Jordan Peele is a director I have a lot of respect for in terms of what he has done for the horror community. Both of his directorial efforts have ranged from really good to brilliant. However with this film, I feel as though his image of the film was an idea that bit off more than he can chew. Although the visuals of the film were brilliant and immersive for the audience, the story that accompanied it was tossed to the side in favor of metaphors of social themes. The abundance of the incorporation of themes made the film feel bloated and confusing when it reaches its conclusion. There are genuinely frightening moments in this film that are a perfect demonstration of visual subtlety. However, much of these scares lack a connective through line that make the film feel cohesive. There are interesting elements of the film that are introduced, but ultimately lacking any meaning towards the end. Although the characters are enjoyable and charismatic, the script never allows them to give the actors a chance to demonstrate their main attributes as actors when compared to other Peele projects. When the film eventually ends, I was left with a feeling of emptiness, knowing that a director as good as Jordan Peele has somewhat fell into the category of pretentiousness. Despite demonstrating brilliant aspects of a horror and visual director in this film, the end product is a clash of themes that have no connection in the long run and barely cohesive story that ultimately leave a mixed and confused feeling towards the audience.
