Holy shit.
So, going into this advanced screening I wasn’t sure what to expect. The trailer for Get Out seemingly gives away the plot in an admittedly effective and intriguing way. It certainly did its job anyway, as I was thoroughly looking forward to seeing the film, and was extremely curious if Jordan Peele had the chops to do a thriller. For those who don’t know who Jordan Peele is, he is half of the Key and Peele duo who are pretty infamous for their social commentary and racially driven comedy sketches.
The answer to my curiosity is an emphatic yes. Peele has the chops alright. But don’t let me get too far ahead of myself. If you haven’t seen the trailer yet, check it out now:
I don’t want to go into specifics about this film, as I firmly believe that the above trailer tells you everything you need to know about the plot to understand what is going on. Some may even think that the trailer is giving away too much, but I firmly believe that this trailer was very well put together to give you a certain mind set going in. This movie goes places that you would not at all expect and the ride it takes you on is intense, uncomfortable, and altogether masterfully put together.
While I’m not going to tell you the story here, I do want to spend a moment and talk about the feelings that I felt while watching this film. Contrary to the typical thriller, where you feel intensity and little else, Get Out put a lot of thoughts into my head and did so without sacrificing any of it’s integrity or holding my hand very much. A big part of this film is a social commentary on what it feels to be a minority in an extremely white environment. The comments and slightly exaggerated niceties that people give in this situation is something that most people will never think about or notice, but they are called out in a way here that can’t help but make you think about it. Daniel Kaluuya fucking nails his role here too, his reactions to how people are treating him are believable and really help you feel what he feels.
While all of this social commentary is going on, you notice that the actions of the characters in this film start to get progressively more “off” from real life. Things turn to an uncanny situation where you have no clue what could possibly be going on. This is where, as an audience, your thoughts and feelings go from thoughtful about social interactions and transition perfectly into a level of unease that will keep getting higher and higher until the climax, which is so batshit crazy that it is both unbelievable and yet still feels like it fits.
Throughout the film you will go on a roller coaster where you won’t know what the motives of the characters are or who is in on the underlying strangeness. That is, until all is revealed to you, but at that point the movie has reached it’s peak speed and you are only able to follow along with no way to help or stop what is happening.
It is baffling that the same man who brought us Key and Peele and Keanu is behind this movie. I respected his comedy and was very skeptical about his delve into a serious thriller – even if it has it’s funny parts – but now I fully respect this man as a filmmaker. He has my attention and I very much want to see him do more of this.
Go see Get Out. It’s in theaters Feb. 24th.
