Us Blu-ray Review: A Chilling Horror Film With Numerous Themes

Us, to nobody’s surprise, ended up being an impressive box office hit. Now, fans can go ahead and own Jordan Peele’s follow-up to Get Out on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD. The home release of Us has some interesting extra features for fans to enjoy.

I was provided a free review copy of Us home release for review. The opinions are my own.

Us is one of those horror films which offers a lot on repeat viewings. The story is full of symbolic imagery. And while I get that there are some who think the movie didn’t have anything worthwhile to say, I also understand those who could see a lot of different meanings hidden in the narrative. For some, it’s about oppression and individuality, for others it’s about nothing more than a few violent scares. In a sense, Us is the kind of content which lets you decide what it’s supposed to be instead of presenting its own meaning in an obvious manner.

The movie opens in the year 1986 when young Adelaide Thomas (Madison Curry), after wandering away from her family during a carnival, finds herself in a hall of mirrors. There she encounters her double. The experience leaves her traumatized. After a decades-long time jump, we see Adelaide (Lupita Nyong’o) driving to enjoy a vacation in Santa Cruz with her husband (Winston Duke), and their kids, Zora (Shahadi Wright Joseph) and Jason (Evan Alex).

Once back in Santa Cruz, Adelaide’s past resurfaces and the family encounters their look-alikes. What follows is an intense tale of survival.

Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o clearly shines in Peele’s film. Her character has numerous layers, and it’s fun to see them being peeled away (no pun intended) to reveal who she really is. We see her transform from prey to survivor. However, whatever she does, she can’t seem to break away from her emotional baggage.

The ending might have been a bit too predictable for some, but Us is definitely a well-crafted horror flick you should all watch.

As for the home release, the Us Blu-ray features a 1080p transfer. The environmental details are visually engrossing. Everything from the actor’s hair strands to the stitching of their clothing can be clearly seen. Numerous scenes have low lighting, but the visual presentation ensures you able to see what’s going on.

The Dolby Vision of the 4K release allows the visuals to be sharper. There isn’t much of a difference though. So, you aren’t losing out on much if you don’t have a 4K player or compatible TV.

The Dolby Atmos soundtrack works to improve the experience offered by Us. The soundtrack is clear. Even the movie’s silent moments have subtle background sound effects to create a tense environment.

This film’s home release does include a DVD copy and a Movies Anywhere digital code. Also, the 4K Blu-ray box art is nice. It has subtle embossing over the title Us, the eyeball as well as the tear running down Red’s cheek.

The Extra Features are:

• The Monsters Within Us (1080p, 4:45): You get to know more about the main characters and the challenges of portraying them.
• Tethered Together: Making Us Twice (1080p, 7:29): This piece of content talks about how the actors and crew were essentially shooting two films at once due to the cast playing two roles.
• Redefining a Genre: Jordan Peele’s Brand of Horror (1080p, 5:31): We see the cast and crew (including Peele) talk about Peele’s passion for horror, his inspirations, and more.
• The Duality of Us (1080p, 9:56): We get to hear Peele discuss his fear of doppelgängers, the mythology, what Us means, and more.
• Becoming Red (1080p, 4:09): This content shares enjoyable footage of Lupita Nyong’o playing Red.
• Scene Explorations (1080p): We see Peele and the cast breaking down key scenes through interviews, storyboards, behind the scenes footage, and clips. The scenes are:
  • Seven Second Massacre (2:41).
  • It’s a Trap (2:02).
  • I Just Want My Little Girl Back (2:53).
• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 6:28 total runtime): They don’t necessarily add much. So, you can kind of understand why they were cut. Having said that, I would have liked Peele’s commentary about why these scenes ended up on the chopping board.
• We’re All Dying (1080p, 6:22): You get additional footage/outtakes from a beachside scene.
• As Above, So Below: Grand Pas De Deux (1080p, 5:02): Zora and Umbrae’s dance routine.

I would have loved a feature-length commentary track from Peele to walk us through the film, but oh well, what can you do?

Anyway, if you still haven’t watched Us, you should consider picking the Us Blu-ray up or any other format.

Even if the thematic elements don’t leave much of an impact on you, it still serves as a chilling horror movie with incredibly strong performances.

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

Twitter

Help support independent journalism. Subscribe to our Patreon.

Copyright © The Geekiary