Jordan Peele has done it again with another brilliantly shot film comprising of a predominately black cast. The premise of the movie and the overall horror aspect of it are also amazingly done, although the title of ‘horror film’ can only be applied to the first few scenes of the film.
The opening scenes of the movie are extremely creative, as the camera angles and shots completely immerse the watcher in the film. As the movie progresses, the framing of scenes perfectly mimics the necessary emotions and mood for each one and contribute to the overall effectiveness of the film.
The sets also phenomenally convey mood and add to the frightfulness of the horror scenes.
The movie takes place in Santa Cruz, California. For many in the Bay Area, this added to the sense of being a part of the film. From almost the beginning of the movie, the audience was on the edge of their seats. However, for me, the most disappointing part of this movie was its plot holes.
Without spoiling the movie, it is hard to describe the problems that the plot had, but what annoyed me the most was the final twist completely contradicted some of the actions that were taken by the main characters. Although this didn’t destroy the effectiveness of the movie, it did leave a sour taste in my mouth as I left the theatre wondering how the producers could have missed such mistakes in the plot.
But to reiterate, the surprise ending did not lessen my enjoyment of the movie in itself; it simply caused me to ask questions after it had finished.
On another note, the cast featured many strong actors and actresses. It included Lupita Nyong’o, an Oscar Award winner for her role in “12 Years a Slave” and a lead character in “Black Panther.”
Another prominent actor was Winston Duke, the second lead in the movie, who also acted in “Black Panther” and “Avengers: Infinity War.”
The two children in the movie are acted by Shahadi Wright and Evan Alex. For both, this movie is to seen to be their breakthrough performance.
The four leads do a fantastic job, with realistic portrayals of emotion and actions. They all go through intense character development that adds to the intensity of the film.
Lastly, the humor in the movie is also well done, but it sadly cut the horror of the film out. The beginning of the film was the strongest as it balanced the humor and horror well, but as the movie progressed the humor hurt the ability of the movie to keep the audience frightened. However, this aspect did keep me entertained throughout and have to say was not much of a downside.
Overall, this movie exceeded my expectations with its brilliantly descriptive shots and intriguing plot. For those in need of a film that will keep you engaged and also give you maybe a few scares, this movie does that perfectly.
