GET OUT REVIEW

Get Out is one of those films that you absolutely have to see. If you haven't seen it yet, you really need too! I was late to watching it and only watched it for the first time after the Oscars. I had been meaning to see it since it came out because of all the hype around it and all the amazing reviews it got. I'm not a massive fan of the horror genre but I had been reassured that it was more of a physiological thriller with gory aspects towards the end, which is right up my street.

Story

As I have already said, Get Out isn't your classic horror film and feels more like a physiological thriller. It has a refreshing take on the horror genre which makes it more impactful and memorable. Although Get Out isn't your typical horror film, it still uses common codes and conventions of the horror genre such as jump scares, gore and overwhelming mind games. It's incredibly captivating and there's no way you'd be able to watch it secondarily, this film will take your full attention the entire way through. It has a very eerie feel to it, adding to the tension and anxiety that the film harnesses.

As well as being terrifying and confusing, it has elements of humour throughout. I'll go more into individual performances later on, but the supporting role of Rod keeps the film light hearted and relieves tension at points in the film. His role almost acts as us, the audience, being overwhelmed and confused by the entire storyline being helpless and far away from the incidents. The humour is effortless and genuinely very funny, it helps keep the film enjoyable to watch as it could easily become an anxiety driven horror that would be painful to watch due to the ever rising tension. The humour allows the audience to relax slightly and laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation. Also, having a character the audience can relate to helps make them comfortable and makes the whole experience much more enjoyable.

What makes this film unique and different to others is the surprising plot twists that occur throughout the film. They also play around with 'false heroes' and 'fake heroines' luring the audience and main protagonist into a false sense of security before completely twisting the story. It's a film that's full of surprises and is constantly changing, with the story moving sporadically in new directions with every plot twist. Its one of those films you couldn't explain to someone else, the plot gives away the entire film, yet it's so complicated to explain because it has so many different elements to it. All I say to people is "it's a must watch" and "you won't regret it" because honestly it's a cinematic masterpiece and the screenplay is outstanding.

With all these plot twists and characteristic changes, the film comes to an ultimate climax at the end which had me shaking. It will cause you to die from adrenaline as the film heads to new heights exposing characters you thought were innocent, fight scenes coming out left, right and centre, and the intensity of Chris's escape.

One thing this film did for me that I wasn't expecting it to, was make me really think and questions humanity and human nature. There are some interesting yet disturbing arguments and opinions brought up in this film and it left be truly battled. How did someone come up with this plot and storyline? Is this something that people would actually consider doing? Why are people in this day and age still racist? What is everyone's obsession with immortality? I was left with so many questions which will never get answered. This is a film that will satisfy you in so many ways. It's cinematically beautiful and the storyline is intense and thrilling. When I say it's a must watch, it honestly is.

Acting

The acting in this film is actually incredible that I have to talk about them all individually. I'm very sceptical and critical when it comes to films and especially acting, so I was so impressed when I couldn't fault this film. So, without further due, let's talk about the individual acting performances:

David Kaluuya (Chris): I have no words to express how incredible David's performance was. He played the suspense and kept us on edge the whole time meanwhile acting natural and playing on the 'black guy trying to fit it' persona. His curiosity and confusion truly mirrored the audience's, which made us relate to him more and create a personal bond with his character. Every time he was in danger, we panicked. Every time he was near escape, we cheered. He created a bond with the audience, which shows how authentic and great his performance was.

Allison Williams (Rose): Now Rose was a character I was completely blind sided by. The entire way through the film she plays the innocent act and has everyone truly believing. The only moment I questioned her was during the build up to the climax, which was a plot twist I did not see coming. The duality of Allison's acting was truly amazing to watch. Going from a sweet and innocent girlfriend, to a psychopathic and sexually manipulative pawn in her parents plan was eerily impressive.

Catherine Keener (Missy): Catherine's rendition of the Mother role I found very interesting. She came across as creepy and suspicious from the get go, which made me feel on edge every time she was in a scene. You knew she was up to something and she was the main character that fed the suspicions and created the suspense that drove the story forwards. She acts as the catalyst through her hypnotic manipulations and creates the eerie feel that goes through the whole film.

Bradley Whitford (Dean): Unlike Missy's role, Dean tries to come across as innocent and doesn't give off the same suspicious vibes as his wife does. His character function does the complete opposite of his counterpart's as he tries to hide the catalyst that Missy starts. However, his true colours come out during the funeral section where we see Chris's picture next to Dean while he reads his speech.

Caleb Landry Jones (Jeremy): Caleb's character of Jeremy just made me nervous the entire way through. He was the 'unpredictable spoilt rich kid' brother who almost threatened to out his parents' entire operation whenever he didn't get his way. He was also used as the 'muscle' and performed the physical elements of their plan which just added to the nerves he caused me to have whenever he entered the frame.

Marcus Henderson (Walter): Walter is the first black character we see associated with Armitage's family and his behaviour is bizarre. This is where I find Marcus' acting commendable as he has this eerie and confusing vibe about him, where he's almost too polite and doesn't act how someone in his position would. This is also the first sign of the Armitage family having an odd relationship with black people as he is part of their staff.

Betty Gabriel (Georgina): Georgina's role is very similar to Walter's, but there's something about Georgina that was slightly more creepy. She seemed to be confused by Chris's presence and kept making mistakes in front of him. She was also the first to 'falter' in front of him, allowing the original personality to come forwards for a short time. She only became creepier as the film went on. Surely I can't be the only one who was shouting at Chris when he put Georgina in the car? What a stupid decision that was.

Lakeith Stanfield (Andre): Along with the same theme as Walter and Georgina, Andre was also a 'corrupted' human part of their operation. At first, Andre was a source of relief to Chris as he was the only other black male that wasn't part of the Armitage's service, however, what he was a part of was much worse. When the flash brought Andre out of his spell and he screamed the iconic line of 'GET OUT' to Chris, this was when the creepiness amt up and the story really started to uncover.

Stephan Root (Jim): The character development of Jim actually upset me the most in this film. Although I was caught by surprise by Rose, I didn't effect me so much, but Jim just made me sad. He had a lovely conversation with Chris where he seemed to understand him and how he felt out of place in this 'white privileged village' and they bonded over art. When he turned around later on in the film and reviled that he was going to take his mind from him and control his body instead actually made me feel sick. He was apologetic for his actions, which almost made it worse, because although he understood how disgusting his actions were he was still going to go through with it, purely because he wanted his sight back.

Lil Res Howery (Rod): Now onto my favourite character, Rod Williams! As I said earlier, Lil Res Howery's role acted as the sigh of relief and the comedic element of the film. His execution of jokes and his all-round character was honestly hilarious. I never found any of his comments dull, he had me laughing at everything he did. And to make it even better, he ended up being the hero in the film coming to the rescue right at the end. If you aren't intrigued by this film already, the comedy coming from Lil Res Howery should be enough to make you want to watch it.

Oscars

So as expected, Get Out was nominated for quite a few Oscars and I was expecting it to rake in the awards. It's such a unique film and has had so many talking about it since it came out in March last year. I know so many people who paid to see this film in the cinema multiple times because of how good it was.

It was nominated for Best Original Screenplay, Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Director, only winning in the first category. I have a lot to say about the Oscars, I personally think Get Out was slept on. I'm so glad it won BOS because honestly the storyline is so unbelievable and it still shocks me now how someone came up with this idea and executed it so perfectly.

I was so disappointed that David Kayuula didn't win Best Actor as honestly his performance in this is beyond spectacular. Granted I haven't actually seen Darkest Hour so I can't compare his and Gary Oldman's performances, however, I still wish David had got the recognition he deserved.

Alongside that, I don't understand how Allison Williams wasn't nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category, as her duality was chilling and her performance undeniably superb. I wasn't expecting Get Out to win Best Picture as it was the first horror film to be nominated since Silence of the Lambs in 1992, so I'm glad it got the recognition it deserved in that respect. I'm not sure whether the academy is still prejudice against minorities and that's the reason for their lack of awards, or whether films such as Shape of Water, Darkest Hour, Lady Bird, Three Billboards and Call Me By Your Name (and more) were really that spectacular to deserve more recognition.

So overall, I absolutely loved Get Out and everything it stood for. I am aware that people are claiming it to be racist, but honestly I think the fact it is racist, yet the minority won shows that it's against racism? That's my personal opinion on the matter as I feel it actually did a lot of the community showing how crazy some white people can be and how something like this could happen if white supremacists aren't dealt with.

All in all I would rate Get Out as a solid 9 out of 10. I rarely give films a 10 out of 10 rating, so 9 out of 10 is basically a 10 out of 10 for me.

Tune in next time for another ramble about something I like, or a rant about something I don’t.

Hannah xo