GET OUT Movie Review
"I would've voted for Obama for a third term if I could."
Horror gets a bad rap. As a genre that is designed to transgress cultural taboos, it's easy to dismiss horror movies as nothing more than visceral shock value through their depiction of murder, blood, gore, and other horrific things. But there is something to be said for the catharsis horror movies bring by giving us the temporary opportunity to enjoy feeling like we are in danger (even though of course we are safe the whole time) - its why we continue to watch them and why the genre's popularity is still high. Nevertheless, consistency is hard to come by from one horror movie to the next, and one of the common problems with these movies is that they are so concerned with trying to scare the audience that they don't put the same effort into their thematic value, even though the latter, when done well, can be infinitely more frightening than a loud noise or a simple jump scare. Fortunately, Jordan Peele understands this, and as a result, his latest creative endeavor Get Out is one of the most significant movies of its ilk in recent memory.
Traditionally, the horror genre has been concerned with questions surrounding gender and sexuality (i.e. the “final girl” in slashers), but race has never figured into the equation much (besides the trope everyone knows of the black guy usually being one of the first people killed off). Following a black man named Chris who goes with his white girlfriend, Rose, to visit her parents at their rural estate, Get Out immediately sets itself apart from other horror movies by explicitly drawing attention to its protagonist's race (it’s also a welcome change of pace from the batch of metaphorical horror movies of the past few years, turning what could be subtext into text). The issue of race continues to dominate affairs from there, with an obvious disconnect existing between Chris, Rose’s parents, and all the other (mostly white) characters. In this regard, Get Out excels, as it has a lot of brilliant insights to offer on race in America in 2017. Without getting into spoilers, this movie is a formidable satire of the ludicrous notion that we have been living in a post-racial society since Obama’s presidency, showing how white liberals are still prejudiced against people of color, specifically African-Americans, just in a different and less obvious (but no less problematic) way than before. In the words of Childish Gambino, "Stay woke."
Get Out works best when viewed as a sociopolitical commentary, but it also works quite well when viewed through the lens of horror. Still, calling this a horror movie or even a horror-comedy feels inappropriate because it is so unlike anything that has come before it. This is horror reinventing itself, replacing monsters, mythical killers, or supernatural forces with something that is far more horrifying: the enduring reality of casual racism in everyday life. Though the film itself may not be very scary, it’s unmistakably a horror film at heart. From the moment we arrive at the estate and Chris first meets Rose’s parents, you can tell that something is off. The first two-thirds of the movie play like a remake of the classic Sidney Poitier film Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner if it were an awkward social thriller with some laughs sprinkled in, and I was eating it up. Peele demonstrates a keen ability to sustain an off-kilter tone, one that is not trying to produce a sense of outright terror, but rather one that makes the audience feel incredibly uncomfortable. Two scenes in particular, one involving Chris being alone with Rose's mother in the middle of the night, and the other involving Chris confronting the black maid who works at the house (named Georgina), are absolutely amazing. The writing, directing, and cinematography are all impressive, but the real star of the show is Daniel Kaluuya. As Chris, Kaluuya gives one of the most effective physical performances I can recall seeing in some time. I’ve only seen this guy in two movies now, but I can already tell he’s gonna be around for years to come. A lot of the shots in this movie are just Kaluuya reacting to the odd things that he notices going on around him, and he sells that perceptiveness and mounting paranoia perfectly. He is complimented by a supporting cast who are all up to the task as well, with Catherine Keener as Rose’s mom, LaKeith Stanfield in a small but meaningful role, Betty Gabriel as Georgina, and (especially) Lil Rel Howery as Chris’ friend Rob standing out.
As previously mentioned, I loved the first two-thirds of this movie, but I can’t say the same for the last third. That’s not to say that Get Out falls apart in the third act like so many other horror movies are prone to doing; but I was left a little underwhelmed by the way it concluded. There is a point right at the beginning of the third act where something happens that leaves Chris sidelined for a little while, as we jump back and forth between him and another character. I really like the other character we jump to, but the problem is that the comedic nature of these scenes felt out of place with what was happening to Chris, stalling most of the film’s momentum (it also doesn’t help that there is a scene of what I like to call “exposition dumping” around this part too). I get what Peele was going for, but the tonal shift between these two lines of action didn’t really work for me and I felt like they took away from the tension that should have been reaching a fever pitch at that point. The film does get back on track after this brief detour with an intense and crazy last 10-15 minutes, but it still felt a little rushed to me after it had spent so much time building up to this moment. There’s nothing necessarily wrong with the ending, I just would have taken it in a different direction. I wouldn’t have a problem with this if Get Out were a typical horror film, but the first two-thirds are anything but typical, and I can’t help but wish it hadn’t devolved into standard genre conventions that have been used so many times before to wrap up other horror films. Maybe my opinion on the final third will change when I rewatch the film, but for now that’s how I feel about it.
Despite some of my personal reservations, Get Out comes highly recommended from me. Watching a horror movie with an original idea & something important to say is such a rare combination these days, which is why I’m extremely happy that audiences seem to be responding to this movie so positively. It will be interesting to see the effect that it has on Hollywood going forward; I could easily see this becoming a cult classic and being incredibly influential on where the horror genre heads next. One thing that I have no doubt about: Jordan Peele has a bright future ahead of him if he decides to continue writing and directing movies. If his debut is this confident, I can’t wait to see how good he’ll be once he has a few more films under his belt. Get Out signals the arrival of a vital new voice, and it's an encouraging step forward in the evolution of 21st century American genre filmmaking.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐1/2 (3.5 stars out of 5)