One of the most talked about movies in theaters right now is Get Out. Word of mouth has spread faster than any advertisement for the movie could have hoped. In its third weekend at the box office, it surpassed the $100 million mark. Not too shabby for a film that reportedly cost just $5 million to make.
[Rick]
From IMDB.com:
“Chris, a 20-something black man visits his white girlfriend’s secluded family lake house. With his girlfriend at his side, he does his best to smile through the usual awkwardness of meeting the white family and dealing with white people’s polite racism. While navigating the long weekend, he has strained interactions with the few black people he encounters. Chris will be asked to accommodate his girlfriend’s family and whiteness in a way that is both unimaginably terrible and horrifyingly routine.”
The film is the directorial debut for Jordan Peele, but it clearly should not be his last. Get Out might be heavily influenced by past films but had its own unique spin on the genre. Where the film stumbles is predictability. However, knowing something is going to happen can be overcome by seeing it play out. In some sort of way, all horror films are predictable so enough of the film held up.
So much of the movie distances itself from what we’re used to seeing in a suspense/horror film. Whether it’s hauntings or possessions or just plain slash-em-up, they’ve become the norm. Get out takes a surreal plot and makes it seem believable. One of the key ways to making a horror film is making the audience believe it could happen to them. Although it is highly unlikely, the realism brought to life by the film is the strength of the movie.
In the long run, movies like Get Out are exactly what the film industry needs. Audiences haven’t been treated to a unique concept without it costing an arm and leg to make. Films have been so jam-packed with budget and big names studios shy away from them unless they know they’re a home run. Get Out might not be your all-time favorite horror film, but it’s worth seeing. It was enjoyable enough to see, but I wouldn’t rush out to see it again. Overall, Get Out is a respectable 3.5/5 rating.