Get Out

#24

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Get Out. I avoided discussions much more fervently than Split and the trailers weren’t really giving anything away. Throw in the fact it had a 100% Rotten Tomato score for quite some time and had a very low drop at the box office and I was sold! All I knew is this was going to be more thriller than horror and was going to be a social commentary. I will do my best to review this movie without spoiling anything, but if you are undecided I would encourage you to watch Get Out without ruining it.

This is Jordan Peele’s directorial debut, which is very surprising given his comedic background. The main character Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) goes with his girlfriend Rose (Allison Williams) to visit her parents. Everything seems to be slightly off, but Chris and the audience are left to see if this is due to racial tension or something more sinister. 

I would give Get Out 7 “dead deer” out of 10.

THE BEST

The amount of subtle social commentary in this movie is crazy, but I would point out the way it undermines modern horror movies instead. Chris’s best friend Rod plays the comedic relief … and there are several times where it is literally relief from the tense scenes. He plays the voice of reason that you would likely hear in any horror movie audience screamed at the clueless characters on screen. Similar to Rod’s voice of reasoning, there are several other obvious clues pointing to what is going to happen if you are paying attention. Get Out doesn’t try to outsmart you, but instead gets underneath your skin and in your head. It is one of the few thriller movies that you can enjoy for what it is.

THE WORST

While I cannot think of anything inherently wrong with Get Out that I would change, I think the pacing was my biggest issue. The pacing is necessary to almost hypnotize you and prep you for what is coming up, but just seemed to slow down several times to a stand still. 

Another issue that isn’t necessarily an issue is that Get Out doesn’t have a high rewatchability. As mentioned, I knew what was going to happen and couldn’t imagine going back through and watching it again to find clues hidden throughout.

OVERALL

This is a fantastic movie that is worth seeing if you enjoy thrillers. While the rewatch value is low, the first time is definitely a trip worth taking. I would recommend heading to the theatre and seeing it on the big screen with a few other people in your audience. Considering this is also Jordan Peele’s directorial debut, this is a phenomenal show of force and it would be worth watching his career further.

RECOMMENDATION

Normally I have a movie in mind immediately before or after seeing a movie, but I couldn’t think of one. The throw away answer would be Keanu since it is Jordan Peele’s big screen debut … but that didn’t seem fitting. Instead I will go with a horror movie that has some obvious social commentary, The Mist. It is one of the only movies that Stephen King said was darker than his book … which is saying something. The story is more in how the characters interact with each other when they believe the world is ending or they are on their own.