Scappa - Get Out

Get Out is an intense, unnerving movie that keeps you on the edge of the seat --- only if you are satisfied with an adrenal rush and not looking for any depth in the characters or the story. It's a great production done with superb acting, music and visual arrangement, but as a movie about racism it just doesn't go beyond.

It starts with the romance between Rosie and Chris, the sweet white girlfriend and the talented African-American photographer, where Rosie asks Chris to spend a weekend at her posh parents' country house. It's just a weekend, but as things get awry, it escalates to be a matter of life or death. The backdrop can be easily taken as a trope for racial relations/tension in America, but contrary to what Peele the director aspired to do, this movie just couldn't provoke any discussion or shed light on the touchy issues. To have the guests "locked up" in a grandiose house with two distinct camps of the white and the black is also a scene that occurs in Tarantino's Django Unchained. While Django Unchained uses a fictional story to unveil the cruelty and injustice of black slavery, Get Out feels more like a sorcerer's tale that manages to carry the label of racism because the victim happens to be a black. The characters are diabolical and psychotic, but they are also flat and uninspiring. They might carry a secret agenda, but it just makes them look like an underground cult group who somehow has a bit of a supernatural power – it must be because some of the things they do are scientifically impossible, e.g. the surgery scene. Their persona and the things that they can physically do – hypnosis by the mother and surgeries by the father – are just not representative at all. They do not carry any association to racists or the xenophobic. In fact, they are also kind of dumb to have that kind of video conferencing set-up in the room where the victim gets to talk to the perpetrator. It works well if the movie wants to create suspense or terror by paying tribute to the horror classic Saw, but again, it doesn't add any depth to an intellectual reflection on racism.

Some people comment that the film commits dogmatic stereotypes. I think the only stereotype used here is that the black and the white are by default at war with each other. Yet, it's used more as a convenient trick to shove the audience into this them-versus-us mentality so we get as suspicious as Chris. The horror is real, the acting is fantastic and does send the chill off your spine, but it doesn't stimulate your thinking or perpetuate any racial prejudices. If this movie is played in a virtual reality movie house, it's top notch; but if it attempts to be meaningful, it is not.

Jordan Peele's strong directorial debut got well deserved Oscar attention, as it's unique, intelligent, and often times subtle storytelling made for a well layered, suspenseful film experience.

It is hard to say one actor out of the supporting roles stuck out as they all performed so well, but Daniel Kaluuya in the lead role as Chris was superb. His usage of facial expression and body language played so well to his character, and in a movie with plenty of good qualities about it he shines.

Jordan Peele also uses a lot of subtle imagery that contributes well to the themes and tone of his story, which is notably impressive especially for a first time director and make for rewarding second, third and maybe even more repeat viewings.

This movie is not without faults however, as there is a handful of times where characters inexplicably act strange seemingly just for the audience, and like most horror movies coming out recently it has it's pointless, shrill music stabs to emphasize a silly jump scare.

Despite it's faults, I would still highly recommend this one to anyone looking for an intriguing story.

A unique and effective blend of horror film and social commentary if there ever was one! Young, modest black photographer Chris Washington is understandably nervous about going to spend the weekend with the parents of his sweet white girlfriend Rose Armitage, who for reasons totally unbeknownst to him has yet to tell her parents that he's black. They set out on their trip and...well the rest is really left for the viewer to discover. Writer-director Jordan Peele shows his master craftsmanship by taking this simple premise and expanding it in many different directions, also incorporating elements of racism, comedy, shock and awe, and wisely never taking things too seriously. The climax is a bit formulaic and over-the-top, but the journey is effectively unnerving and features much stronger acting than you would expect for a film of this genre. Not for everyone, but refreshingly unconventional and worth the viewing experience. ***

Satire doesn't get much darker than this, a perspective derived from the opposite of bliss, the frictions and prejudice society draws, to control and manipulate, exploit and ignore.

What would you do, if someone took control of you, could control you're every move, set the tempo to your groove, had the first and final say, how you went about your day, chose the things that you would do, when and where, with what, with who. If you tried to make a stand, put a halt or raise a hand, the mighty structures that surround, would envelop and impound, one for all and all for one, will ensure you'll soon be gone, but be under little doubt, that you're never getting out.

An outstanding piece of cinema and satirical observation with added barbs.

'Get Out' was very highly recommended by a friend, also a fellow film enthusiast, and the subject matter of the film really interested me. Add to that a very promising trailer, the award nominations and wins and mostly positive word of mouth (even with the very vocal detractors), and interest was higher.

High expectations were not only met but also exceeded. Apologies for the cliché, but to me that is the best way to sum up my personal experience watching 'Get Out'. Can totally see why it was as well received as it was, though can also see why it has divided audiences on here. While it will never be one of my favourite films, 'Get Out' is among the better films of 2017 and does live up to the hype.

It's an incredibly well-made film visually, with stylish and unsettling cinematography and editing and some disturbingly surreal imagery that adds to, and enhances, the unease and sense of dread.

That the direction was done by a first-time director is a shock in itself, one of the most outstanding debut directing jobs seen in a long time by me. It's nostalgic in its embracing of contemporary and classic horror and also brave in the accomplished handling of the film's combative themes.

Being somebody who considers music important when talking about it, the music looms suitably ominously and fits well. 'Get Out' benefits from an extremely smart and clever script (though 'The Shape of Water' and especially 'Lady Bird' were worthier wins for the Best Original Screenplay Oscar in my view), that takes on a lot of elements and balances them adeptly and the individual elements handled very effectively.

Despite how it sounds, 'Get Out' struck me as more of a thriller with horror and comedic elements. It is highly successful on this front, with the thriller elements being taut, suspenseful and unsettling, the comedic ones being darkly funny and clever and the horror ones being imaginatively shocking and subtly uneasy. There is even some social commentary and interracial themes explored, and done thoughtfully and just about avoids preachiness while hitting hard still.

While all the performances are very fine, it is Daniel Kaluuya's superb lead performance that burns in the memory the most.

My only complaint of 'Get Out' is the too pat and somewhat silly ending that felt tacked on and like it came out of a different film, to me it too ended on a tonally jarring and that's it note.

Until then, the film was this close to being a masterpiece. So it was frustrating that it just missed out on that distinction. Nonetheless it's a great film that is among the year's better ones, brought down by an underwhelming ending. 9/10 Bethany Cox