The Wilson family heads to their summer home in Santa Cruz in hopes of a relaxing family vacation, but what they experience is a terrifying weekend they will never forget. As the family arrives, Gabe (Winston Duke) reveals that he purchased a boat, but the rest of the family isn’t really impressed. So he plans a family excursion to the beach to show it off to friends/neighbors Kitty (Elisabeth Moss) and Josh Tyler (Tim Heidecker). However, Gabe is unaware that his wife, Adelaide (Lupita Nyong’o), had experienced a traumatic event at that beach boardwalk several decades earlier when she was a child. Adelaide reluctantly goes along for the trip, but shortly after they arrive, she starts feeling uneasy, getting some creepy vibes, and wants to head home.

Later that evening, Adelaide sees a family standing in the dark outside their home. When Gabe goes outside to check it out, he makes a horrifying discovery—this group of strangers standing in the dark are doppelgangers of his own family members—each looking slightly creepy, dressed in a red jumpsuit and holding a pair of golden scissors. The strangers soon make their way into the home and confront the Wilsons. The only one who speaks is Red, Adelaide’s look-alike, and in her raspy voice she explains that they have been tethered to the family for the past three decades, living underground, their lives and actions mimicking those of the Wilsons’ on the surface, but without all the joys and luxuries of human life. And now the time for The Untethering has arrived. As the Wilsons try to escape from their psychotic home invaders, they soon discover that this uprising of the Tethered is not isolated to just their family of four, but that this is a much a much larger, even more terrifying event.

Us is latest film by writer/director Jordan Peele, whose last thriller, Get Out, was a surprise smash hit. I originally went into this film with high hopes since I had thoroughly enjoyed Get Out, but ended up a little underwhelmed by my initial theatrical viewing. However, I found the film far more engrossing and enjoyable as I re-watched it for the second time around on this 4K release. The movie was a lot more exciting and tense than I had remembered, especially as the family’s home is invaded by the doppelgangers. I also found myself a lot more invested in the story this time around, perhaps because I had already seen it once and knew the twist and could now explore how that groundwork had been laid out throughout the film. This is definitely a film that is worth multiple viewings in order to fully appreciate everything.

Us is a pretty solid thriller, building the tension and raising the stakes as the film progresses. However, there are a couple missteps. First is the film’s useless, and nearly 3-minute title sequence which features operatic music as the camera slowly zooms out from a wall full of bunny cages. And second is the film’s final 20 minutes, where things are wrapped up through a long exposition dump from one of the characters. And even after this, there are several things that are left unexplained/unresolved. It feels a bit rushed and simplified, especially where the first half of the film slowly builds up the world through narrative and not narration. Get Out was also a little guilty of this, so perhaps this is just Jordan Peele’s style of writing/filmmaking. That said, I still enjoyed the film overall.

The first time around I was bothered by Red’s raspy voice, but on the second viewing, I found new appreciation for Lupita Nyong’o’s acting choice, and actually thought it worked quite well. In fact, all of these actors do a tremendous job playing their dual roles. The Wilson family members and their doppelgangers feel like completely separate characters. The actors and filmmakers do such a great job of differentiating the look and mannerisms of these characters that it feels like you are watching 8 different actors on the screen instead of just 4. However, some of the cast members, like the award-winning Elizabeth Moss, felt a bit underutilized.

Universal’s 4K release of the film looks and sounds amazing. The presentation is pristine, yielding a stunning picture both in the brighter daytime scenes as well as in the thrilling nighttime scenes. The picture is quite detailed, capturing the ripples on the surface of the water at the beach locations, and the textures in the clothing and creepy faces of the tethered. The Dolby Vision-enhanced picture is quite stunning. This is especially noticeable when the tethered invade the Wilsons’ home, which is only lit by the orange glow of the fireplace, and also in the underground scenes, which have a slightly washed out, sepia-like tone to them.

The Dolby Atmos soundtrack also sounds great, providing an immersive viewing experience. In one scene, you hear the sounds of a rain storm overhead and can really feel the rumble of the thunder. There were a couple scenes where the balance was a bit off—where the volume of the music was just a little too aggressive. However, these were short-lived, and the dialogue still remained clear throughout.

The 4K Ultra HD release includes both the 4K disc and the Blu-ray disc, comes packed in standard UHD keepcase with a slipcover, and contains an insert with a code to redeem for a 4K Movies Anywhere digital copy of the film. The Blu-ray release includes a DVD disc instead of the 4K disc, an HD digital copy of the film, and a code for a bonus free digital movie. Both the 4K and Blu-ray discs contain the same hour of bonus material, consisting of 6 deleted scenes, an extended cut of another scene, an outtake reel, and about 40 minutes of behind-the-scenes featurettes with the cast and crew. One excellent new feature on this release was a Play All option for the bonus material. This is a simple but very convenient option that I hope to see on all future Universal releases!

What’s Included:

Film: (1:56:28)

4K Ultra HD: (4K Release)
• 2160p / Widescreen 2.39:1
• Dolby Vision and HDR10
• Audio: English Dolby Atmos, Spanish 7.1 Dolby Digital Plus, French 7.1 Dolby Digital Plus
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

Blu-ray: (4K & Blu-ray Releases)

• 1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
• Audio: English Dolby Atmos, English Descriptive Video Service, Spanish 7.1 Dolby Digital Plus, French 7.1 Dolby Digital Plus
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

DVD: (Blu-ray Release)

• 480i / Anamorphic Widescreen 2.39:1
• Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1, English Descriptive Video Service, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

Digital (for redemption deadline, see NBCUcodes.com): (4K & Blu-ray Releases)

• Digital copy redeemable via Movies Anywhere (4K with 4K Ultra HD release, HD with Blu-ray release)
• Bonus Digital Movie (Blu-ray Release Only, Redemption Deadline 12/13/2019)
  Additional bonus digital movie redeemable at www.upherewards.com. At the time of this review, the list of available titles includes Charade, Jarhead 2: Field of Fire (Extended Version), Mallrats, Slapshot, Vertigo and Pillow Talk, but these change every 4 months or so.

Extras:

All of the bonus material can be found on both the 4K Ultra HD and the Blu-ray discs. Some bonus features are not included on the DVD disc—this is noted below. There is a convenient Play All option to watch all of the bonus material back-to-back.

• The Monsters Within US (4:45)
  The cast and creator talk about the characters, and the actors taking on dual roles. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with writer/producer/director Jordan Peele and stars Lupita Nyong’o (“Adelaide Wilson/Red”), Winston Duke (“Gabe Wilson/Abraham”) & Shahadi Wright Joseph (“Zora Wilson/Umbrae”).
• Tethered Together: Making US Twice (7:29)
  The cast and creators talk about the challenges of filming each scene twice, having the same actor perform across from him- or herself, and designing the look of the Tethers, from their hair & make-up to the iconic red jump suits. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with writer/producer/director Jordan Peele, production designer Ruth De Jong, VFX supervisor Grady Cofer, makeup and MUFX department head Scott Wheeler, and stars Lupita Nyong’o & Shahadi Wright Joseph. Also includes some fun footage of Jordan Peele doing Red’s voice on set as Lupita filmed Adelaide’s scenes.
• Redefining a Genre: Jordan Peele’s Brand of Horror (5:31)
  The cast and filmmakers talk about Jordan Peele’s unique style and approach to comedy and horror, while the director discusses some of his influences. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with writer/producer/director Jordan Peele, prodcer Jason Blum, and stars Lupita Nyong’o, Elisabeth Moss (“Kitty Tyler/Dahlia”) & Winston Duke (“Gabe Wilson/Abraham”).
• The Duality of US (9:56)
  In this behind-the scenes featurette, writer/producer/director Jordan Peele discusses the film’s central theme of the duality of human beings, and talks about various topics such as doppelgangers, Hands Across America, the Pas de Deux Nutcracker dance scene between Adelaide and Red, the meaning of the rabbits, the notion of good and evil, the small coincidences that pop up in the story, and the social message of the film.
• Becoming Red (4:09)
  Collection of behind-the-scenes footage from in between takes, showcasing how Lupita Nyong’o remained in the character of Red while on set.
• Scene Explorations (7:37)
  Writer/producer/director Jordan Peele gives viewers a in-depth look at three of the film’s scenes. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, storyboards, and interviews. This is not included on the DVD disc/release. Play All, or select from:
  • Seven Second Massacre (2:40)
    The Tylers are massacred in their home. Includes interviews with stars Cali Sheldon (“Becca Tyler/Io”), Noelle Sheldon (“Lindsey Tyler/Nix”), Elizabeth Moss & Tim Heidecker (“Josh Tyler/Tex”).
  • It’s a Trap (2:01)
    Pluto is used as bait for Red to get her revenge on Adelaide by kidnapping Jason.
  • I Just Want My Little Girl Back (2:56)
    Flashback to what happened underground when Adelaide went missing. Includes interview with choreographer/movement consultant Madeline Hollander.
• Deleted Scenes (6:28)
  Collection of 6 deleted scenes. Play All, or select from:
  • I Am Not Even Near You (:30)
    Zora scares Jason in his room
  • Rabbit Season (1:08)
    The family arrives at Santa Cruz, and Adelaide starts to get creeped out by a line of walking sailors.
  • That’s Badass (1:30)
    Kitty and Adelaide talk about Adelaide’s dancing the pas de deux as a solo as a young girl.
  • Driftwood (:29)
    As the family takes off on their boat, Abraham’s body can be seen floating close to the shore.
  • The P is Silent (1:55)
    In the aftermath of everything, Zora walks and talks with her father about how things are going to be different.
  • I Wanna Go Home (:56)
    Young Adelaide meets her doppelganger parents.
• We’re All Dying (6:22)
  Fun collection of outtakes from Gabe (Winston Duke) and Josh’s (Tim Heidecker ) discussion on the beach.
• As Above, So Below: Grand Pas de Deux (5:02)
  Extended cut of the Pas de Deux dance between the young Adelaide above ground and Red in the Underpass.

Final Thoughts:

Us is a pretty solid thriller that does a nice job of building up the tension, and keeping you on the edge of your seat. The actors do an excellent job performing their dual roles, making you believe in all of these separate characters. Jordan Peele’s previous thriller, Get Out, seemed to have more of an identifiable social message/point of view that left viewers with something to debate/discuss afterwards, but I didn’t really get that same feeling this time around—I’m not sure if there really was an overall moral or theme to this film. The only things I was left to think about afterwards were some of the unanswered/unresolved plot points. That said, I still found the movie to be quite an enjoyable watch—even more-so the second time around—and would definitely recommend checking it out.