A run of the mill family are on holiday when they are terrorised by their seemingly immortal and extremely brutal doppelgängers. I liked this - it's not remotely scary, in fact it is actually quite funny - in a perverse sort of way. The acrobatic kids cavorting about with limbs that bend (and break) every which way belong in the Olympics. It's hardly original, either - you'll have seen plenty other films in the same vein - but it is FUN! It moves along entertainingly and though the dialogue is not going to trouble a Pulitzer jury, it is almost two hours of escapism that makes no pretence to be otherwise. (Yes, the ending is pretty darned dreadful!).
Well, they cut back on the blatant racism from "Get Out," so that's a plus. It didn't make the film a uncomfortable to watch in an original "A Birth of a Nation" kind of way. But's it's still there, just slightly muted. And, like "Get Out," it'll have the same cringe effect once its not socially acceptable any longer. But again, it was toned down so it isn't as uncomfortable a watch. However, the film kind of gives everything away in the very beginning. Straight down to the grand event at the end. So if you're paying attention to glaring, obvious, detail the twist at the other end can be seen easier than a 20mph fastball. There is a moment of doubt that, maybe the obvious hints were wrong, but right before the action starts the mother gives a speech to absolutely ensure that you, yes, you were right from the start. And the racism, though toned down, makes it pretty clear that the peaceful and loving event highlighted at the start of the film, isn't just going to be for nostalgic reasons. It's going to be a plot element, only because someone like Jordan Peele isn't that type that would look at that gesture of 80s kindness favorably.
It’s sloppy, lacks logic or internal consistency, makes really bizarre and inane storytelling decisions, and has a less than satisfying ending. It’s also strangely fun and absorbing and a good time, even if you end up racking your brain trying to figure out the logic. Following up his excellent "Get Out," Jordan Peele gives us "Us," the story of a family terrorized be evil doppelgangers who want revenge for something and to finally get their time in the sun in a very clear socioeconomic metaphor. Ultimately it doesn't make a lot of sense, and yet there's still something strangely compelling about this film. It's as though Peele tries to walk us through the door, but realizes too late that he forgot to open the door first and we end up crashing through it, Kool-Aid man style, getting a few splinters stuck in our eye in the process. We get the results we ultimately wanted, but it's far from painless. The problem comes down to basic logic. As the movie goes on, you can't help but wonder how exactly this works. When needing to identify with movie characters, you have to figure out how the world they're in works. Honestly, I found Middle Earth to have more of an internal logic than this world. And this is supposed to be our world, not some weird fantasy realm. While this movie is plagued by problems with disbelief, it’s still strangely fun. Like, really fun! It’s a great idea, just sloppily executed and rushed out without fixing the logic part. As such, it’s one of those movies that seems to have divided audience everywhere. I myself can see both sides, so it’s getting a middle of the road rating from me. If you can consciously suspend disbelief in the face of some major logical problems, you’re bound to have a lot of fun. Otherwise, you might want to skip it to save your own sanity.
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