Review of Get Out (2017) by Kevin M — 21 Aug 2017

I've been flustered with the way movie trailers are being edited nowadays. Coupled with cheesy sound effects and too many cuts, they've become very formulaic; an equation, if you will. The trailer for Get Out capitalized on my skepticism of the modern trailer.

Takes from the trailer are shot completely different from the final product. Subtleties like this altered the genre almost entirely, going from what appeared to be a cheap B-movie to a horror film with something to say.

The trailer set a tone for the movie that was deceptively different from the final cut. Thankfully, the final cut broke away from what the trailer had me expecting. Genre bending is what makes Get Out so unique; mostly horror, part social commentary, with a hint of humor.

In his directorial debut, comedian Jordan Peele knows how to convey his fears onto the big screen with grace. Daniel Kaluuya does a fantastic job in the lead as Chris, a black man with a white girlfriend on their way to meet her upper-class family.

Interactions are extremely awkward from the very beginning, with the parents and friends constantly commenting on his race while attempting to make him more comfortable, giving it the opposite effect.

Kaluuya makes us feel right there with him, as a stranger in a strange land. Chris is isolated, and as the viewer I felt that as well. Chris's living at the estate is essentially Peele's commentary on what he feels like to be the only black man in a room full of white people; and it's filled with claustrophobic anxiety.

Despite the excellent acting, beautiful cinematography, and high-stakes tension, the twists were relatively foreseeable. In the end, Get Out's final act had me on the edge of my seat. Ignore the trailer and try to avoid yourself from forming any preconceived notions (such as it being a B-movie comedy, which it wasn't) and enjoy the ride.