MovieChat Forums > Us (2019) Discussion > It's really not THAT original!

It's really not THAT original!


I still find Jordan Peel is the most over rated director in a while. Do not get me wrong, I am not saying is a bad director, he's got good technique but that same story was done before in the Twilight Zone and other films. Mirror universe stories are as old as time but for some reason because Jordan Peel made it it's suddenly super original. Not a bad movie, it was good and it had fantastic acting BUT the acting should be praised more than anything else because I personally felt a sense of deja vu throughout the film and I have seen that "Twist" coming from a mile.

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I gotto say - the reaction from the black community to 'get out' was pretty surreal to me.
They were like 'this is the movie we've been waiting for decades'. I thought it was ok as horror/comedy - but nothing particularly groundbreaking. So yeah - He is overrated, if only because the hype is so massive.
I think key and peele did amazing work together in their sketches - but their film after they ended that gig - about cat - was pretty shitty.

While I haven't seen 'us' yet - I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out to be subpar. Comments here say that the story goes to shit in the last 3rd of the film - if true, we shouldn't forget that Peele wrote the script.

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Why would you be posting on a message board of a movie you haven't even seen?

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Very overrated. US will probably win some undeserved Oscar nomination, like it's predecessor 'Get Out' did for Best Original Screenplay. 'Get Out' wasn't even original!!! It was a blatant ripoff of 'The Skeleton Key' just with the races reversed... wow! So original!! I feel like a lot of the support behind his movies are simply because of racial and political reasons.

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so sick of people like you saying that black people only win oscar because they are black and get out is nothing like the skeleton key

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This is a movie, not a person.

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Yeah, but what do you expect? These tired complaints are so typical for reactionary fools. “I hate Hollywood politics and PC!” is their go-to every time they see a film or show made by diverse and non-backwards people receive so much acclaim. “Us” has nothing to do with race, but of course the reactionaries can’t help but make ridiculous arguments/excuses and cry about how unconservative an industry they detest so much is.

It’s best to ignore these whimpering manchilds.

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To be fair, Drac, many of the reviews would point out how great this film is for diversity. It's strange. A movie being diverse has nothing to do with it being good or not.

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The real problem as I see it is that there is too much grade inflation for black films among critics and award voters, and that obscures the truly great talents. I had gotten to the point where I was very skeptical when a movie by a black filmmaker with a black cast got a lot of hype, so I almost did not watch “Moonlight”. Add in the gay angle, and I was pretty sure the plaudits were for its double diversity.

But fortunately I still checked it out, and that really was one of the best films of the decade. So it’s kind of unfair to a filmmaker like Barry Jenkins when every black filmmaker gets so much praise and it’s all the way to 11 all the time, and no one has a way to indicate that a film like “Moonlight” really is as good as the hype.

For me the only other film by a black filmmaker that lives up to the reviews is Spike Lee’s “Do the Right Thing”. So it’s not a great batting average, but it is proof that black filmmakers can make masterpieces—and that we need honest critics that are more discerning and sort out the great from the mediocre.

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so sick of people like you saying that black people only win oscar because they are black

Too bad, because at least this case, it's true. If Peele was white, he would have been another good horror director releasing in netflix with zero chances to get any Oscar. Horror movies don't get important Oscars. How many have you seen getting a Best Screenwriting or Best Movie or Best Director one? Horror is considered a subgenre and excluded.

The Shining, probably the best horror movie ever made, was not even nominated. Alien was nominated for Visual Effects.

Here you have the the awards and nominees for Best Screenwriting. Count the number horror movies. I've found 'Sixth Sense', 'Get Out', and maybe there's another one I haven't seen. That's all. And 'Sixth Sense', a movie that changed cinema narrative, didn't even win.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_Award_for_Best_Original_Screenplay

Horror movies don't play the premier league when it comes to Oscars... UNLESS you're black.

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Peele's mother IS white, therefore he is half white.

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The Shining is hardly praised because of its screenplay. It's an unfaithful adaptation of the book. In fact the movie was panned when it first came out.

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In today's political climate, that's a reality unfortunately. If you don't see that, you are truly blind.

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It actually kind of is. Replace voodoo with hypnotism and there you go.

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"so sick of people like you saying that black people only win oscar because they are black"

Well...it's true in this case. If it was directed by another minority like a Mexican or Asian director, it would have won nothing. Ya'll kicked up a big fuss the year prior cos black people weren't nominated for anything, that influenced it too.

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If people are calling this film original they probably haven't seen the movies that inspired it which is fair enough.

Sure Jordan Peele borrowed the idea from other movies but everyone has done this. George Lucas borrowed the idea for Star Wars from Akira Kurasowa's Hidden Fortress. There's always a film before that had a similar premise.

The acting, directing and the music are all being praised above anything else. The screenplay is mostly solid but can be a bit messy at times but the good still outweighs the bad. It's a movie best experienced rather than overthought and dissected as to how original it is.

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Did you ever see

Coherence ?

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Loved that movie!

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Me too...That should have gotten more attention.
I also liked Predestination..
Both of these films kind of blew my mind..

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I'll have to check that one out. Triangle is another very good time travel doppelganger type movie.

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Thanks for mentioning that one.
I can't believe I haven't seen it but it's not ringing any bells.
I'll check it out.
And yeah..if you haven't seen Predestination you should. But don't read too much about it.

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I haven't seen it yet but commercials make it look like a version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers to me

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Parts of the story from what I hear (haven't see it yet) are also like the series Counterpart.

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If Peele himself has claimed that this film’s ideas are all original, then a link would be nice. :D Otherwise, well... looks like you got the pats on the back you wanted.

Though I do like how you brought up The Twilight Zone as if no none, including bigger fans of this film, ever thought of it (darn more younger viewers for experiencing something like Us for the first time btw). Funny enough, Peele mentioned a certain Twilight Zone episode in interviews (and unless you’ve been living under a rock, Peele is excitingly bringing back The Twiligt Zone) when he discussed the inspirations behind Us. But go on...make it seem like Peele is someone who’s never seen doppelgänger stories onscreen before and isn’t giving them credit.

But Peele aside... sure, plenty of people have called this film unique (more UNIQUE than original). However, what I’ve noticed is enough people have said that the film as a whole feels like something different. I personally concur with that! I say its mood, tension, performances, and overall execution is precisely what makes this film standout. And that, to me, is what ultimately matters... an expertly-crafted horror film that’s thought-provoking and entertaining as hell? The last thing I’m going to do is complain about its unoriginality.

Now, I suppose until Peele makes several more films he can be called truly great. But at the same time, some like you weren’t impressed by his first two films (which are widely considered top-tier films) so he is already the most overrated director in recent years? Before I go on, lemme repeat some of the unoriginal criticisms made against Peele’s film... “There similar but far less popular film that deserved more attention!”, “it’s all due to PC-ness”, “Rip-off!”, “I have superior tastes!”... oh please. I without question think he has - so far - earned his praise as a filmmaker and storyteller. Plus, given that he was being underestimated before both Get Out AND Us came out (the former was already being called a fluke), his films certainly exceeded my expectations.

Anyway, you had this whole film figured out? Good for you, I guess. Great accomplishment. But while u and others view Peele as overrated, evidently many more don’t see it that way. He has made just 2 films, but to say Peele he has shown promise is an understatement. So if he knocks it out of the park again next time, then big thumbs up to him.

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He actually said this was based off of the Twilight Zone episode Mirror Image.

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I know. Well, partly inspired. He also said the inspiration for the film came from a real fear he has.

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I think people might as well stay home if originality is what you're after. I mean things haven't been original for a while. And what do you mean by "mirror universe?" If you're talking about parallel worlds and such, then this wasn't it. Honestly, this is even more nonsensical than parallel worlds. Government cloning a section of the population and having them tethered to us and living out our physical actions from the underground? You've seen this before?

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The people commenting that this is somehow about parallel universes obviously haven't seen the movie.

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