Get Out

This review may contain spoilers!

This is a movie that quite simply feels like a stroke of genius, really relevant and a masterful story. I would give Get Out an 8/10.

This is a horror/thriller unlike any film I've ever seen; it manages to construct a story that you get really intrigued by with some cool twists along the way. It's a feature that follows an African-American man, Chris, who has reached the point in his relationship with his white girlfriend, Rose, where he's going to meet her parents. He's a bit worried about what they'll think about him being black and he probably should worry about that cause Rose's family is a twisted lot. I love how this story feels so fresh, the dialogue is really clever, the concept is it's own thing and it manages to have some comedy that doesn't feel misplaced. I like how the concept of these black people being snatched by upper-class old white people has a bit of a running social commentary that is presented in a very clever manner. The cinematography is great and moves with the main character a lot, I also enjoyed the framing especially in the 'therapy' scenes. The editing moved at a good pace, I never felt bored by this movie and it had a good sense of timing. The soundtrack was very eerie, in particular the use of 'Run Rabbit Run' by Flanagan and Allen; the score also heightened the discord throughout the film and puts you on the edge of your seat.

Daniel Kaluuya, who played Chris Washington, makes for a very strong lead for this film; Kaluuya brings out a performance that really highlights his role's skepticism and unease. Catherine Keener, who played Missy Armitage, was a very still and transfixing antagonist; Keener's very measured performance makes her one of the more terrifying members of the Armitage family. Bradley Whitford, who played Dean Armitage, is quite a fun performance to watch when he's trying to play up the charismatic father figure role at the start of the film; yet Whitford lends a serious edge to the role that causes you to distrust him as the feature progresses. Caleb Landry Jones, who played Jeremy Armitage, was a real wild card in this film; the way Jones often seemed inebriated and violent in scenes made him quite unpredictable. Betty Gabriel, who played Georgina, really sold on the idea that the black people who lived with the Armitages weren't normal; the way in which her personality would feel abnormal led to some of the more unnerving scenes. Lakeith Stanfield, who played Andrew Logan King, had one of the most realistic reactions to being put in a horror scenario at the start of this film; I also really enjoyed how King played up the persona of a 'prim and proper' gentleman when we meet him again later in the film. Stephen Root, who played Jim Hudson, had a real nice connection with Kaluuya when first we meet him; so it makes it all the more depraved when we witness him as yet another one of the antagonists. Richard Herd, who played Roman Armitage, was a great minor role in this film; Herd had a character who delivered a lot of exposition yet in quite a fascinating way that really drummed in the background to the events which take place in this feature. Erika Alexander, who played Detective Latoya, was only a minor role but had a really funny scene with Howery; I enjoyed watching Alexander rather obviously humour and then mock Howery over the course of this scene.

However the best performance came from LilRel Howery, who played Rod Williams. I'd say Howery is the best performer in this film because he got the biggest reaction out of me and because I never see comedy done well in a horror film, or if it is the film often isn't a good one. I liked this role because he felt like a very real person, who was more than aware of how creepy everything was that was going on. Howery hit his scenes with a ton of energy and often stole the show in these. I don't think I've loved so hard all year, this was brilliant comedy that didn't reall come out of nowhere; this was comedy to fit the plot.

Despite my love for Howery's character, Rod, in this film the final act of the feature did have a few too many scenes with him in it; the sudden increase in the amount of comedy took away from the serious overtones of what was happening in other scenes. I also felt that the final act was quite happy to ramp up the ridiculous factor, in some moments this felt satisfying but in others you would be left questioning if what had happened really needed to be that over the top.

Allison Williams, who played Rose Armitage, didn't really have that much chemistry with Kaluuya so you weren't surprised when it was revealed she worked alongside her family; I also felt that her sudden snap personality change after this reveal was performed way too over the top. Marcus Henderson, who played Walter, was one of the few black people who had had they're body snatched to make the performance feel artificial; Henderson had a tendency to over-exaggerate himself which only worked to the detriment of some scenes.