Jordan Peele’s sophomore film does not disappoint

After the breakout success of “Get Out,” expectations were high for Jordan Peele’s next major movie, “Us.” After months of teasing from Peele on Twitter, the wait is finally over and it seems that he has delivered once again. The film debuted at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and despite the fact that it has slightly fallen after opening nationwide, there is positive buzz from critics and fans alike.

The story follows Adelaide (Lupita Nyong’o) as she goes on a trip with her husband (Winston Duke) and her two kids (Shahadi Joseph, Evan Alex) to a beachfront where she had a traumatic experience in her childhood. Everything seems fine until four mysterious intruders appear in the night, a duplicate family of themselves.

This movie delivers multiple integral aspects of film near perfectly. The acting is phenomenal, the cinematography is unique and unsettling, the building of atmosphere is extremely well done, and the blending of horror and comedy is flawless. The only real “issue” of the movie that people are talking about is that if you look deep enough, there’s some holes in the story that don’t quite add up. I disagree. Part of the beauty of it is that unlike “Get Out,” the meaning isn’t straightforward and obvious. It’s up to the viewer to interpret what they watched and make sense of the sequences and events that took place.

One thing that is just so impressive about the performances is the fact that each of these actors had to perform two conflicting roles. Lupita Nyong’o absolutely killed her performance. You can feel her emotion throughout and her duplicate self is absolutely terrifying. There’s a fight sequence near the end of the film that is so well done, I can’t stop thinking about it. I genuinely believe that she will have a shot for Best Actress with this role. She stole the show and that’s that.

Winston Duke also does a great job of playing that heartwarming but embarrassing dad. He’s a great comedy relief throughout, but when he needs to focus up, he does what he needs to do to take care of business protect the family. My last acting shout-out will go to someone who will likely not get talked about as much, Elisabeth Moss. Playing a family friend, she’s somehow able to pull off both a stuck-up diva and a crazy woman side-by-side and make it look easy.

Outside of the actors themselves, just the creativity of Jordan Peele’s cinematography conveys the atmosphere brilliantly. He pulls off shots that make the viewers question the meaning of every little detail, as well as making you feel both unsettled and engaged. This helps with the blending of two very different genres that creates an overall enjoyable experience. If you think “Get Out” was a great mix of horror and comedy, he takes both to the next level with this one. It’s a weird feeling, not knowing whether to laugh or cry throughout a large majority of the movie.

The icing on the cake is the well-balanced pacing of the three acts. It builds well early on, setting things up without being too slow and losing your attention. When the action kicks in, it keeps you engaged without overdoing it through the entire middle hour of the movie, before finishing everything off with a stunning climax that leaves the audience questioning everything that they just witnessed. I never once felt tired or bored. I was intensely focused through every second, whether it was a laugh out loud moment or a scene that was truly horrifying.

“Us” is a must-watch film for horror fans and movie-goers alike, rivaling “Hereditary” as one of the best scary movies in recent history, if not ever. It’s a very different feel from “Get Out” but it’s still spectacular nonetheless. If you have the time, go out and see this movie. It is well worth it. Peele created another masterful film, showing he is not a one-hit wonder, and with that I will be awaiting his next project anxiously.

The Hall Score: 10/10