Us Review: Invasion of the Crazy-Snatchers on Elm Street

I think I may like this more than Get Out, possibly, and I really enjoyed and appreciated Get Out. This is one I'm glad I finally got to see before it left theaters. I know I'm late to the party but better late than never.

Story- I'm genuinely shocked at yet another example of a movie where the critics and audience difference is so polarizing. Some people say it was too vague, some say the entire plot is spoonfed to you. While I find it lies somewhere in the middle, I still think it was a really solid movie. While not "explicitly" scary to me, I did find myself scared of the implication of the plot, much like It Follows did to me. Both of these movies make you really think- what if this happened to you? Movies that have that sense of realism (the concept of unknown terrors, at least in the beginning, and to an extent doppelgangers because it's alleged that everyone has one. The story follows a family who travels to their summer home for a vacation, but the problem is Adelaide experienced a pretty bad bit of trauma on the beach that's located close by, and she's still shaken up by it. One of the first nights after they settle in, what appears to be a family is in their driveway. Will they go away, or will it be the end? I wont go too far into all of the different intricacies of the movie, but I was thinking about the title and I feel like it's the implication of the phrase "Us vs Them". Just a thought. Going back to the exposition dump, that was one of the few minor things that did take me out of the movie just a bit. The same thing happens on the tv in Get Out, and while it makes sense from a narrative standpoint, I suppose in the end I'd rather a movie be more clear than so vague to the point where it's not even an interpretation it's just too abstract for anyone to understand what it's even about. People are also scrutinizing this movie to Get Out or films with a similar "double" presence, but I really think it needs to be looked at on its own. This is especially evident because there really are loads more mediocre horror movies than good ones. For every Hereditary or The Descent, there's 15 Truth or Dare(s) out, and this one is much better than all those.

Cinematography/Props/Costumes- The cinematography is really captivating. The many shots that are framed in a way to add tension (which I need to remember to not spoil) lend themselves well with the horror. A lot of the scenes also show parallels, whether it be through the dialogue but more importantly the camera. I've noticed a lot of static camera shots but they slowly zoom in or zoom out used throughout in particular. The scissors were the focal point of props in the movie, and they really picked a distinct look, they almost appear antique, with the striking gold color in contrast to the darker red jumpsuits, for example. That leads into the costumes. A lot of people are likening these suits as a reference to Michael Myers from Halloween, but I'm not so sure (some of the theories are that Michael Myers is a Tethered). I do subscribe to some of the other fan theories, as with Get Out, however I'm more into the creative ones not just him ripping something off. I'll also give a shoutout to the makeup artists, because A. they made it easy to identify the clones from the originals with minor differences such as hairstyle and beard length, and didn't make it annoying like Alien Covenant. B. they made these characters creepy as hell. The daughter in particular, it was of course acting but they really accentuated her eyes to make them pop, and the makeup of the boy, which I won't spoil.

Acting- I'm going to give major props to every member of the family, because they are pretty much the only people you get to experience throughout the movie, save for their two friends and their kids. Kid actors are always dangerous based on varying quality, however Evan Alex and especially Shahadi Wright Joseph is super good at being emotional yet extremely creepy as her double. I haven't seen Black Panther, so I haven't been exposed to Winston Duke, but I loved him in this movie. Some say he didn't really deliver but I love his ridiculous and comical demeanor. As soon as his first scene came on, it's astounding that (in my opinion) he looks similar but much more crazy sounds like Jordan Peele, I swear. Lupita Nyong'o I had to save for last, she literally made me have a harder time falling asleep the night I first saw it. The voice she did which she utilized someone she knew who talked similar gave me chills at times. Her mannerisms, the quick change from stoic to manic, she was absolutely amazing. I give her the biggest props for her performance, and good on Jordan Peele for letting her run with the material.

Directing- I was worried with this movie that the hype would end up lessening the impact this movie would have, but I feel Jordan Peele did a fantastic job. You can really tell he's a true fan of horror movies with the little easter eggs he sprinkles throughout, and the fact that he intentionally dressed up as Jack Torrance from the Shining. He shows an attention to detail in nearly everything he does, and I feel that overall this movie had more of a story arc than Get Out, in terms of where it was headed. I can't say I was bored throughout the run time, although I did have quite a few distractions in the theater so I may update this after my second viewing. Update: I saw it a second time, and I appreciated it more. I was able to reflect upon the intricacies after my initial viewing, and I was able to interpret them in my second viewing. I really respect him as a solid director.

Soundtrack/Audio- this was easily one of the most effective parts of the entire movie. The score was really eerie and kicked in a lot during already tense scenes, and there was one or two scenes where the music wasn't there to build tension, which I find much more effective. The intro song really left me on edge. One bothersome audio job was when the daughter is texting on her phone and has headphones in, and you can hear the click but when her mom comes in the room, she takes her headphone out and you can hear the music. When you text with headphones in, the click comes through the headphones with the music not separately. Small nitpick but I had to throw it out there. There was also one or two scenes that utilized certain songs for darkly comedic effect, and that was easily one of the funniest in the movie, reminiscent of the final scene with Rod from Get Out. Very impressive to say the least.

Final Verdict- A. While it's not perfect, I feel this lived up to a sophomore outing of a man who truly gets horror and filmmaking in general. If you enjoy it, do yourself a favor and watch it a few days after thinking about it to really experience what it has to offer.

#JordanPeele #Horror #DarkComedy #LupitaNyongo