Note: if you haven’t seen Get Out yet and are trying to avoid spoilers, you probably shouldn’t be reading this!
I don’t usually mess with thrillers or the horror genre in general. I’m picky when it comes to scary movies, because I know myself and yes, I’m a bit of a baby. I’ll put myself through the ordeal only when I’m sure it will be worth it. When I first heard of Get Out, I knew I wanted to prepare myself and see it but that ultimately it would be worth it. It didn’t let me down. In fact, let me make a comprehensive list of what I loved about it:
• everything
A Movie The World Needed
Movies that tackle racism aren’t new, but very few look, sound and make you feel like Get Out does. I haven’t stopped thinking about all the symbolism and significance since I saw it. I was stunned and uncomfortable and blown away and I wanted to read everything I could about it. After a significant period of time on Reddit, I realized something: a lot of people who didn’t like the movie also didn’t seem to get it – which is fine, because that’s kind of the point. How many times did Rose assure us that her parents weren’t racist? If you’ve ever heard someone say “I’m not racist, but…” and then proceed to say something racist, maybe you understand the point I’m trying to make. The story evolves quickly and you realize there’s more happening than brainwashing people into slavery – just in case you weren’t thoroughly disturbed already. Without spoiling everything about the movie, I will say that it’s a powerful metaphor for how minorities are marginalized, controlled and appropriated. A lot of important conversations are happening because of Get Out‘s success.
The Elements of An Instant Classic
Let me reiterate: my exposure to the horror genre is lacking, but from the opening scene of Get Out I could tell that it would live up to the hype. I personally love the term ‘instant classic’. It implies that a movie (or TV show, or book) has done many or all things very well and has made a cultural impact very quickly. Get Out checks all the boxes for me. And the performances were excellent. Daniel Kaluuya and Allison Williams in the lead roles were especially good. It had everything that I, a baby, need and want in a scary movie. It’s not a movie that tries too hard, and for me it didn’t have to. Between the font used in the title sequence to the setting and the soundtrack, I was hooked. It had a few jump scares but they weren’t obnoxious or aggressive. The twists were twisty enough to make my eyes widen but not so complicated that I couldn’t follow the events as they unfolded. I like a movie that gives me clues along the way but still surprises me when we get there. There’s also no question that I would watch it a second or third time at least, and notice something new each time. You can’t fake that.
Skip this next chunk if you want to avoid specific spoilers!
Highlight Reel
In no particular order, here’s a breakdown of my favourite moments from the movie:
- When Andre is talking on the phone in the opening scene, he says the word ‘suburb’ very differently from the way he speaks normally, which was a cool way to foreshadow his character’s future.
- The music. I can’t get over it. 1: the creepy song playing when Andre is taken (aptly called “Run, Rabbit, Run”). 2: the choppy strings used in the unsettling track “Prologue” that lead into the main title, which you’d swear was a blues song until the choir singing in Swahili kicks in. 3: the main title song fades and gives way to “Redbone” by Childish Gambino, wrapping up the most eclectic 6.5 minute opening to a movie maybe ever.
- Rod. I find Rod and Chris very interesting. Chris is not your typical horror movie character – he’s observant and intuitive and resilient – you trust the choices he makes. Rod is like the embodiment of everything you’ve ever yelled at a horror movie character because you couldn’t believe how stupid they were. Also he was hilarious.
- Meeting Logan for the first time was a turning point. Even though you know something’s going on, seeing Logan gives the audience a better idea, especially when Andre breaks through and yells at Chris to get out.
- I love the moment when Rose drops the facade. The entire movie I was thinking no matter what’s going on, I hope Rose isn’t involved, because I liked her. That bubble bursts pretty quickly when Chris finds the box of photos in the closet. When Rose comes down the stairs and puts her hair up, it’s like you’re seeing an entirely different person.
- I get chills just thinking about “you were one of my favourites”.
- In the video Chris is forced to watch in the basement, the grandfather says that if they’re lucky they’ll “enjoy being part of the family” and your gut drops when you realize he means it literally.
- Chris putting his hands up at the end when the police car approaches was very powerful imagery.
- A moment of horror movie justice when Rose died in a way similar to Chris’s mother. Be careful what you wish for?
Rookie (Director) of The Year
If you knew who Jordan Peele was before Get Out, you’ll know he’s primarily a comedian/actor, known for his sketch comedy and his show Key & Peele. He’s acted in some movies before, but Get Out marks his directorial debut. Not bad, eh? Instead of going on and on about him myself, I highly, highly recommend checking out his episode of the Nerdist podcast, Episode 855, as well as Episode 873 which is extended audio from host Chris Hardwick’s talk show on AMC when Jordan appeared as the guest. Each of them are relatively spoiler free but they go into a lot of detail discussing themes of the movie as well as speaking more broadly on racism, and Jordan’s career as a comedian.
What Did You Think?
Leave a reply and let me know what you thought about the movie! Did you see the alternate ending??
a movie mind 