Get Out review: Jordan Peele steps behind the camera for this modern spin on a classic thriller tale.
Get Out review by Kat Hughes, March 2017.
Get Out review
Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) and Rose (Allison Williams) have been dating for a while and it’s time for Chris to meet the parents. In addition to the usual nerves, Chris is worried that Rose’s upper class parents will have an issue with their beloved Caucasian daughter bringing home an African American beau. Things start out well enough with Rose’s parents fully embracing Chris, but it seems that something isn’t quite right in suburbia.
Jordan Peele, who starred in last year’s brilliant Keanu, directs this time around, showing a LOT of talent. Peele replicates what made Keanu so magic, by mixing comedy into a genre that doesn’t usually have it. Keanu brought the laughs into the action world and Get Out brings humour into the horror-thriller realm. By adding the laughs, Get Out adds a flair of fun and an odd sense of realism.
Get Out Review
Tightly written, Get Out slowly drips little nuggets of information, keeping the viewer engaged and guessing from the outset. Peele has also created a fully believable cast of characters, even if some of them have been heightened; a necessity given the genre blend. The banter between Chris and his airport security best friend Rod feels genuine, the relationship of Chris and Rose isn’t forced, and when things start to spiral, our protagonist wants out. Chris is not the typical horror movie cliché, he fights back when needed and uses his intellect to overcome adversity.
The scares also pay off big time. Gone are the expected jump scares, replaced with very unexpected jump scares. There’s none of the usual Blumhouse build-ups to a heart-stopping moment, and that makes proceedings all the more tense. People and things pop up out of nowhere to give you a fright, the viewer kept firmly on the edge of their set.
Get Out Review
The cast, particularly Daniel Kaluuya (who has come a long way since Skins), are all fantastic. Kaluuya already has the audience on side during the opening moments; Chris is a guy that you can root for. Allison Williams has a great time with Rose, and Catherine Keener, Bradley Whitford and Caleb Landry Jones are all suitably odd as the Armitage family.
Easily one of the best thriller debuts since Shayamalan’s Sixth Sense, Jordan Peele proves that he has just as much talent behind the camera as he does in front of it. Part Invasion of the Body Snatchers, part Stepford Wives, mixed in with Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. Get Out is a timeless tale with a stunningly modern twist.
Get Out review by Kat Hughes, March 2017.
Get Out is released in UK cinemas from Friday 17th March, 2017.
