Review of Get Out (2017) by Zhuwangp — 01 May 2017

When I went on Rotten Tomatoes, the rating on Get Out honestly shocked me: 99%? And 100% with top critics!!! I don’t like to use rotten tomatoes to evaluate movies but damn! This is crazy. So I went to see it and… it is pretty good. Good for comedy, but horror?

Let me get it straight first: I think it is a very good movie! It is smart, well-shot and original. I think it tangled a very taboo subject and successfully. It asked the question: are really comfortable with racial differences. Unlike 90% of the movies today that treated way too seriously than it is, it poked fun of it by showing some of the social awkwardness. They would keep on saying things like “black is the new white” and “I would vote for Obama a third time” but on the other hand gave the main character with a strange eye. Admitted we all have it once in a while when we first meet diversity. It poked fun of people’s political correctness yet ignorance on the inside. I find it funny and refreshing. However, the problem is this kept on repeating and feel very unrealistic. I felt like I was watching an M Night Shyamalan. Speaking of which, at times I even wondered if the film directed by him because there were so many similarities to his styles, such as the awkward dialogues, constant and random close ups and most importantly, very out of nowhere twist which I won’t spoil.

I did like the cinematography. I liked the set. The house looked like familiar yet unique. It looks like somewhere your neighbor lives but to me it also felt like one of those southern cotton farm in the old times. It gave me a sense of uncomfartability but it doesn’t creep me out, which I would expect from an horror film. I think the problem is that everything is way too well polished. By that I meant that every things looked way too clean and it felt the budget was way bigger than it was (5 mil). Split on the other hand, had a slightly bigger budget but it had a more indie look, which helped to raise the suspense and dread. One thing I did like is the sunken place. I won’t spoil it, because it is hard to describe anyways, but just watch…..

The big problem is that the comedy went too far, especially from the actor Lil Rel Howery. He is very good and very likable, but his section is so over-the-top that it clashes with the tone of the movie. Long story short, I liked it as a social commentary rather than a thriller or horror film. I felt the advertising is very misleading. There were many plot holes, which again, I don’t want to spoil.