When Jordan Peele released Get Out in 2017, it was an instant success. It made $33 million at the box office its first week, despite projections aiming for $20 million. It easily made its way to a fresh 98% on the infamous review site Rotten Tomatoes, and by now, if you don’t immediately recognize the teacup imagery or the “sunken place” pop culture references — you’re way behind. Get Out very quickly wove itself into the fabric of modern American culture, and it did so easily with its criticism of racism and race politics in the U.S. So, yeah, Get Out was a hit and became very influential, very quickly. That left everyone wondering: What is Jordan Peele going to do next?
Then came Us. The film, released in late March of 2019, was highly anticipated, and with good reason. Lupita Nyong’o and Winston Duke, both stars in their own right, were the faces of the movie. The plot was promising, the visuals were stunning, and the music was timely. The problem? People expected Get Out 2, and what they received was a story completely removed from that of Peele’s first film.
Us was good — it currently has a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes and had a $71 million debut, the second best opening for a live-action film behind Avatar — it just wasn’t Get Out. What it was, however, is a continuation of the work Peele began with his first film.
With Us, Jordan Peele solidified the creation of his own genre of new horror. It followed up on some of the same qualities that Get Out brought to the table, specifically in terms of style and delivery, but brought us a unique plot that had little to nothing to do with Peele’s first film. And, despite what many people might believe, that is a really good thing.
Peele is achieving something filmmakers dream of doing. Rather than stick to the tried-and-true formulas that most Hollywood movies tend to do, whether we like it or not, he has successfully carved out an entirely new and profitable avenue to express himself artistically. Get Out and Us are not only successful because they’re fun to watch, but because they are good movies that blend artful storytelling with the ability to engage large, diverse audiences. The fact that we get a jump scare or two out of them is a plus.
As Peele continues to flex his filmmaking stardom, we’ll surely begin to see more movies like his pop up here and there, breaking the traditional mold of blockbuster movies. For that, he has already made himself known as a legend.