Kevin Coughlin
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FULL WATCHALONG ~ US
🕑 Added 2025-07-22 01:25:20 +0000 UTCUs (2019) is Jordan Peele’s bold, eerie follow-up to Get Out, and while it’s visually striking and anchored by a stellar dual performance from Lupita Nyong’o, it sometimes feels like it’s a little too impressed with its own mystery. The setup is brilliant—a seemingly normal family vacation is interrupted by a group of doppelgängers who look exactly like them, only creepier, silent (well, mostly), and deeply stabby.
Nyong’o is undeniably the heart of this movie, delivering two distinct performances that manage to be both vulnerable and unnerving. She’s the glue holding the film together, even when the narrative starts to unravel like a half-explained urban legend. Winston Duke brings charm and awkward dad energy, and the kids have some genuinely great moments—but let’s be real, the Tethered are the stars. Their strange movements, blank stares, and blunt instruments are enough to carry a few nightmares home with you.
But where Us stumbles is in the overreaching metaphors. There's a lot of symbolism—rabbits, tunnels, scissors, Hands Across America—and while some of it hits, much of it just hangs there like spooky window dressing, begging you to interpret it. The third act, especially, gets murky. The big twist is clever, sure, but the more the movie tries to explain what’s going on, the more questions it raises—and not in a fun, “let’s theorize for hours” kind of way. More like, “Wait, how would any of this work?!”
That said, Peele’s direction is stylish and confident. The tension builds well, the home invasion scenes are sharp, and the soundtrack slaps exactly where it needs to. It’s ambitious and thoughtful, no doubt, but Us might have benefited from a little less mystery and a little more clarity.
Still worth watching. Just don’t expect all the answers—this one’s more about the vibes than the logic.
