Us 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Review

Jordan Peele's "Us" has made its way onto 4K UHD Blu-ray, bringing with it a refined visual experience that leverages the filming equipment's capabilities and post-production choices to enhance the horror and tension inherent in the movie. Shot digitally using Arri Alexa Mini and Arri Alexa SXT cameras, with an original capture resolution of 3.4K, but finished with a 2K digital intermediate, this release presents an upscaled 3840 x 2160p image. The uptick in resolution, while not groundbreaking, provides a clarity that surpasses its Blu-ray counterpart, especially visible in background details and finer textures like skin and clothing. Despite its upscale nature, the image avoids feeling artificial, maintaining sharpness and resolution that convinces even discerning viewers of its quality. The use of HDR10 and Dolby Vision adds a further level of depth and nuance to the image, enhancing both the darkest shadows and brightest highlights without losing detail.

The comprehensive color enhancement brought by Dolby Vision's grading is apparent, adding subtle but meaningful improvements across the board. Night scenes benefit significantly, with deeper blacks and more vivid carnival lights, while daylight scenes exhibit improved color definition—making skies bluer and beach scenes more vibrant. This nuanced approach to color extends the film's visual language, allowing warm tones to dominate without oversaturating, supporting the film's tense atmosphere. Reds, crucial to the narrative's visual theme, are deeper and more menacing, while flesh tones remain natural across various lighting conditions.

In terms of black levels and contrast, the 4K UHD presentation excels, providing a cinematic appeal that complements Mike Gioulakis' stylized cinematography. Black levels are deep and rich, contributing to the film's ominous feel without obscuring important details in the frame. Specular highlights receive a boost, offering a more dynamic range that adds to the visual storytelling. The Dolby Vision HDR grading ensures that even in scenes dominated by either extreme of the brightness spectrum, details are preserved, adding to the film’s overall menacing ambiance. There are no notable compression issues or artifacts, making for a clean and immersive viewing experience that represents a notable improvement over the standard Blu-ray edition.

The Dolby Atmos soundtrack of "Us" presents an audio experience that is as captivating and intricate as the film itself, demonstrating a masterful use of the format to create a truly immersive soundscape. The track kicks off with an exceptional sense of spatial awareness, leveraging layers of sound that include ambient noises, directional dialogue, and a meticulously balanced score that brilliantly utilizes the height, front, and rear channels to encapsulate the viewer. Scenes like the opening carnival are awash in a 3D soundscape, placing the listener at the center of a bustling environment with sounds seamlessly moving around and even above them. This level of immersion is consistently maintained throughout, with atmospheric details and discrete effects vividly enhancing both the more intense and the quieter moments of the film.

Dynamic audio elements play a significant role in the Atmos mix, from the depth of bass that underlines the score's emotional beats to the precision of quieter, more unsettling sounds. The low-end delivers with considerable power, making moments of tension palpably resonant, while the high range takes full advantage of the format's clarity to articulate the nuances of Michael Abels' haunting score and the atmospheric nuances of Santa Cruz's chaos-infected streets. Furthermore, vocal clarity is paramount, presenting a stark contrast in timbre and intensity that adds depth to characters, particularly in Lupita Nyong'o's dual role. The usage of surround and height channels not only expands the soundscape but also adds a layer of realism to off-screen elements and ambient effects, further drawing the listener into the narrative.

Technically sophisticated and creatively ambitious, the Atmos track excels in its harmonious blend of music, sound effects, and ambient soundscapes, making every scene a rich auditory experience. Whether it’s the subtle pitter-patter of small animals, the impactful thuds of physical confrontations, or the eerie calm of nature sounds elevated through height channels, the mix prioritizes spatial accuracy and sound fidelity. Careful sound object placement enhances the film's thematic elements and narrative tension, ensuring a seamless integration between auditory sensations and on-screen actions. This soundtrack not only complements the visual experience but elevates it, proving indispensable to the film's overall impact.

The 4K UHD Blu-ray of "Us" presents a comprehensive, albeit concise, assortment of extras that delve into the making and conceptualization of this unique horror film. Despite the compact nature of the featurettes, they offer a glimpse into Jordan Peele's innovative approach to horror, the dual roles' filming complexities, and insights into character development, particularly highlighting Lupita Nyong'o's transformation into her character, Red. The extras balance between behind-the-scenes footage, thematic explorations, and deleted scenes, providing an enriching complement to the main feature. However, the overall depth may leave enthusiasts yearning for more extensive documentary-style content or an audio commentary to fully satisfy their curiosity about the film's creative process. The inclusion of both UHD and Blu-ray discs suggests a redundancy but ensures the accessibility of content across different formats.

Extras included in this disc:

The Monsters Within Us: A closer look at the portrayal of the main family's characters.

Tethered Together: Making Us Twice: Explores the challenges of filming scenes with characters and their doppelgängers.

Redefining a Genre: Jordan Peele's Brand of Horror: Insights into Peele's influences and his unique approach to horror.

The Duality of Us: Discussion on the themes and imagery of doppelgängers within the film.

Becoming Red: Behind-the-scenes look at Lupita Nyong'o getting into character.

Scene Explorations: Examination of key scenes from the film.

Deleted Scenes: Collection of scenes not included in the final film.

We're All Dying: Additional footage and outtakes from the film.

As Above, So Below: Grand Pas De Deux: Extended dance sequence featuring key characters.

Us," directed by Jordan Peele, merges psychological horror with deep social commentary, establishing itself as a thought-provoking piece that transcends traditional scare tactics. The film, featuring a stellar performance by Lupita Nyong’o and supported by Winston Duke, Shahadi Wright Joseph, and Evan Alex, tells the haunting tale of Adelaide Wilson and her family's confrontation with their sinister doppelgängers during a vacation in Santa Cruz. Set against the backdrop of 1986 and the present day, "Us" adeptly intertwines childhood trauma with current fears, culminating in a night of survival against uncanny doubles bent on destruction. Peele's direction ensures a careful balance between violence and suspense, focusing more on the psychological terror stemming from Adelaide's past encounter in a hall of mirrors—a moment that irrevocably shapes her and the unfolding horror.

Peele skilfully navigates the narrative through layers of personal and collective anxiety, gradually revealing a larger, more sinister reality that extends beyond individual characters to critique societal issues such as class divides, racism, and the superficiality of public solidarity movements like Hands Across America. The film's intelligent script, combined with Mike Gioulakis’s cinematography, uses symbolism—such as rabbits and scissors—and dualities to explore themes of identity, privilege, and the ignored underbelly of American society. This duality is brilliantly captured in both the storyline and the visuals, crafting a mirror image of our world filled with poignant allegories.

Noteworthy is Lupita Nyong’o's dual role that drives the film’s core mystery and emotional depth. Her portrayal of both Adelaide and Red showcases a compelling duality within a single character, challenging the audience to confront uncomfortable truths about identity and societal division. "Us" cements Peele's reputation as a master storyteller who wields horror not just to scare but to provoke thought, pushing boundaries to explore the complex tapestry of human nature and societal constructs. Through meticulous pacing, the movie unfolds as a richly layered narrative offering new insights upon multiple viewings, solidifying its status as a modern horror masterpiece with lasting impact.

Jordan Peele's sophomore horror thriller, "Us," strikes an impressive balance between genre entertainment and incisive social commentary, standing out as a notable departure from conventional horror films. Focusing on the unsettling premise of doppelgängers, Peele navigates through a character-driven narrative that eschews typical horror conventions for a more profound and personal engagement with fear, making the film an essential contribution to the revitalization of the genre. This thematic depth is complemented by the film's technical presentation on 4K UHD Blu-ray, provided by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. The upgrade to 4K boasts superior image fidelity, with notably enhanced detail, dynamic color reproduction, deeper blacks, and refined whites, elevating the viewing experience beyond its Blu-ray counterpart. Additionally, the Dolby Atmos audio track delivers an immersive soundscape that enriches the film's atmospheric tension and thematic nuances.

While the 4K UHD package excels in audiovisual quality, revealing Peele's nightmarish vision with striking clarity and depth, the assortment of supplemental features leaves something to be desired. Despite an array of extras such as "Tethered Together" and "The Duality of Us," which provide insights into the film's production challenges and thematic explorations, much of the content comes across as superficial rather than educational. Excluding a few gems like the "Becoming Red" behind-the-scenes footage and the "As Above, So Below" uncut ballet performance, the absence of more substantial material like an audio commentary or in-depth documentary feels like a missed opportunity to delve deeper into Peele's creative process and the film’s societal implications.

In conclusion, "Us" emerges as a formidable entry in both the horror genre and its representation on 4K UHD Blu-ray. Jordan Peele’s adept fusion of thrilling narrative with poignant social critique is magnificently rendered in visual and auditory detail, affirming the film's rewatchability and significance. However, the package’s bonus content doesn’t quite match up to the high standards set by the main feature and its presentation. Fans of thought-provoking thrillers will find plenty to appreciate in this release, making it highly recommended, albeit with reservations about the depth and educational value of its supplementary materials.