Logan Sork Film Reviews
Get Out
When comedian Jordan Peele announced that he would be making his feature directorial debut with a horror movie, people weren’t sure what to think of it. Would Peele be able to pull of the skill needed to make an effective horror film or would he end up making a joke of himself? Much to everyone’s surprise and delight, Get Out was a major success when it was first released. It made a huge amount of money on a modest budget and went on to win Peele an academy award. So, is this film worth all of the hype? Well, there are a couple of problems that prevent it from reaching the status that everyone claims it to be, but for the most part Get Out is an entertaining thriller with solid directing, writing and acting that help make it worthwhile even if there are a couple of hurdles to overcome.
Get Out is written and directed by Jordan Peele and stars Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Lil Rel Howry, Bradley Whitford and Catherine Keener. The film follows Chris (Kaluuya), a young man in a loving relationship with Rose (Williams). Seeing that their relationship is at a good point, Rose invites Chris to meet her parents and stay at their lake house for the weekend. While Chris is somewhat nervous to meet her parents, especially after she tells him they don’t know he’s black, he agrees to the trip. When they arrive Chris finally meets Rose’s parents and eventually settles in. But, while things may start off normal, a series of increasingly disturbing events leads to something more terrifying than Chris could have ever thought of.
While Peele may come from a comedic background, there are no signs of this in the way this film is directed. Sure, the occasional joke comes up here and there, but for the most part Peele brings a distinct directorial style to this film that helps keep the viewers on edge. Rather than rely on an overuse of jump scares and scary things being thrown at the camera, Peele focuses instead on building suspense. In doing so, he allows the audience to take in images that aren’t necessarily scary, but rather out of the ordinary. By focusing on these relatively simple things, Peele subtly creates an atmosphere of discomfort and uncertainty as the audience wonders what they are looking at on screen.
Speaking of discomfort, the film’s social commentary is brilliantly subtle in its execution and message. While most films try to be over the top in their social political message, Peele writes scenes that feel like they would take place in the real world, making them all the more uncomfortable for us to watch. I won’t get into spoilers, but there are multiple scenes in which Chris, a black man, interacts with people who are predominantly white. It is in these scenes that Peele portrays everyday happenings that still unfortunately occur. It is the realistic nature of these scenes that makes the commentary so effective. Where as most other films would make the commentary the main point, Peele decides to make it an effective main idea that underlies the overall plot. This allows the plot to progress freely without getting hindered by the social commentary and vice versa. This allows the film to flow in a more cohesive manner rather than trip over its own feet halfway through.
The cast of characters is also excellent. Daniel Kaluuya is spectacular as Chris, who brings a relatable and vulnerable nature to is character that makes him more sympathetic than most other horror film protagonists. He is especially great at showing off his complex range of emotions, something the film could not have done without as it would have collapsed without this performance. Allison Williams is also excellent, coming of as a believable sweet girlfriend and a genuinely nice person who has a good heart and serves as a great foil to Chris. Both Catherine Keener and Bradley Whitford are excellent as Rose’s parents, with each bringing a unique zaniness and mystery to their character in terms of their performance. Of course, I have to give a shout out to Lil Rel Howery. Who gives one of the funniest performances I’ve seen in sometime as Chris’ paranoid friend giving the film most of its funniest moments.
While most of the film is great, from its ominous direction to it’s stellar cast, there are a few bumps along the road. While Peele for the most part maintains a creepy atmosphere, it is occasionally broken by the out of place jump scare. It’s not that these moments are awful, they just turn what was an otherwise creepy moment into a cheap gimmick. The film also loses its subtlety with the third act revelation. Again, it’s not that it’s a bad revelation, it’s just not as well conceived as it could’ve been. From that point on, the film begins to go into over the top mode and becomes almost comical in a way. This is not the way I would’ve liked the film to end, as it robs an otherwise subtle film from having the haunting ending it could have had.
So yeah, the film has problems. There are a couple of misplaced jump scares, some comedic moments that just don’t work and a third act that feels like it was ripped straight from a Scooby-doo cartoon. But aside from that Get Out is a well-crafted thriller with fantastic direction, a great screenplay with subtle and effective commentary and a top-notch cast. Together, all of these elements work to smooth out some otherwise unpleasant bumps and help make this film an entertaining thrill ride.
7/10