Jordan Peele’s “Us” Review: A Thoughtful Rant on Its Confusing Themes and Characters

SPOILER ALERT

So let me preface this by saying that I enjoyed Lupita in this film. I don’t know any of the other actors, though that guy looked a lot like Jordan Peele.

So yeah, I finally got around to seeing “Us” by Jordan Peele. I felt this movie was pretty disappointing. One of my friends said that I’m one of the only people who didn’t “get it.” I plan to read and watch some videos on it because I’m curious about what I might have missed.

My son told me that the tethered symbolized people who don’t have things, while the living symbolized those of us who do and maybe take it for granted. I can sort of get that, but there are still too many questions. It’s not like the living even knew these people existed or that they intentionally hurt them. So what exactly was their issue with the living? The living didn’t really do anything to them, so what’s behind that?

If you saw the film, you know the little tethered Lupita switched places with the other one. Does that mean that by being in that basement, the normal girl then becomes the shadow? They didn’t really explain that, and this part didn’t make a lot of sense to me. Why didn’t the original Lupita leave the basement? What exactly were the tethered, why were they created, and who created them? Why did all those people in red form a line, yet not do anything while the family was escaping?

The biggest part that frustrated me was how the husband acted. Dude, you need to step up and fight back. Running, limping from a bat hit, begging to be left alone—come on, fight back and defend your family. None of them went to the kitchen for knives; they all just cowered, waiting to be attacked. Where were those survival instincts?

I’ve heard black comedians say that black people, and even Latinos, wouldn’t die the same way in horror films as white people typically do. What happened to that in this movie? Okay, they all survived, but not because of superior survival instincts or anything like that. Jordan Peele let them live, but except for Lupita being strong and the little boy backing into the fire, these characters were mostly victims.

I know I’m just ranting, but my movie time is limited, and I had high expectations after watching “Get Out.” I felt pretty disappointed, and I’m not the only one. Others told me the same, but maybe most people don’t want to say it out loud because they don’t want to criticize Jordan Peele. I like the guy and hope he keeps making great films. Maybe, as my friend said, I just don’t get it?