A kid had to face the world in his own animated version and conquer life's biggest monster. ANI (The Harvest) It's as if a child's imagination is a safe haven, a place where the world is a playground for all the possibilities the mind could think of. And even the tight and humble space called home, situated on a busy Metro could not hinder the inquisitive headspace of a young Mithi (played by Zyren Dela Cruz), a boy who accomplishes the day by playing with his colorful toy robots that perform a vital role in his imaginary narrative. With a loving father and a mother that sings him a self-assuring lullaby, Mithi is blissfully unaware of the harsh reality. But life decided to toy with his fate, and Mithi's perfect little world is now showing its cracks, putting his vulnerability to the test and slowly depriving him of his happiness he thought would last forever. And through his eyes, the world suddenly transforms itself into a menacing monster. Set in a lush
"Us" Review - From a Good Kickoff to a Bland Conclusion
A family of four is on their vacation on a place where Mom had a traumatic experience with as a child. Driven by fear, the Mom is always on the alert of a possible danger, unmasking its true face at night.
When it comes to intellectually moving themes and sophisticated storytelling, I thought that writer-director Jordan Peele had already established a solid footing in the industry and quite frankly skyrocketed his status as one of the most progressive filmmakers of modern-age cinema, from his 2017's critically-acclaimed thriller, Get Out and now back again with his 2019 offering, Us.
With Peele's very compulsive and unique take on horror, I couldn't help myself but to compare his works to that of M. Night Shyamalan's, especially the Sixth Sense movie, wherein, just like Get Out, were also nominated with a heap of awards and also propelled Shyamalan to a certain height in his career, well, at least how it was back then.
Writing this film, Jordan Peele said himself that he was largely inspired from his childhood fear of doppelgangers, or within this film's context, a family of them — that is, being visited by an exact copy of yourself, what would you do? He expanded upon this very idea, went crazy with it and there came out the very premise of this whole movie.
Having seen this spectacle, I thought that Peele's riveting idea of this whole being-an-enemy-of-yourself plot is the most interesting aspect of it all, despite some glaring flaws, as it unravel its rather terrifying secrets. I thought it was also successful at stirring some thoughtful conversations about the duality of men, facing one's inner demons and exploring the other side of your psyche.
It also helps that this movie stars two of the most entertaining actors of this generation, Lupita Nyong'o and Winston Duke. For the most part, Nyong'o and Duke's acting prowess was extremely showcased in this film, largely due to them having two roles, being the mother and the father as well as their own doppelgangers in which they display a very unsettling acting performance.
Some parts of the film, especially in the first act, reminds of that get-out-of-the-waterscene in Steven Spielberg's Jaws in 1975, where tension is created and stakes are very high, slowly building on that impending danger like a pot of water reaching its boiling point. That whole confrontation sequence is just as good as I remember it and I thought the movie managed to really capture the very essence of horror without resorting to cheap blood-fest shtick for shock value. It also proves that Peele is not only evolved but is also masterful as director and as a writer.
Clearly, there was a subliminal message that is hinted in this film that Peele is trying to convey, like a metaphor about the black community experiences in America. It's good that Peele injected a very subtle but moving socio-political subject matter to this film, giving it another layer of worldliness and thought-provoking messages for us, the audience, to ponder upon.
You see, when I watch a film, especially the horror ones, I like to be consistently elated throughout and while this film opened strongly with that, sadly, it started to crumble by the second and the third act and honestly, was a bit all over the place. It's as if Peele didn't want to explain what was actually going on and rather became soft and overly cliche with the scenes at the end.
It also confuses me that the film tried to become funny at some point, which I thought was absolutely flat and disconnecting to its serious tone. Interestingly enough, that reveal at the end, which is supposed to be the what-the-f*#! moment, is very predictable and while it's not bad that you predict stuff from a mile away, I thought that the pay-off itself wasn't satisfying at all.
Don't get me wrong, the film was at some point entertaining but due to its jarring misfires, it went from great to just okay, leaving me unsatisfied and disappointed.
Let's Be Reel
With Jordan Peele's creative gumption combined with his actors' excellent portrayals, Us manages to become at least an enjoyable thriller. Its shortcomings, however, became noticeable by the end which mildly took me out of the overall experience. The horror aspect is subjective to your personal taste and I suggest you experience it for yourself.
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