Just because you're invited, doesn't mean you're welcome.

Rating: 8/10 (17 March 2017)

"Get Out" takes the initial premise of "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" and then twists it with "The Stepford Wives" to create a compelling, thoughtful critique of white power. Peele, of course, isn't arguing that white people are out to hypnotise black people. Instead, Get Out is a stinging criticism of the white liberalism that carries itself as empathetic towards blacks, but that empathy only extends as far as white control. Peele isn't taking aim at Neo- Nazis and other whites who would angrily shout the n-word. They're a lost cause. Instead, he's looking at those who profess their lack of racism, but only do so if they can maintain their dominance over black people in the most insidious manner possible. As Chris pointedly notes to Rose at party full of white people, "Has anyone here ever met a black person that didn't work for them?"
The film is genuinely creepy. Instead of cheesy music and grotesque torture porn, Peele relies on the unknown to draw you in. What is happening here? The plot builds like a slow boil to a terror explosion. Clues to the outcome are evident from the first second, but it takes the entire run-time to pull everything together. It's such a joy to be surprised by a horror outcome. I don't think I've seen a genre film this inventive since Cabin in the Woods. The resolve is truly satisfying.
My favourite aspect of Get Out is the intelligence of the characters. There's a lot to like, but beyond the deeper themes; the characters aren't morons. I cringe every time I watch a genre film and the characters don't behave logically. Chris and Rose are not fools. Something is amiss, enough to warrant wariness. Anyone in this situation would be unnerved as events play out. Credit again to Peele for writing characters that act rationally.
"Get Out" doesn't replace the scares with humour – Peele is too smart to do that. Instead, he balances the fear with laughs and then laces everything with social comment and that unsettling tone. The fact that Chris is so eminently likable just underlines it. It all adds up to something of a treat – for everybody, not just horror fans.