Get Out: A Review of this Modern American Horror Movie

The story is about an interracial couple named Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya) and Rose Armitage (Allison Williams) who visits a somewhat unlikely family. Rose's father Dean (Bradley Whitford) is a neurosurgeon and his mother Missy (Catherine Keener) is a hypnotherapist and psychiatrist whose servants named Georgina (Betty Gabriel) and Walter (Marcus Henderson) seem uncanny. Chris' suspicion that something unjust and unexplainable is happening starts when he gets hypnotized by Rose's mom to quit smoking. Still in disbelief of suddenly not wanting to smoke cold turkey, he sees Andre Hayworth (Lakeith Stanfield) who is introduced as Logan King in a gathering, a black man who has been missing for a month. He tells his best friend Rod (Lil Rel Howery) about Logan over the phone who advises Chris to get out of the house after confirming that Logan King is Andre Hayworth. Rod also tells him about the danger in hypnosis as Chris confided that he thinks he was hypnotized. He tells his girlfriend Rose about the weird things that are happening and decides to get out of the house but later on realizes that her parents, including Jeremy (Caleb Landry Jones), Rose's brother and Rose herself has plotted his visit for something unimaginably eerie.

I'm very much into mystery novels so I had to watch this movie and see if I would actually be scared stiff. I was alone at home and I was hesitant but the curiosity ruled over my fear and I am glad that I did watched this so called horror movie.

First, I don't think that the genre that everyone is saying fits the story. It's more of a mystery thriller. When we say horror, there are creepy-looking dead people or monsters and there would be gory scenes to make anyone cringe. I didn't see any of that in this movie, even Georgina, the unearthly housekeeper didn't scare me except for when I look at her picture. No character in the movie gave me the chills and I didn't even cover my eyes on any of the scenes. I'm not sure if it is because I watched it during the daylight in my laptop instead of watching it on the big screen, or because it really wasn't such a scary movie at all. The sound effects, the events, the twist, the climax or the rising action weren't nerve-racking for me but I did like the storyline and the fact that there is much anticipation on what's going to happen to Chris.

The actors did a favorable portrayal of their character in the movie and I particularly love TSA officer Rod as Chris' best friend because he played a big part in making the story comedic with his quipster character that it was easier to finish the film. It was Rod who made it enticing for me to watch as I cracked on his lines. He did everything he could to help his bestfriend, despite the fact that the police didn't believe him. For a mystery film, he created a balance between fun and stress.

It was stressful for me to watch the hypnosis and Chris' exploration of the situation he's into as well as the story behind the black servants (Georgina & Walter), and even Andre. Putting the pieces together to solve the puzzle was traumatic and simply mind-boggling that he could've gone crazy if he hadn't found out sooner that he was in great danger of losing himself to another person. The concept of pseudo-morality wherein older white American people's brains get transplanted into the bodies of younger black people has kept me engrossed. I can understand the fascination of the critics and viewers and why this movie has received good reviews.

I did see a flaw in the movie. When Chris decided to get out of the house in a flash, he unraveled something big that needed a more dramatic reaction. He found a box with pictures of his girlfriend alongside different black American people, including Walter and Georgina. In those pictures, it was clear that Rose was in a relationship with black American guys in the past, but I didn't witness him get shaken up or even give a dumbfounded expression. I was literally whispering while I watched the movie, "Dude, your girlfriend is an accomplice. What the hell are you doing?" I mean, why did he not confront his girlfriend about it? Was he ignoring that fact because he loved her or did he really just have a goal to get out of the house as fast as he can? If he did wanted to get out fast, why was he going to move out with Rose? Did he really think that she was still on his side after seeing the pictures or did the fact that Rose conspired with her family to lure him in their own plan, not sink in? I was confused and had these questions in mind.

Overall, I didn't regret watching the entire film. It didn't scare me at all but it did stimulate my mind and it was fascinating to have such feeling of excitement about what would happen to Chris. I loved that he stood tall, fought hard and survived. If it had been a tragic ending, I would've felt that I wasted my time in watching him fight for his life. What mostly attracted me about how the movie had ended was Rod's dramatic entrance which later on turned out to be a comedic exit.