Smart, subversive film-making; one of the best horror pictures I've ever seen.

Rating: 9/10 (1 March 2018)

The first two acts of 'Get Out (2017)' are fantastic, creating a palpable sense of growing unease and mounting dread. The film does come to somewhat of a halt as it approaches its final third, with one scene too many spent away from our protagonist. It's fortunate, then, that the explosive finale brings the story to a satisfying conclusion. All the tension culminates in a brutal final confrontation that isn't afraid to go dark, finally releasing all that expertly built tension and becoming an incredibly crowd-pleasing but still gruelling experience. It's a very smart and subversive film, one that manages to plant the seeds for almost every aspect of its plot perfectly and tie the perspective of its protagonist into its narrative in an incredibly intrinsic way. It satisfyingly subverts the tropes of the genre while still hitting all the beats required to make it recognisable to a wide audience. On a second viewing, it is easy to forget just how strange and unexpected the picture truly is. It is honestly one of the most surprising pieces I've seen in some time, with each twist somehow seeming wholly natural yet entirely out of left field. The movie also has some incredible writing and several fully formed characters that are among the best of their kind. Special mention must be made of Daniel Kaluuya, who deserves all the praise and awards coming his way as he delivers what is, for me, perhaps the best performance of the year. The picture represents remarkable film-making in every sense and is definitely one of the absolute best horror films I've ever seen. 9/10