Get Out (2017) Reviews

• Just because you're invited, doesn't mean you're welcome.

  asifahsankhan2017-03-17

  "Get Out" takes the initial premise of "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" and then twists it with "The Stepford Wives" to create a compelling, thoughtful critique of white power. Peele, of course, isn't arguing that white people are out to hypnotise black people. Instead, Get Out is a stinging criticism of the white liberalism that carries itself as empathetic towards blacks, but that empathy only extends as far as white control. Peele isn't taking aim at Neo- Nazis and other whites who would angrily shout the n-word. They're a lost cause. Instead, he's looking at those who profess their lack of racism, but only do so if they can maintain their dominance over black people in the most insidious manner possible. As Chris pointedly notes to Rose at party full of white people, "Has anyone here ever met a black person that didn't work for them?" The film is genuinely creepy. Instead of cheesy music and grotesque torture porn, Peele relies on the unknown to draw you in. What is happening here? The plot builds like a slow boil to a terror explosion. Clues to the outcome are evident from the first second, but it takes the entire run-time to pull everything together. It's such a joy to be surprised by a horror outcome. I don't think I've seen a genre film this inventive since Cabin in the Woods. The resolve is truly satisfying. My favourite aspect of Get Out is the intelligence of the characters. There's a lot to like, but beyond the deeper themes; the characters aren't morons. I cringe every time I watch a genre film and the characters don't behave logically. Chris and Rose are not fools. Something is amiss, enough to warrant wariness. Anyone in this situation would be unnerved as events play out. Credit again to Peele for writing characters that act rationally. "Get Out" doesn't replace the scares with humour – Peele is too smart to do that. Instead, he balances the fear with laughs and then laces everything with social comment and that unsettling tone. The fact that Chris is so eminently likable just underlines it. It all adds up to something of a treat – for everybody, not just horror fans.

• Jordan Peele debuts in style

  totalwonder2017-09-23

  Get Out provided me with something I long for. The debut of a new filmmaker that makes you look hopefully into the future. Jordan Peele has done just that. He wrote and directed this smart, elegant film and even made us find a new way to classify it. Horror, comedy, drama, social satire. What matters really is that it's a first of sorts and then some. It introduced me also to a major talent in front of the camera. Daniel Kaluuya is sheer perfection. As an actor he projects and provokes empathy. Whatever your race or races you will be in his shoes, feeling what he's feeling. I was him, throughout. The gasps of fear mixed with the bursts of laughter from the audience - me included - made Get Out one of the most rewarding film experiences of 2017. Kudos also to Bradley Whitford and the phenomenal Catherine Keener. They are terrifyingly recognizable and what about Caleb Landry Jones? Menacing enough and comic enough - he reminded me of Peter, Chris Elliott's character in Everybody Loves Raymond - to be all the things he needed to be. Perfect. As is the human relief provided by the wonderful Marcus Henderson. As you may gather I'm celebrating. So, Mr Peele, thank you very much.

• Lives up to the hype

  ramair3502017-03-06

  I decided to see this film at the theater after hearing some of the hype (which was basically that it is an excellent horror film that is told from the perspective of a black man). Well, I can see this would be truly the worst nightmare of a black man (and really the worst nightmare for us all). This is NOT a film that tries to make the viewer feel "sorry" for black people, nor is it at all preachy, but it is just a good old fashioned horror film with a fresh new setting. I'm an old white guy by the way. The acting is wonderful, and directing is amazing. The film, while mostly horror, is actually completely hilarious in some parts, making it the funniest AND scariest movie I have seen in ages (no easy feat). It is a shame that the film will likely not be regarded in the company of Academy Award potential nominees, because the directing and acting is honestly Oscar worthy. Again, no small feat for a horror movie that is also funny. In summary, this is a MUST SEE at the theater and one of the best films of the year. It is a fun ride that is very well done!

• I Don't Get The Hype

  Brew_Swayne2017-03-10

  Cookie cutter suspense/thriller/horror flick that isn't very suspenseful or thrilling or scary. The only real change from the norm with this movie is that it features a black man as the lead actor, and early on in the movie it touches on some of the problems of interracial dating from a black man's perspective. I found some humor in the way that the white family (and later their white friends) interacted with the lead character...going out of their way at times to either talk about how they voted for Obama or loved Tiger Woods...basically doing and saying the things that white people say to black people in an attempt to prove they aren't racist. The movie was fairly well acted despite not having exceptionally strong material to work with. I thought Daniel Kaluuya turned in a really strong performance and he really saved the movie, imo. I don't recall seeing him in anything else prior to this, but he gave an excellent performance and I hope this serves as a spring board to bigger/better roles. Seems very talented. My biggest problem with this movie is that I don't know what it was trying to be. It kind of hit a little bit with the satire and humor elements, but all in all, the movie just doesn't really have an identity. The "mystery" behind everything was not well concealed and the twists and turns you'd expect from a movie like this just never developed. I had this movie pretty well figured out before the halfway mark, which made for a less enjoyable second half of the movie. I'm pretty amazed by all the rave reviews it's getting. It is a bit groundbreaking in it's own right strictly for the cultural/social/racial aspect - as that has been largely neglected in movies, especially this genre - but once you get passed that and just look at the movie for what it is, I can't really give this movie anything more than a middling grade. Not the worst movie I've ever seen by any means, but also not really worth the price of admission either. Wait for it to come out on Netflix and enjoy from the comfort of your own couch.

• Racism is Thoroughly Criticised in This Well Made Thriller! Good US Film!

  hilaryswank20112017-09-24

  I was pretty surprised that this film was turned out to be an anti racist movie! The story is simple enough that African American Chris goes to his Caucasian girl friend Rose's parent home where every one victimizes African Americans for their body transformation. The killers' motive is more religious cult than human trafficking. This topic is common in the latest Asian films which criticizing stealing parts of victims' bodies to sell for upper class millionaires. Technical feature is pretty common. For instance, the most crafted VFX is when hypnotized Chris draws into the liquefied floor in flush back sequence. Surreal expression is well done in this sequence. I'm afraid of this filmmaker's courage to make a white versus black film in present. However it is not that kind of propaganda, it just belongs to black comedy. And it also embodies ideological racial phobia of Caucasians after Obama regime appeared in US history. It deeply expressed the Caucasian's racial fear to more empowered African Americans and their historical revenge. This film physiologically well expressed Caucasian's minds in the US society in post Obama era.