Get Out. Directed and written by Jordan Peele. Yes, the Key and Peele guy.
Looks like it could be good
This seems like a logical place for him to go. Key and Peele always had some strong horror elements and they’re clearly genre-literate. I’ll definitely be there.
Spoiler-averse folks beware. There is FAR too much shown in that trailer.
That said, it looks great.
I hate when that happens.
Thank you for the warning.
This is doing well at Rotten Tomatoes.
The NPR movie reviewer dude gave it a good review as well.
I’ve been hearing great things about this, but it also seems like the trailer gives away pretty much the entire plot. Is it still worth checking out?
Do not watch that trailer. Holy cow does it give away the goods. Not everything, but too much.
That said, DO go watch Get Out. Amazing. Save Logan and Lego Batman for another week and see this movie.
As a pro-trailers person I still massively enjoyed the movie despite any spoilers gleaned by watching them. There is a good amount of misdirection throughout… you’re clearly supposed to assume X so naturally it’ll turn out Y, but surprise, Z! The movie does an excellent job of ramping up the tension throughout, creating layer upon layer, wheels within wheels…
I guess it is being labeled “Suspense/Thriller”? Certainly doesn’t rise to the level of Horror genre. A good amount of funny too because, Peele. Pointing that out in case anyone or their movie date is adverse to grisly, bloody horror. (Not saying there isn’t any, but that’s not the game here.) Also refreshingly free of cheepo jump scares. Again, not saying there isn’t any, but few and extremely well done.
I’ll second this. The trailers all make it seem like one specific kind of genre riff, (thread title ahoy) but the movie goes down another, more fucked up, road that fits the race theme even better.
NeoGaf seems to be comparing how many white people get up and leave the theater in a huff during this film. Being a fan of Peele’s I’m eager to see this one, but will I just be setting myself up for getting kicked in the balls for 2 hours? I’m not real sensitive to this stuff, but I’m not going alone either.
I’d rather see this than Logan at the moment.
I have not seen the movie, but in an interview on the Nerdist podcast, Peele was saying his movie is social commentary about race in the same way that The Stepford Wives or Rosemary’s Baby are commentary about feminism. Those movies made satirical commentary about the role of women without vilifying all men, probably because the men’s position was so extreme. Peele said it was important to him that Get Out not be alienating to a white audience.
Being familiar with Peele’s prior work, it would surpise me to see anybody getting huffy if he more or less sticks to that style of commentary. But wide release attracts all types, I guess.
Having grown up watching 70s, 80s, and 90s movies and TV shows, I just find it hard to imagine a world where people are getting upset at this stuff. I mean, did shows like In Living Color, All in the Family, and hell, MAS*H give them heart palpatations?
The idea that there would be any sort of movement by white people to protest their (our) treatment and/or leave the theater in a huff is mindblowingly laughable. But I guess that’s where we (still) are as a society, sadly. At best I would say whites could roll their eyes about it in the way blacks must do whenever the token black character in an action movie is the first to be killed.
So I don’t get the hype. This was a decent movie, but I don’t see where the glowing praise is coming from.
First of all, yes, the trailer gives away everything important. Not every detail, but every important one.
I hesitate to say the movie has a “twist”, but the biggest thing the trailers don’t give away doesn’t change the dynamic in any meaningful way—if anything, it hurts the film.
[spoiler]If you saw the trailer, you’d think this is about a creepy town of racists hypnotizing, brainwashing, and enslaving black people for their own sick amusement—as servents, as “sex slaves”, etc.
Turns out they’re a creepy town of racists taking over the bodies of black people, but so what? None of the peril changes, none of the stakes are different.
Instead of Chris having to escape being brainwashed, trapped inside his own head but not in control of his own body—again, all reasonable guesses you could make from what the trailer shows of the “servants”, Chris has to escape being trapped inside his own head but not in control of his own body because they’re going to shove a white person’s brain in there with him. The stakes are the same, and when shit hits the fan, he’s still just gotta, well, get out.
If anything, the reveal undermines the movie, because the movie feigns so hard at the other black people being merely hypnotized, their behavior makes less sense when you realize they’re white people driving around black bodies.
Why would grandma and grandpa get these new young bodies—a new lease on life—and then just live at home and run laps in the yard at midnight for exercise? We can assume that posing as servants was just an act while Chris was there, but why would they risk even that exposure? Why wouldn’t they just stay in their own home for the weekend or something?
And then there’s the paradox of kindnaping only black people. Are they only targeting black people because they’re all racist? But why would a bunch of racists want to put their brains into black bodies?
None of the brain-swap stuff makes sense if you think about it much, and that’s the only thing the movie had to offer as a surprise.
The whole thing would’ve made more sense if the family was just racist and hypnotized some black people for slaves.
The rest of the movie is decent, and it’s a clever premise given weight by the social tension all around us today. Chris being unsure if he’s in immediate danger or just facing “normal” racism could’ve been an effective hook, but it spends a long time building up to a very short payoff. It’s just okay.
[/spoiler]
The plot, while ‘fun’ was really only a vehicle to explore the theme of race. It offered so many brilliantly observational moments on both subtle and overt racism. The pacing was fantastic, and the movie was funny as all get out. I was pretty thrilled through the entire ride.
As a white guy, I’m aware I might have a blind spot here, but that awareness doesn’t actually get me past it, if that’s the problem. So I’m going to need some elaboration, from you, or maybe a brainy think piece somewhere, either way.
Because I don’t see how this movie “explores” racism. It certainly presents it! And like I said, as it intersects with the horror genre, it’s an effective way to mask the more overt danger Chris is in until it’s almost too late.
“Casual” racism that we all take for granted or don’t even notice when we’re not the target is so much a part of life for a minority that it’s almost indistinguishable from the insane machinations of mind-controlling (sort of) horror villain racists?
That’s clever, and I don’t dispute it as a good hook. It does its part, but the movie still stumbles as a horror movie, because once all the cards are on the table, the third act is over in a blink. There’s the single clever moment with stuffing, but then it’s just a series of straightforward physical confrontations. There was no cleverness left over for the climax, and that’s where it falls down for me.
Again, I didn’t hate, or even dislike this. But I was underwhelmed, and remain confused by the glowing praise.
I’m sincere when I say I really want to know if I’m not giving it credit somewhere, if something was just lost on me, but from my position right now, even if I’m missing out on more social commentary, I’m still not sure there’s anything that will turn me around on its lackluster finale.
And on top of all that, like I said, the trailer does the movie no favors by giving away far too much.
I can’t change your opinion. Get Out was satire and then over the top horror (thriller). I’m sure there’s a think piece out there, but the movie worked fine for me at surface level.
We’ll, sure but it presents it with great insight in a manner that’s rarely put out there. I’m sure you’re ‘woke’ as the kids say, but it doesn’t make the examination passe. Going from a Trayvon Martin nod to start the film, to the cop car pulling in with those flashing lights during the finale as anything BUT a relief was a welcome change of perspective.
Also, I may be an easy laugh, but the TSA agent brother had me rolling, and he was also a welcome voice of reason despite the apparent absurdity of his hypothesis.
I doubt you’re missing anything, maybe it simply didn’t hit the mark for you.
I’m convincing myself it’s more a “me” problem too. I’ve read a few more reviews, and I don’t find much to dispute in their praise, but I’m no closer to their enthusiasm. Oh well.