*Originally written March 6th, 2017*
"Peele unchained"
Despite the spoiler heavy trailers, Jordan Peele's Get Out was still a horror comedy that managed to surprise and deliver an insanely entertaining experience.
Based on Jordan Peele's output (Key and Peel/Keanu), I expected this to be more of a comedy, and it was. That wasn't to say his directorial debut wasn't devoid of disturbing and tense moments, I just found it more funny than scary. It some ways it reminded me of Shaun of the Dead and 2014's The Guest. Two genre bending films that defied conventions and delivered fun, self-aware experiences.
Get Out also does this and delivers a fairly topical and original story that hits at a lot of race related issues. Seeing a young black man have this awkward moments with upper-class, rich white people was as cringe-inducing as it felt real. Daniel Kaluuya and Peele's script make this all feel genuinely painful and hard to watch, not because of horror, but in the world we currently live in, I can see this happening. Obviously not the later stuff, but the smaller moments.
Once the horror gets going in Get Out, it did lose me a bit. It fully embraces what it is and goes completely off the rails, which I did enjoy, but was more compelled by the earlier stuff building up to the horrific revelations. It does at least end exactly when I wanted it to. My usually problem with films is that they go on too long and I hit a point where I want it to finish, but it goes on for a lot longer. So in that sense, Get Out is perfectly paced.
There are some fantastically creative visuals that had to have been inspired by 2013's Under the Skin with the "sink into the floor scene" that delivers a surprisingly unsettling visual. I did like all the hypnosis stuff. It created some unique stuff I don't think I've seen before.
On top of all the awkward moments of hilarious casual racism the lead character finds himself in, a side character steals the show in the form of a TSA agent who brings genuine hilarity to the darker moments. It balances its horror and comedy extremely well. This could have been a tonal nightmare, but everything just works out okay.
I can imagine this growing on me with rewatches. There are loads of minor subtle details I only could have picked up on with further watches, so I can imagine this one hold up very well with further viewings. Although I don't think rewatches will manage to ever make the "Cotton wool" scene make sense.
Get Out is one of the most original and inventive horror comedies of recent years. It might lose its way a bit towards its ending, but for the most part, it's an extremely entertaining, funny and exciting directorial debut from director Jordan Peele.
8/10 Dans
Get Out is out now on Blu-ray and DVD in the UK
Watch the trailer below:
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