Get Out Review

     Jordan Peele directing a horror film is something I would have never expected but the man has just done that with Get Out. I was very eager to see this after the trailers because it looked like such a fresh take on the horror genre. Often times horror movies are very saturated and repetitive. Although I primarily avoid the genre because I am a giant wimp, the lack of substance also plays a pivotal role. This is not the case with Get Out, the exact opposite in fact. Peele was able to create a beautifully original and terrifying movie with Get Out, while being an intriguing social commentary at the same time.

     When Chris (Daniel Kaluuya), an African-American man, visits his caucasian girlfriend's parent's home for the first time, he will quickly find out that everything is not quite as it seems. So the basic plot for this movie is quite simplistic. Chris visits his the family of his girlfriend, Rose (Allison Williams), and they turn out to be crazy racists. But what this movie did so incredibly well was set up the tension and slowly up it. At the beginning of the film, all we really get is are passive aggressive remarks from family members and friends. Chris sees that all the workers at the family estate are African-American as well and when he tries to start up conversations with them, he also notices something is not as it should be. By the end of the film though audiences will genuinely fear for Chris' life and how he is going to escape from this crazy family.

     You can definitely identify the underlying comedic elements within this movie. Since Jordan Peele's primary strength is comedy, it's hard not to appreciate those moments in this movie. But what genuinely surprised me is how well this dude does horror. Although there are a couple of jump scares, he does not solely rely on them. He goes more the psychological horror route and does so very well. Peele also wrote this story and it never really has a dull moment because of his ability to create tension. Even the scenes where it's just dialogue, you're on the edge of your seat because you don't know what this family is going to do next. He created very well fleshed out characters for this movie and it greatly helps the movie. Although I wish the ending was a little more drawn out, it's difficult to complain at what Peele was able to accomplish with this movie.

     The performances in this movie were also good across the board. The main two characters played by Daniel Kaluuya and Allison Williams exhibited a great deal of range. I would not be surprised if both of them are lined up for many more projects in the future. The supporting cast was helmed by veteran actors Catherine Keener and Bradley Whitford who play the parents of Rose and do so in such a nightmarish way.
      This is such a fresh take on the horror genre that I highly suggest seeing it in theaters. Peele has delivered with a highly entertaining and intriguing social commentary/horror movie that works on all fronts.

Rating: 9.3 out of 10