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Randy “Macho Man” SavageEnglish 1102Mr. Emilio20 April 2019Us or ThemIn today’s filming industry, genres have become an afterthought. Nothing more than a label and box for directors to fit into. Jordan Peele is one of the pioneers today leading the charge with his own version of horror films. Wasting no time, Peele delivers yet another intriguing masterpiece with his second movie “Us”. Like “Get Out”, the movie takes a spin on reality, mixing it with horror and drama to create an exciting, never before seen take on modern society. The movie’s main plot consists of an all-black cast playing two roles of themselves as they fight what would appear to be a mutiny by doppelg?ngers to expand across the United States. Along the way Peele implements a variety of elements that forces the viewers to piece together hidden meanings and determine what message it is he is trying to present. In doing so, we as the audience are given a movie that never seems to figure out what exactly it is trying to say, forming the question who is the enemy of the film? A question Jordan Peele leaves for us to decipher.The movie opens with a statement regarding abandoned underground tunnels spread throughout the United States claiming that they seem to have no purpose at all. At obvious hint at what’s to come later in the film. As the screen fades we’re welcomed by a small tv, similar to the one seen in “Get Out”, essentially stating that this movie is of the same essence, becoming a staple for future Jordan Peele films. The camera zooms into the advertisement displayed on the tv, showing a broadcast about Hands Across America, spanning across the U.S. Another seemingly unimportant scene planting the seeds for the movie’s later dramas. The film then begins with the classic horror film setting in a 1986 amusement park at night. We see a young black girl with her parents enjoying their time at Santa Cruz. The mom entrusts the girl with their father who becomes distracted by a game, allowing the girl to wonder off alone. She begins to wonder into a fun house, whistling as she becomes lost and tries to find an exist. The camera angles shift, and we see more subliminal such as the Michael Jackson thriller shirt. The young girl begins to walk backwards into a mirror where we see what appears to be her reflection except, it doesn’t move as she does. As the camera begins to move back it reveals a wall of caged rabbits before taking us to the current timeline. In these opening minutes Peele wastes no time in giving the audience mixed signals. Why do we need to know about underground tunnels with no purpose? What was the ad about Americans for? Why wasn’t the little girl’s reflection moving along with her. These questions along with addition of demonic chanting of music in the background helped create a horror film level of suspense for the film without giving viewers too much direction of where the movie is heading. In these opening moments Peele establishes symbols and foreshadowing for the rest of the plot before the film takes us into the current timeline. The young girl is now in her thirties and her name is Adelaide Wilson. She is married to her husband Gabe and their two kids Jason and Zora. They are on their way to the same beach Adelaide visited when she was younger. During the car ride Zora states, “Did you know the government puts fluoride in our water to control our brains? Oh, wait I forgot nobody cares about the end of the world” as the conspiracy is dismissed, as quickly as it was mentioned, by one of Jason’s farts, before changing the topic. Another subliminal hint at again what could be the enemy of the film. Upon arriving at their destination, they run into Tyler’s, another white American family. Here Peele presents to us another family seen as the same economic status as the Wilsons, normalizing blacks as the typical all-American family. While on the beach, Jason goes to pee before fumbling upon a man standing in scare-crow position, as blood drips from his hand. The verse 11:11 imbedded into the skin on his forehead. Adelaide, traumatized from her past encounter on the beach begins a flashback to when her parents found her, and she was unable to speak, before snatching up Jason and suggesting to her family they leave. Later that night she explains to Gabe that she feels as if all her life she has been running from something but tonight it felt as if that thing would finally seek its retribution. This is greeted by a laugh from Gabe before the power cuts out and four look a likes appear standing in front of the house. Their hands together, united in the same position as the Hands Across America before making their move towards the house. The films plot finally begins to take shape as we get some interesting developments. The mention of the government and the end of the world stand out as they are staples in films representing the enemy or the enemy being an indirect cause of the government’s actions. It doesn’t get cryptic until we the bible verse Jeremiah 11:11, which is repeated seen through the film as it continues. The verse states, “thus says the LORD, Behold, I am bringing disaster upon them that they cannot escape. Though they cry to me, I will not listen to them” hinting at a possible religious punishment billed in the bible as part of the end times which pairs well with Zara’s previous statement in the beginning of the film. We see this 11:11 at the beach, in the room, and on the clock right before the power went out and the attacked happened. Is this all a religious foreshadowing or is the government going to become the one we need saving from when the end of the world happens as hinted in the beginning of the movie by Zora. Yet another interesting wrinkle left for the interpretation of the viewer. The aforementioned foreshadowing and symbols give us a deeper look into the plot. We Adelaide’s unsettling nature from the moment they set foot on the beach hints at a deeper knowledge not yet shared to viewers. As the doppelg?ngers enter the house, we enter a deeper, more complex twist of Peele’s plot. When asked what the doppelg?ngers were, Adelaide copy responded, “We are Americans”. Here is where a lot of the previous seen symbols begin to link with one another such as the family holding hands in the same position as the Hands Across American showed in the advertisement in the beginning of the movie. Instead of going the typical horror movie route, Peele opted in to say that we Americans are the problem. The doppelg?ngers were a failed government project left to copy their above earth versions of themselves actions. This brings the question, does the movie title “Us” represent another version of ourselves, or does it carry the meaning of us as in United States? A question we never get the definite answer too. As the movie progresses, we learn that each person had to kill their doppelg?ngers. After Jason is taken by the remaining doppelg?nger of Adelaide, Adelaide pursues after her through the fun house she had visited years ago when she was a child. She rides the escalator down a rather gloomy, hellish looking area, like the ideology of the stairway to hell. Once downstairs, Adelaide encounters the doppelg?nger in the same room seen in the beginning of the movie. The doppelg?nger is seen cutting paper humans holding hands in the same position as the Hands Across America. A fight ensures between the two in which Adelaide wins. She yells a grunt, similar to that of the doppelg?ngers, as she snaps her copies neck, much the dismay of Jason who is seen observing the entire situation. As she runs to him he pulls away, a look of disdain painted across his face as Adelaide promised everything would go back to normal. We see the family leaving with Adelaide driving the ambulance. Jason watches his mom, as a flashback is then shown showing that Adelaide was really switched as a child with the doppelg?nger back during her initial encounter in the fun house. Jason is shown being aware of this but instead of saying anything, he puts his mask back on, and enjoys the ride. As we see the tethered, standing in formation stretch across the land. The unexpected plot twist we all were anticipating. The mom we thought was the good guy was originally the doppelg?nger, but does that still make her the enemy? Does this mean the government brought about the end of the United States or is this all prophecy hinted at in the bible and reinforced by the escalator to hell? Is Peele still trying to portray Americans as the biggest enemies to ourselves? Unfortunately we can only analyze and theorize based on the many missed oppurtinites Peele failed to cover up. Overall plot holes and missed opportunities to dive into other fields so heavily featured throughout the film made for a shaking but disappointing conclusion without any real resolve or definitive enemy to say was conquered. The doppelg?nger versions of the family were killed but they were five of a thousand. A development issue that never corrected itself by the end of the film.Work CitedEdelstein, David. “Us Doesn't Live Up to Get Out, But It Shows the Promise of Jordan Peele.” Vulture, Vulture, 22 Mar. 2019, 2019/03/jordan-peeles-us-movie-review.html.Debruge, Peter. “Film Review: Jordan Peele's 'Us'.” Variety, 22 Mar. 2019, 2019/film/reviews/us-review-jordan-peele-1203158604/.Yamato, Jen. “The Ending of 'Us': Jordan Peele on Who the Real Villains Are.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2019, entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-jordan-peele-us-ending-spoilers-20190325-story.html ................
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