I don't think I'm overstating things when I say that Jordan Peele's Get Out ended up being a pretty big deal by any measure. It made just over $250 million worldwide on a budget of less than $5 million; it received the kind of critical acclaim most directors would kill for; it was nominated for four Academy Awards (including Best Picture and Best Director), winning Best Original Screenplay; and maybe most importantly, left the kind of immediate cultural impact that can't help but ensure its longevity as both a movie and an important part of pop culture. It is, in short, a great movie - which means that the only real question I had going into Peele's Us was simply this. How can it possibly live up to Get Out?
Sadly, the answer is that it doesn't, but the reason is a little more complicated than "it's just not as good". In many ways, Us is (somewhat appropriately) the mirror image of Get Out - very much still recognisable as a socially satirical horror film, but inverted in a few places to create something that feels radically different to its predecessor. The most obvious of these inversions is that Us is deliberately far less comedic than Get Out, instead focusing its energy on creating the kind of visceral, immediate scares that the more cerebral Get Out lacked - but maybe more important is the films approach to theme, swapping out laser like precision in favour of something less refined but significantly more complex, open ended and further reaching.
The plot itself, however, starts off fairly simple. We follow a fairly average American family of four (the Wilsons) as they holiday in Santa Cruz, which also happens to be where matriarch Adelaide suffered a traumatic experience as a child. That night, four mysterious figures appear at the end of the beach house's driveway, terrorising the family before revealing themselves to be terrifying doppelgängers.
The idea of doppelgängers is one that's been explored countless times in various genres of fiction, but importantly, their inclusion here isn't intended as a shocking twist - instead, it's where Us starts in earnest, kicking off an examination of class and privilege that drives the film throughout. If Get Out was Peele taking umbrage with suspiciously woke liberals, then Us is his rallying cry against capitalist society itself, highlighting the plight of the exploited and the wilful ignorance of those that benefit from that exploitation, all centred around the idea that "there but for the grace of God go I".
I enjoyed puzzling my way through Us, attempting to figure out exactly what Peele was trying to get at, but the themes aren't as well established or fully explored resulting in a film that can't help but feel underdeveloped and lacking much of the clarity and comprehensibility of Peele's debut. For much of the movie, that's not really too big a problem - Us is at its strongest early on, when its main focus seems to be on delivering scares with mere hints towards what it's building towards. It's only towards the end that Peele's ambition ultimately gets the better of him, resulting in a third act that does its best to provide a satisfying conclusion to the plot of the movie while also attempting to tie together all of Us' themes - neither of which it does particularly well.
A good chunk of this finale is delivered in the form of pure exposition from one character to another - worse, it's exposition that ends up over-explaining ultimately meaningless plot details (and in the process raising questions that simply didn't need to be raised) while still leaving the audience mostly in the dark when it comes to what it was all about. Add to that a late in the day "twist" that is so blindly obvious from the opening scene of the movie that by the time it was revealed I'd literally forgotten we weren't meant to know it yet.
A vague sense of dissatisfaction is never what you want to be feeling when you finish watching a film, yet that's exactly what Us left me with in spite of all its earlier strengths. With a better finale Us could've been a genuinely must-see film - instead it's frustratingly flawed, showing so much promise for a decent chunk of its running time thanks to Peele's direction, the subversive themes and a number of fantastic performances (Lupita Nyong'o is fantastic in her dual roles as both leading lady and main antagonist here) before concluding all that with something that just didn't work.
So no, I don't think Us lives up to the expectations set by Get Out. The phrase "difficult second album" can't help but come to mind - it's a less consistent, less certain experience, shaggier around the edges and lacking the kind of images and iconography that helped make Get Out so instantly iconic. But the ideas at play here prove that Peele is still one to watch.
Saturday, 20 April 2019
Thursday, 4 April 2019
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again came and went from the cinema without much notice from me. But, the night before my best friend's wedding last November, it felt fitting to watch it. Not just because she's a massive musical and ABBA fan! So, we popped open the champagne and laid out some tasty treats and buckled in for some carefree, light-hearted viewing before heading to bed early for our beauty sleep. So, did it help shape a wonderful last night of singlehood for my friend? No. No, it did not - for me at least! It was every bit as terrible as I expected it to be.
Now, before I begin slating this movie, I feel it’s important to stress that I can at least understand why people may like this film even if I hated it myself. Both Mamma Mia and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again are films that, if you’re of a certain demographic or disposition, will unfailingly fill you with joy. They’re a spectacle, they pump you full of rainbows and optimism and they are exceedingly camp, which some people love. To add to this, whilst I despise seeing my childhood James Bond prancing around a Greek island sounding as if he is singing in a back alley karaoke bar, I do find some amusement and respect in the fact he, Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgard all agreed to partake - and, more to the point, with such gusto. Credit where credit is due. And it was also nice to see Lily James getting a leading role in a big film - she deserves it. Having gone strength to strength in films such as Baby Driver, The Darkest Hour and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society I’m glad to see her career progressing even further – she is fantastic.
Firstly, the film felt totally unnecessary. Whilst it was vaguely interesting to see Donna’s backstory, it wasn’t anything we didn’t know beforehand. Essentially, that is exactly what the first film explored, just in fewer scenes. More to the point, because Mamma Mia was written as a one-off show (and then adapted into a film) all the best ABBA songs were used already meaning Here We Go Again was left with the ABBA back catalogue that no-one really cares with the exception of super-fans, or, repeated songs that we have already heard in the first film. As a result, the little interest I had in the film quickly waned – especially, given its somewhat indulgent (just short of) two hour runtime.
Secondly, the film was far too long and couldn’t make its mind up as to what it wanted to be. The original Mamma Mia at least knew what it was - sycophantically cheesy and camp - and was unapologetic about it. Here We Go Again, however, is both half-heartedly happy and sad. Some scenes, like the garish, indulgent and skin-crawlingly cheesy rendition of ‘Waterloo’ were reminiscent of the first film’s optimism. A large chunk of the rest of the film was miserable and brooding though – something I don’t consider to be very Mamma Mia-esque. Whether it’s Sophie fretting about the opening of the hotel (essentially, all she does), Sam lamenting his dead wife or young Donna complaining about her man struggles despite having three handsome men pining after her, the overwhelming optimism found in the first is certainly diluted.
Finally, Cher’s cameo has to be mentioned. Whilst I’m sure there are people out there who loved this, it wasn’t for me. Her appearance was completely pointless and added nothing to the movie. After the obvious escalation to her token number, it was utterly underwhelming. Sorry, Cher.
Unfortunately, Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again is a totally unnecessary sequel that I would not recommend seeing unless you’re a die-hard ABBA fan or enjoy overbearing cheesiness. Whilst, admittedly, I’m a fan of the first, I do think Here We Go Again has genuine flaws which cannot be overlooked – mainly, the ropey catalogue of lesser-known ABBA songs and mundane plot. But, as always, see it for yourself – you may enjoy it!
Now, before I begin slating this movie, I feel it’s important to stress that I can at least understand why people may like this film even if I hated it myself. Both Mamma Mia and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again are films that, if you’re of a certain demographic or disposition, will unfailingly fill you with joy. They’re a spectacle, they pump you full of rainbows and optimism and they are exceedingly camp, which some people love. To add to this, whilst I despise seeing my childhood James Bond prancing around a Greek island sounding as if he is singing in a back alley karaoke bar, I do find some amusement and respect in the fact he, Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgard all agreed to partake - and, more to the point, with such gusto. Credit where credit is due. And it was also nice to see Lily James getting a leading role in a big film - she deserves it. Having gone strength to strength in films such as Baby Driver, The Darkest Hour and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society I’m glad to see her career progressing even further – she is fantastic.
However, these factors are not enough to save this disaster piece. Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again picks up five years on from the original film and Sophie, Amanda Seyfried, is planning the grand opening of the ‘Hotel Bella Donna’ in memory of her mother. As she does this, nearly thirty years earlier, Donna, Lily James/Meryl Streep, goes on a summer trip which changes her life forever, introducing her to three men who each win her heart on the beautiful Greek island of Kalokairi.
Firstly, the film felt totally unnecessary. Whilst it was vaguely interesting to see Donna’s backstory, it wasn’t anything we didn’t know beforehand. Essentially, that is exactly what the first film explored, just in fewer scenes. More to the point, because Mamma Mia was written as a one-off show (and then adapted into a film) all the best ABBA songs were used already meaning Here We Go Again was left with the ABBA back catalogue that no-one really cares with the exception of super-fans, or, repeated songs that we have already heard in the first film. As a result, the little interest I had in the film quickly waned – especially, given its somewhat indulgent (just short of) two hour runtime.
Secondly, the film was far too long and couldn’t make its mind up as to what it wanted to be. The original Mamma Mia at least knew what it was - sycophantically cheesy and camp - and was unapologetic about it. Here We Go Again, however, is both half-heartedly happy and sad. Some scenes, like the garish, indulgent and skin-crawlingly cheesy rendition of ‘Waterloo’ were reminiscent of the first film’s optimism. A large chunk of the rest of the film was miserable and brooding though – something I don’t consider to be very Mamma Mia-esque. Whether it’s Sophie fretting about the opening of the hotel (essentially, all she does), Sam lamenting his dead wife or young Donna complaining about her man struggles despite having three handsome men pining after her, the overwhelming optimism found in the first is certainly diluted.
Finally, Cher’s cameo has to be mentioned. Whilst I’m sure there are people out there who loved this, it wasn’t for me. Her appearance was completely pointless and added nothing to the movie. After the obvious escalation to her token number, it was utterly underwhelming. Sorry, Cher.
Unfortunately, Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again is a totally unnecessary sequel that I would not recommend seeing unless you’re a die-hard ABBA fan or enjoy overbearing cheesiness. Whilst, admittedly, I’m a fan of the first, I do think Here We Go Again has genuine flaws which cannot be overlooked – mainly, the ropey catalogue of lesser-known ABBA songs and mundane plot. But, as always, see it for yourself – you may enjoy it!
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