If you've ever wanted to get the be-jeesus scared out of you by Lupita Nyong'o, this is the movie for you.
Directed by; Jordan Peele, the director of Get Out, which will inevitably figure in this conversation
Premise - A young family on vacation finds themselves in a world of hurt when mysterious doubles of themselves start attacking. The matriarch Adelaide finds herself mysteriously connected to these doppelgängers, and as their struggle for survival unfolds, the source of this connection comes to light.
This film is unsettling as heck. Every moment a double (referred to as a Tethered) is onscreen is unbalancing and scary. They fully exploit the power of the Uncanny Valley (tl;dr - looking mostly but not quite human) for all it's worth. In a regular horror film, I always wonder why the heroes don't jump the bad guy. But in this, I know why - they’re weird as heck! Do you even know if they’ll react like a human? Lupita Nyong'o is especially scary, because we're used to seeing her as a smiling cover girl; seeing her as a harsh, rasping, bug-eyed ghost is the exact opposite of what we want. The direction involved in these performances is commendable and great.
But the downsides - this film doesn't really have a message at all. Just an average level twist at the very end, which makes it about as good as 90% of poorly-written student films. It's frustrating, 'cause you can see ways the plot could have been very good if they'd simply added a few more things. Instead, the film feels stubbornly, determinedly one-note, almost deliberately not being anything complex. It' almost as if Peele is trying to give himself a "break" after the complexity and social commentary of his last film. But the result is a film that almost feels like it did too little on the writing side. On the acting level, it's one of the most brilliantly crafted horror films I've ever seen. But on a plot level, it's frustratingly meh. So, just keep that in mind when you go in to watch it.
It's a bit long (an hour and fifty-five), but it's ... decently interesting, a masterclass in unsettling the audience, and of course, comes from Jordan Peele, who is a hot property right now. If you're a horror fan, a Peele fan, or a film fan, you'll probably like it. Maybe check the parental rating, though. It is rated R, mostly for violence and a bit of swearing, and there is a moment that surprised me in the story, so maybe look that up if you think you might be squeamish.
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