Us (2019)

After the breakthrough debut that is Get Out, Jordan Peele is back with another horror in store, Us (2019). This suspenseful sophomore effort clearly attempts to be way bigger in every aspects, as in larger scope of environment, weightier concept, and of course, bloodier violence.

Since the story revolves around people facing their own doubles, it's mainly interesting to see the cast perform in multifaceted fashion. The casting is fantastic but the real scene stealer here is Lupita who delivers a career-defining performance. She's brilliant as both an anxious and sympathetic mother, but also intimidating as a vengeful and cold blooded hunter.

As expected, Us is filled with twists and turns, and the vehicle to get to the final reveal is multilayers of suspense in the vein of classic horror cliches. Jordan Peele definitely knows how to craft intensity like the back of his hand, and this time he's going with full force. Endless chase down the road, hide and seek, furious home invasion a la Funny Games (1997), down to sinister atmosphere in broad daylight, everything is thoughtfully done. This movie blends horror and humour like no other, and if anything it emphasizes the unique tone that Peele innovates with.

Although not nearly as obvious with the social commentary as Get Out was, Us still runs with a socio-political satire deep in its blood. It touches upon the topic of classism, and how the government treats society as a pawn for their agenda instead of human beings (the scene where Zora talks about the government putting substances in water to control us is a nice opening to this nod). Until it takes a revolution from the lower class to overthrow the upper class. Interestingly, each person could have their interpretation of the message this film is trying to convey. 

To wrap it up, Us deserves another bump to the top thanks to the frightening and atmospheric scores by Michael Abels. Especially the way it manages to place popular songs in particular scenes made this movie utterly unforgettable.