‘Get Out’ Film Review: Weird, But Still Interesting & Enjoyable!

Photo Credit: GamesRadar

Get Out certainly has a lot more to it than meets the eye. This satire, come thriller, come ‘horror’ is one that will shock, scare and definitely get you using your brains. Daniel Kaluuya stars in this new 2017 film which is directed by well-known comedian Jordan Peele of Key & Peele.

I went into this film blind, having watched no trailers and only really knowing a vague premise from headlines and snippets seen on social media. I enjoyed the film, despite perhaps a slower pace than I anticipated, but there’s plenty of strong content that was both interesting and explored well. It’s one of those films that you shouldn’t take at face value, which makes it all the more compelling to watch.

A Spoiler-Free Get Out Movie Plot

Photo Credit: Deadline

The film follows the tells the story of Chris Washington (Kaluuya), a young black man heading to his white girlfriend Rose’s parents’ house for the weekend. In many ways, this would seem a harmless enough plot and would possibly make for a relatively funny rom-com. However, Get Out isn’t like this at all. Since the film opens with a young black man being abducted in a suburb street, you know it’s going to be slightly more sinister that a brief plot overview would indicate.

Chris quickly notices there’s something ever-so-slightly off about the Armitage household, especially with the African American houseworkers exhibiting very odd behaviour. We learn pretty early on that, Missy, Rose’s mother (played by Catherine Keener), is a hypnotist and it doesn’t take her too long to start practising her skills on Chris. As weird as this seemed when it first reared its head, a small dose of hypnotism is but the tip of the iceberg when it comes to weirdness in Get Out. Things really get out of hand and you won’t believe your eyes when you see what unfolds!

A Strong Social Commentary

Beneath the outrageous satirical nuances included in Peele’s Get Out there is a blatant and uncomfortable look into the racism that is ever present in society today. We are shown how entrenched racism seems to have become in the modern world. Peele shows how racism can be as little as assuming that African American people only want to talk about Tiger Woods or Obama, to the white self-assumed role of dominance and superiority.

Get Out makes sure this issue is well-explored and confronted head on, and its comedy satire approach leaves no stone unturned. We are forced to wince and grimace our way through the cringeworthy behaviour of an ageing white community who, in terms of their opinions on race, should be figures of the past. Peele demonstrates how the African-American body is a commodity that is can be bought/sold, controlled and literally used for the means of other who deem themselves to be more privileged.

Amongst some of the horrific and gory scenes we see in Get Out, it the representation and all-too-familiar image of a narrow-minded white community where the true horror lies.

Is Get Out Worth Heading To The Cinema For?

I’ll stick with my usual view on films in the cinema here. Get Out is a really good and interesting film; once you get to see past its slightly odd approach. It is a visual masterpiece that has to be seen on the big screen? Not at all. But in terms of engaging and intriguing content, I’d say it’s a pretty top notch film! You’ll certainly love Rod (played by LilRel Howrey) a fun and pretty lovable character.

It can be tense at times but its no horror. If you’re sharp you may twig what’s really going on pretty early, but if not the revelations made in the film are pretty fun to discover, and I think many will enjoy finding out what really happens when you visit the Armitages.

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Have you seen Get Out yet? If so I want to discuss it! Let me know what you think of this new 2017 film in the comments below. How do you think the racial commentary was handled?