Disclaimer: This post contains copious amounts of spoilers.
COPIOUS. AMOUNTS.
OK. So we've seen the creepy trailers for the movie Get Out. The first time I saw the trailer I thought.... "hmm, a movie about white supremacist/KKK cannibals". Then you hear whiny people complaining "oh we really don't need another movie about racism especially when our country is already so divided... blablabla". That's complete BS. Watch the movie.
Synopsis: Tyrone, a cool black photographer has dated a White Chick for 4 months and now it's time to meet her parents. Her parents (who look like a bunch of hippies/hipsters) live in the dark woods and seem normal at first, but things get weird when Tyrone notices the creepy black servants they employ around the house. Perhaps they are racists? Slave Owners? That night, Tyrone dreams about being hypnotized by White Chick's mom, who is a shrink. Tyrone wakes up the next morning, and White Chick's parents are throwing a party and invited the whole village. A mob of old white folks show up at the doorstep and everyone is expecting them to be acting like racist old farts, but instead they can't stop complimenting black people all over the place. A MILF even tries to hit on Tyrone.. "wuh...duh...fuhh....?" Then, Tyrone gets a call from his friend, Mr. Comedic Relief, who tells him that a bunch of brothas went missing around that neighbourhood and that he better "Get Out"! Tyrone tries to run but instead is strapped to a chair........
JK. His name is not Tyrone, it's "Chris".
Does Get Out deserve 99% on Rotten Tomatoes, a rating equivalent to The Godfather? Absolutely not. But, Get Out is a movie with an easy going mindset. It does not take itself seriously, rather, it seeks to entertain, and thus is hardly a horror film, even though it is marketed as such. Suspense and tension is well-maintained throughout the film, with a good balance of well-timed comedic relief moments in between.
Solid acting by the main lead, Daniel Kaluuya. Would you look at those eyes? They look so expressively frightened, as if he uncovered some shockingly disgusting secret kept hidden for centuries. Maybe the white folks are kidnapping the black people and eating them, or using them for satanic rituals? Sadly there is no such big unravel of plot twist. Which brings me to my biggest critique: Get Out stopped delivering surprises halfway into the movie thanks to Mr. Comedic Relief giving away the plot twist early on:
(BIG SPOILERS AHEAD)
Mr. Comedic Relief's conspiracy theory is almost spot on (except instead of sex slaves, white people are putting their brains into black people's bodies). Viewers are left with few surprises after that point, as Chris expectantly finds ways to Get Out of the hell hole.
The film fails to deliver the biggest plot twist at the end, when Chris violently struggles with White Chick just as a cop car shows up. Instead of having Mr. Comedic Relief save Chris' ass, the film could've delivered its social commentary about racism by having a random white cop get out of the car to arrest Chris, resonating the real-life theme that the black man is always assumed to be the perpetrator while White Chick is presumed innocent.
I'd describe the film as a "Stepford Wives + Ex Machina" mashup. However, unlike Stepford Wives or Ex Machina, Get Out does not seem to have a clear theme. Racism against blacks was not apparently delivered as a theme. Quite the opposite, the white people in the movie tried to take over black people's bodies because of the perceived physical advantages black people have. The only portrayal of institutionalized racism is in the beginning of the film, when Chris asks White Chick "Do your parents know I'm black?", as if being black is something bad that would naturally cause white parents to flip out.
Overall, the film is perfectly enjoyable, with wonderful cinematography and storytelling. I personally found nothing mind-blowing about the plot. I'm one who enjoys a good plot twist and on that level, Get Out failed to deliver.
A few random critiques and plot holes to think about:
-"Get Out", the title sucks. They should've called it something memorable.
-Why did the white people only kidnap Blacks if it weren't for racist reasons but for practical reasons?
-if white people are inserting their brains into black people's bodies, what happens to their own bodies? Are they pronounced dead to the police?
-Why does Chris' camera flash cause the "possessed blacks" to regain their own consciousness?
-Why do the police not investigate the disappearances of black men in the neighbourhood?
8/10
Directed by Jordan Peele
Starring
Running time: 103 minutes
