Witty banter and tense, thriller-like horror makes up the bulk of the sensational new production by Jordan Peele that is a must-see for any fans of his previous movie “Get Out.”
“Us” is a movie that takes on a strange concept of people having clones of themselves. These clones live deep underground and were forgotten about after a government experiment went haywire. They developed without any real emotion and most never learned to speak.
This concept itself isn’t exactly groundbreaking. A government experiment going wrong is a usual go-to element in a lot of stories, but the other things that Jordan Peele seems to hint at throughout the movie add to the great storytelling.
Just like in “Get Out,” Jordan Peele is hinting towards a bit of a bigger meaning, rather than the movie being there for pure entertainment. In Get Out, the themes of racism and prejudice are very apparent, but in “Us,” these meanings seem to be a bit more hidden and take a bit of thought to derive your own meanings.
Throughout the movie, there seems to be a lot of hints toward oppression and how someone’s upbringing can manipulate exactly who they become.
The main point showing this oppression is the fact that these duplicates were forced into a deprived living situation, while their counterparts could thrive up above. These people were oppressed and deprived of any form of education, relationships or emotion because they were “failures,” according to other people’s standards.
This deprivation of basic human needs had made these people turn into these feral creatures who murdered on impulse. They were the “lesser people” and wanted a chance to eliminate the people who were above them, so they could stand on top.
The viewpoint was well carried out throughout the film, without being shoved down the viewers’ throats. These messages were sewn throughout the production, instead of being stamped right on the front. This makes the messages stand out even more, and I am almost positive there are other messages that I didn’t even think of that may have been hinted towards.
Even casually watching the movie, it can still be a great time for anyone who likes thriller experiences. It is a phenomenal combination of humor and horror with the switches between genres remaining fluid throughout the film.
“Us” is a must-see film for anyone who is a fan of Jordan Peele or his previous production. Even if you aren’t, this is a great movie to get you interested in his unique horror experiences and get you excited for anything new he plans to produce in the future.
