Us

Most people love spending time at the beach! The sun, the surf, the sand. Not Adelaide Wilson (Lupita Nyong'o) though. Oh no. In 1986, she had a traumatic experience there. When she was younger, She wandered off from her parents at the fair occurring at the beach. She found herself in a slightly creepy and oddly, abandoned hall of mirrors. Then the lights suddenly went out. As she tried to find her way out, she ran into a girl that looked EXACTLY like her from behind, and then that identical girl turned around…

Flash forward to the present day. Adelaide’s full grown, with a husband, Gabe (Winston Duke), and two children, Kitty and Russell. The Wilson family is taking a much needed vacation to visit their friends, the Tylers, at their beach residence in Santa Cruz, California. It just so happens that the Tyler family has a spare beach house for the Wilsons. What a nice gesture! Or is it…

One cold dreary night at the guest house, the power goes out. Adelaide and Gabe look out the window and notice a family out on the driveway, wearing red jumpsuits, just standing there. Gabe tells them to get lost, but they continue to stand there. When he finally threatens to call the police, that’s when things get intense. The intruders enter the home and reveal themselves as the “Tethered,” doppelgängers of the entire Wilson family.

What is their motives? And what is one to do when YOU are truly your own worst enemy?

Most secular critics have praised “Us,” citing it as (and I’m paraphrasing here) insightful, ingenious and a film that raises the bar for horror films. Director Jordan Peele is, essentially, dipping his hand for the first time in the horror genre, if that’s to be believed. I say that, as, for all intensive purposes, his previous film, “Get Out” was as much a horror and suspense film as it was a political and civil equality statement.

As a stand alone suspense/horror film, “Us” has a lot going for it. Strong performances by all involved, particularly those of Lupita Nyong'o and Winston Duke. Additionally, the moments of tension are nicely balanced amongst a very eerie, yet modern-day film score, and relatively solid plot, if somewhat sluggish in some spots; two hours seemed a bit too long for this film.

A more serious concern of mine is the unbiblical premise of the film and statements made by the murderous Tethered community. It made me uncomfortable and felt like an underlying attack on Christianity. (I do warn you this might be somewhat of a spoiler.) *SLIGHT SPOILER* For example, one Tethered being states that God created them and spoke to them, telling them to go up and kill the humans above to take their place. *END SPOILER*

A Bible verse is repeatedly display throughout the film, although it is not a verse about our day, but rather was aimed specifically at the wicked, convenant-breaking Kingdom of Judah at the time of the prophet Jeremiah.

“Therefore thus says the Lord: “Behold, I will surely bring calamity on them which they will not be able to escape; and though they cry out to Me, I will not listen to them.” —Jeremiah 11:11 NKJV

Additionally, the violence in this film is grotesque, outdoing “Get Out,” and the language is over the top, making this film even more displeasing to the eyes and ears. Speaking of content…

Violence: Extreme. We witness multiple bloody scenes. Scenes are bloody. Various characters are graphically, and repeatedly, stabbed and sliced in various ways by the Tethered. A daughter is murdered. Friends murdered. Characters are bludgeoned unconscious or beaten to death with clubs. Kicked down the stairs. Run over with a car. A character falls to their death. One walks into a fire. We see dead bodies in streets and across the beaches. A character is skewered. Another is strangled to death after being skewered. A person is pushed into the turning blades of an outboard motor’s propeller.

Vulgarity/Profanity: Extreme. A song is played called “F*ck tha Police” (N.W.A, Straight Outta Compton) which contains a plethora of vulgarity and profanity (numerous lines include the f-word and the mother-f*** words). Here is my count on the remainder of the language: F*ck (15), J*sus (4), J*sus Chr*st (1), OMG (4), G*d (1), H*ll (1), Sh*t (12), Bull-Sh*t (1), “Maybe you can kiss my an*s,” d*mn (1), G*d-d*mn (3), A** (4), A**-hole (1), Sh…(cut off) (2). Other profanity includes: s*cks (1), wh*re (1), “peaked” (1), “taken by terrorists or perverts” “n*ggas” (multiple times in the “F*ck tha Police” song).

Sex/Nudity: Female characters wear somewhat cleavage bearing swimsuits on the beach. There are girls in bikinis, and shirtless males.

Other: Kitty and Russell are shown talking back disrespectfully to their parents. The fun house young Adelaide goes into has a Native American Chief Logo in the front, and it’s called the “Vision Room.”

There is absolutely nothing truly redeeming that I noticed in this film.

What I can say about “Us” that hasn’t already been said? I guess the only thing left to say is it’s disgusting, just disgusting—plain and simple. Abhorrently violent and containing subtle messages that challenge God’s ultimate design and authority, this film is absolutely unsuitable for viewing for any audience. Under absolutely no circumstances should children be subjected to this film. Do yourself a favor and stay away from this film!

• Violence: Extreme
• Vulgar/Crude language: Extreme
• Profane language: Very Heavy
• Nudity: Mild
• Sex: Mild
• Occult: None

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.