Relevant, Intelligent, Terrifying, Hilarious, Entertaining

Rating: 8/10 (3 April 2017)

Jordan Peele, of Key and Peele fame, kicks off his directorial career with a genre-swapping film that depicts a young black man's ill-fated journey to his white girlfriend's parents' house. There he finds that all is not as it should be, and that his prospective in-laws may not be as normal as they appear to be.
The atmosphere of 'Get Out' is one of the very best you can create in a film. Spine-chillingly creepy at times, with foreshadowing and acting that works better than any jump scare, and at other times raucously enjoyable, witty, and entertaining, it succeeds across all fronts. Daniel Kaluuya makes for a relatable and likable protagonist that the audience can root for, whilst Lil Rel Howery as his erstwhile and foul-mouthed friend is huge fun, and one of the standout comedy characters in recent years. The parents, played note-perfectly by Catherine Keener and Bradley Whitford, represent a ramped-up version of the so-called 'West Wing liberals', the type of people who purport to be progressive and welcoming, but inadvertently make black people uncomfortable with racial stereotypes and microaggressions.
The film ends up being one of the best cinematic examples of presenting race in a long time. Perfectly capturing the zeitgeisty racial divide in modern America, its depiction of the daily struggles faced by minorities is remarkable, and one of the scariest aspects of the film is how plausible and true to life it all is (up to a point). The satire is delivered flawlessly, and Peele deserves all the plaudits he is receiving for the astounding first-time effort he has made here. Combining his fresh, razor-sharp and highly witty script with the subtle yet 100% effective direction, he has made a film that is not only one of the best satires of modern times, but also an incredibly enjoyable horror-comedy.
It is not quite accurate to label 'Get Out' a true horror film. It is certainly scary, mainly stemming from the experience Kaluuya's Chris has to go through, which transports the viewer into his shoes and leaves us on edge throughout the buildup. However, if you go in expecting a Halloween-ready horror film that will rival the horror classics, you will inevitably be disappointed. It is more of a horror-style thriller, with its dynamic plot taking the audience on a twisty and unpredictable journey that lets the viewer piece it together whilst going along.
Overall, 'Get Out' is probably the best film of the first few months of 2017. Being fresh, innovative, thrilling, scary, and sharply scripted, Jordan Peele's debut is promising and it's an important film for the issue of race. 91/100.