Welcome one and all to part 31 of The 52 In 52. The concept is simple, each week I pick one of the DVDs or Blu Ray from my shelves that have been gathering dust and I review it. Last week I reviewed the bonkers black metal film, Lords Of Chaos, head on over and give it a read.
As always if you have any comments or feedback please leave it in the section below or by following me on Twitter and Instagram.
Before I begin I want you to check out a couple of Kickstarter projects I'm backing. The first is a new vegan snack food, Vegan Pig, the worlds first vegan pork scratching check out the project HERE
The second project is a new comic book by the writer of a personal favourite, Alex Automatic, Fraser Campbell and Katie Fleming called Heart Of Steel check it out HERE.
This week I have to admit I am cheating on this one. I will be writing about Us. I loved going to see the film in cinemas and I can't believe I never reviewed it at that point. Written and directed by Jordan Peele, Us is the follow up to the hugely successful Get Out. Us follows the story of Adelaide Thomas, who as a child had a terrifying encounter with her doppelganger at an amusement park in Santa Cruz. Now a parent Adelaide returns to Santa Cruz and bizarre events unfold where her entire family is faced with doppelganger versions of themselves.
I love Us. I can say that this is one of the best films I have seen this year and I can't recommend it more. Peele creates films that are equal parts comedy and horror in perfect balance. Like Get Out, Us has some genuinely scary scenes, the opening scenes in the fun house are unsettling and does a great job at building the back story without too much plot exposition but, the great thing with Peele's style is that he laces the horror with humour, there is a particular scene during a pretty bloody murder that is lightened with the choice of music playing in the background. The story unfolds at a great pace and even in the closing moments left me guessing.
There is a great chemistry between the entire family. Adelaide and Gabe's interactions are hilarious and I love the way that Adelaide is the stronger of the two in the relationship. The interactions between the parents and children are just as funny and the bond between Adelaide and Jason is great throughout even with little more than a few knowing looks and brief interactions. This closeness and bond is highlighted further when the family interact with their friends who can't stand the sight of each other.
The two child actors, Evan Alex and Shahadi Wright Joseph, are fantastic throughout. There is a natural bond between the two and the dialogue isn't forced or awkward in any way, it feels like they are siblings. Alex is a real stand out and lights up the screen with his expressive face. Wright Joseph starts as a one dimensional teen but, throughout matures and does more than a usual horror teen which is scream and cry. The doppelganger acting is fantastic. Each actor manages to provide two distinct performances and the final scenes where Adelaide faces off against her doppelganger is a masterclass in film making.
Overall Us is easily one of the best horror films made in the past 10 years simply for the fact that it takes a horror base and adds humour and style in place of gore and jump scares, not that there aren't scares. The acting throughout is fantastic and highlights both overlooked talent and two young actors that act beyond their years.
Comments
Post a Comment