Get Out (2017): A highly original, funny, intense, well-acted/directed, entertaining psychological horror film that serves as a relevant social commentary about race.

Get Out is the story about an African-American man named Chris who is in a relationship with a white girl named Rose. One weekend, Chris and Rose are invited to meet Rose's parents, who are unaware of Chris's race. When they arrive, they treat Chris with an overly courteous and polite manner to which Chris suspects that something sinister may be going on (especially when he meets a neighborhood of white individuals exhibiting the same traits as Rose's parents). By hearing this type of premise, one can assume how the film would play out, in that it could be a basic story about the struggle of race-relations that depicts characters who are explicitly racist, which has been touched on in numerous films before. 

However, Get Out is very a different film because it subverts any expectations the viewer may have by displaying the subject matter of race in a modern + more progressive societal lens. This movie is great for many different reasons. 

The performances of the main leads (Daniel Kaluuya and Alison Williams) and the supporting cast are all very good. I liked the character of Chris and his interactions with Rose, which actually felt real due to the actors' great chemistry. 

Rose's parents (played by Bradley Whitford and Catherine Keener) were also very captivating in the way they handle Chris + Rose's relationship and display a nice sense of humor, but also showing subtle characteristics of passive-racism through their liberal image. 

The standout, however, was Chris's best friend Rod, who serves as the comic-relief and talks with Chris on the phone for most of the film. Every scene that Rod was hilarious and had me laughing uncontrollably because as Chris conveys his doubts and uncomfortable feelings about the awkward atmosphere he's in, Rod is able to make light of the situation and provide great comedic timing for the viewer to be engaged throughout the film. 

This connects to the main things I loved about Get Out: its originality, its clever balance of horror + comedy, and its thought-provoking premise. The movie is written and directed by Jordan Peele in his directorial debut (who is best known for the sketch comedy series Key and Peele). As an African-American who has dealt with the situation of dating a white girl, Peele does a great job of exhibiting part of his personal life about being in an interracial relationship and uses this subject to create a funny yet unsettling look about racism in a liberal society. 

Through his smart writing and clever dialogue, Peele takes the complex theme of racism and changes what the viewer may think will happen in certain events of the film through his unique perspective + unexpected twists. The movie does have some elements that have been used in other horror films (namely the jump scare), but this is kept at a very minimal use to maximize the impact of the evolving story and make the finale quite satisfying. 

Get Out also has a nice steady pace as the events play out; it's not very slow for the viewer to get bored and not extremely fast for people to be confused. The film messes with the viewer's mind with its themes of "progressive passive-racism", along with some subtle hints of symbolism through the its music, color palette, and crisp camera shots (especially in the opening scene that is one continuous take); the movie is even better on the 2nd viewing because of these subtle clues that the viewer can reflect on. 

As far as content goes, there really is not a lot to worry about. There are some intense conversations that occur leading up to the film's final twist, some brief scenes of violence and blood towards the end, and the language can get a little explicit at times. I think this film is best for audiences who are 14+ since they can identify the film's handling of themes of race and be properly exposed to this unsettling atmosphere through a mature mindset. In conclusion, Get Out is a surprisingly funny, intense, and relevant thriller that should satisfy hardcore horror fans as well as mainstream audiences looking for high quality entertainment. It's one of the best films of 2017 and I highly recommend it! :)

My rating: 5/5 stars