Critical Recommendation: Get Out

You know, sometimes I wish that Hollywood elites and their puppet critics would get their heads out of their own politically-correct behinds and be willing to judge a movie based on its objective storytelling merits rather than on its subjective political commentary because an overwhelming fixation by professional critics on the social statements of "Get Out" dilutes and distracts from the fact that, narratively, Jordan Peele's 2017 psychological thriller is just really freaking good. The first time I watched this film, I was, quite frankly, blown away. Which is strange, considering that this movie came from a guy who says that he blows weed to help inspire ideas for his stories. And, if you haven't seen it yet, I can assure you that "Get Out" is a smart, taut, unpredictable, original, and well-paced thriller with much more on its mind than "white man bad." Just a heads up, PLEASE go into this movie blind. DO NOT watch the trailer on YouTube. I know it's generally an overreaction to say that a trailer spoils the movie, but shoot....that was pretty much the entire film right there. I was lucky enough to get to watch this movie without having it ruined for me first by a trailer that was pretty much just a two-and-a-half-minute plot summary.

For a short, spoiler-free synopsis, "Get Out" follows a black man, Chris Washington, as he goes to visit the parents of his white girlfriend, Rose Armitage, for the first time. However, as some strange things begin to happen in their house in the woods of New York, it soon becomes apparent that not all is as it seems.

So, what exactly makes "Get Out" a film worth recommending, especially in a world saturated with films containing weak, generic, and out-of-touch political commentary that Hollywood elites can clap at like mindless seals? Well, in essence, this film has more on its mind than its message. "Get Out" cares about narrative integrity and all of its many intricacies, and this is extremely obvious. If this movie were content to simply deliver its message and then, er, "get out" of there, we probably would have just ended up with another weak and subjective film about racism that still would have gotten high marks on Rotten Tomatoes because it checked all the boxes that liberal film critics really care about. However, a more cynical and realistic soul like myself wants more from a movie than a statement. I want substance in a movie, and fear not, "Get Out" delivers substance in spades.

The first thing I love about "Get Out" is its plot. The narrative of this movie is simply fantastic. It's erratic yet very focused, and on top of that, the twists are phenomenal. What makes them phenomenal? Well, you never see them coming, but if you go back and re-watch the film, the clues were there all along, hiding in context in plain sight. Which is....wow. As an added bonus, this film is unlike anything I'd ever seen before, except for maybe "The Stepford Wives," but then again, no movie is truly original, and I'm content to let this film draw inspiration from a more obscure well than most other movies would dare to. I had never seen a movie like "Get Out" before, and I doubt I will ever see a movie like "Get Out" ever again. In a world overrun by generic movies that have nothing better to do than look and act exactly like other more popular and successful films, "Get Out" was a breath of fresh air. I actually was able to sit back and watch a movie without being distracted by a fake-looking, VFX-generated, 1000-foot-tall fireball for once. The film's "less is more" attitude is executed perfectly. "Get Out" makes a sleek entrance, says what it needs to say with no fat whatsoever attached, and then, er, "gets out."

The next thing I love about "Get Out" is its attention to detail. If something shows up on the screen in this film, chances are it's important to the plot in some way. Even the littlest things that go unnoticed during the first watch make you point and go, "Wow!" when you see how significant they ended up being. "Get Out" might have the best memory of any movie I've ever watched, and absolutely nothing is wasted in this film. Is Walter, the groundskeeper of the Armitage residence, sprinting late at night? That's important to the plot of the film. Did Georgina, the maid of the house, accidentally spill water? That's important to the plot of the film. Did Dean Armitage make a passing reference to Walter and Georgina? Believe it or not, that passing and fleeting reference is also important to the plot. A seemingly racist cop pulling Chris and Rose over? After you watch the movie, look up that specific plot point. It's absolutely mind-blowing and the exact opposite of what it actually seems to be. Now, it may sound like I'm over-analyzing this film to you, but seeing is believing, and I can assure you, even the small things in this film matter. In fact, the small things aren't really all that small anymore when the film finally shows its true colors and comes to a close in a shocking and satisfying fashion.

On the film showing its true colors, another thing that struck me about "Get Out" was how unbelievably patient this film was. It's in no hurry to get where it needs to be, and this was a satisfying contrast to other films that tend to act like middle school boys who've had too much sugar when it comes to the idea of pacing a story. "Get Out" understands the concept of setup and payoff very well, and believe me, it takes it's merry time to set up and reveal the truth about what's really going on. If you've watched enough movies, you probably know as well as I do that the threat of harm is far more effective than actual harm in a movie, and this movie makes a lot of subtle threats as its plot progresses until it eventually crescendoes in an effective, shocking, and jaw-dropping fashion. In short, the movie makes you hold your breath for a long, long time, but surprisingly enough, it also never gets boring. You'll probably be too busy anticipating the inevitable and shocking reckoning that's coming further down the road that the film builds towards so effectively.

And finally, one last thing that I absolutely adore about "Get Out" is that it breaks a really bad habit that horror movies tend to reach for too often: shocking you instead of surprising you. "Get Out" thrives on genuinely surprising revelations rather than an over-reliance on cheap shock factor, and this was incredibly satisfying to witness. I grew to respect the writers and their decisions the further and further into this film I delved. They actually cared about narrative integrity. And mind you, "Get Out" didn't have to be as good as it turned out to be. Its plot was already original enough to draw in audiences, and having the name of well-known comedian Jordan Peele attached to the project wouldn't have hurt it at all, either. However, the film didn't opt for the easy way out and instead chose to be surprising, an incredibly uncommon concept in the world of horror movies, which are by and large shallow, slice-and-dice spectacle galore.

All-in-all, "Get Out" is about as close to a perfect movie as I've seen that's been released in the last decade. It's by far the best horror or thriller film I've ever seen (yes, it's better than "Alien," as good as that movie was), and frankly, it's one of the best movies I've ever personally seen. It's a film I would highly recommend, but with a couple of caveats, of course. This one isn't for the kids. It's got a lot of pretty rough language in it, as well as some moments of very graphic violence. However, I would consider this film to be essential viewing once you or someone else who may want to watch this film reaches a certain age, given how insanely good it is. And to be frank, it somehow gets even better with a re-watch. Even though you'll know about the twists beforehand this time around, you'll notice things about the movie you didn't notice the first time, things like hints hiding in context, as well as some truly awesome details you may have missed from the first watch. On top of that, "Get Out" also has a tendency to be a genuinely funny movie without ever feeling campy, and this helps mediate a lot of the otherwise overwhelming tension. Just a reminder, do yourself a favor and go into this movie without watching the trailer for it first. Now, get out and go watch "Get Out."

Get Out - 10/10

Luke 21:36