My History With the Film:
Us may have had the finest trailer I’ve ever seen for a horror film. The excellent use of Luniz’s “I’ve Got Five On It” really helped sell this very unique and interesting tone for a horror film. I anxiously awaited the release and fully expected us to be the most terrifying film of the year. So, I made my way to the Alamo Drafthouse with Brandy to check it out and we both left extremely underwhelmed.
What The Film Is About (Non-Spoiler):
A vacationing family are terrorized by a family of clones.
What I Liked About It:
-The opening scene is by far my favorite scene of the movie and the most memorable part. I loved The Lost Boys reference and it really put me in a carnival in the 1980’s. Sadly, the film went downhill from here.
-Luipta Nyong’o’s clone speech was very cool and I enjoyed the way it was broken up and slow. It, along with the jerky movements, gave them an unsettling appearance.
What I Didn’t Like About It:
-The ending was terrible. It was predictable and came off cheap.
-I feel like the movie was written with all sorts of allegories and deep thoughts in mind and not enough focus was put on telling an interesting story. I believe all the parts are there for a great film, but the story gets so wrapped up on making a commentary about society that it forgets that it’s a horror movie and that it should be scary and fun.
Additional Notes:
-Jason Blum was asked to be a producer on Us, but Blumhouse didn’t have the money to finance the film. So Universal hired Blum on a one-time deal as a producer.
-The cast was given eleven horror movies to watch in preparation for the film: Jaws, Dead Again, The Shining, The Babadook, It Follows, A Tale of Two Sisters, The Birds, Funny Games (1997), Martyrs, Let the Right One In (2008), and The Sixth Sense.
Rating:
Us is the second biggest disappointment I’ve ever experienced in a movie theater behind The Village. The trailer was so good, but sadly the film that the trailer showed just wasn’t there.
Horror movies are great vehicles for social commentary and usually that commentary comes up organically. Setting out to write a “woke” film rarely results in a good movie and I feel like Us fell victim to this as well.
I rate Us a one out of five and say skip it.
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