Peele's second outing as director in no way means that I've written him off. My hope is that a subsequent viewing will reveal more clues, more craft, and help answer some lingering questions. I try to remember that a lot of my favorite directors were before my time and I discovered their works not necessarily chronologically and not as they were being released—the hype machine, while I try my best not to let it influence my opinion, really is annoying. Additionally, a lot of directors make many films before they hit their stride and/or their output can be incredibly varied, quality-wise. Not to mention that some films just take additional viewings to click.

In my opinion, just because something is popular or wins awards doesn't mean it's good. Us is good, very good at times. But I'd be lying if I said that I don't fear that Peele may just become another superhero film director (or the new M. Night Shyamalan, never quite recapturing the magic of their breakout hit). I hope he doesn't go either route. He's very talented and I want him to continue to make original stories. He is writing and producing (though not directing—Black female director Nia DeCosta is helming which should prove a unique viewpoint) the remake of Candyman (2020), and I'm very excited for that film as well.