FRIDAY NIGHT MOVIE REVIEW: Last night, I saw “Get Out,” which stars Daniel Kaluuya (Sicario, Johnny English Reborn), Allison Williams (Girls [TV series], Peter Pan Live!), Catherine Keener (Captain Phillips, The 40-Year-Old Virgin), Bradley Whitford (The West Wing [TV series], Billy Madison), Caleb Landry Jones (Antiviral, X-Men: First Class), Marcus Henderson (Django Unchained, Whiplash [2014]), Betty Gabriel (The Purge: Election Year, Good Girls Revolt), LilRel Howery (The Carmichael Show [TV series], Get a Job [2010]), and Stephen Root (Office Space, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story). It is written and directed by Jordan Peele (Keanu, Key & Peele [TV series]). After arriving to his girlfriend’s house to meet her family, Chris Washington (Kaluuya) discovers that there is something strange going on involving the only black people who are seen in the white neighborhood.

“Get Out” garnered major acclaim earlier this year for being a fresh, dark horror written and directed by a man of comedy. I really didn’t know what it was about and could barely remember what the trailer showed, besides that moment where Chris was breaking into tears while sitting stiff (that was a great performance). As you all know, I’m not into horror, but I wanted to try this one out because I heard it had comedy infused; maybe it could take the edge off. Well, all of the humor was essentially given to Chris’s friend, Rod (Howery) which, while funny, didn’t meet with what people said about the release. The story this film presented was fresh, though not a new idea. A black man feeling uncomfortable at his white girlfriend’s house, only to find that the family is creepy around people like him is something utilized in comedies typically, but Jordan Peele injected this into a drama-based substance. I liked the plot and was engaged almost the whole way through. The performances were really good, with a stellar role turned in by Daniel Kaluuya. This seems to be his breakout role, and I would like to see him in more films. Peele’s direction was riveting and surprisingly well-done. I mainly say surprising because I’ve never seen anything directed by him. I know he has good writing chops when it comes to humor, but like most people who walked into this, I didn’t see him tackling this obstacle so well. This isn’t an astounding feature for everyone to see. It’s pretty good, but the trouble I found with it was how predictable it was. I could see the twist with the story a mile away and it disappointed me to see it played out. To be honest, it’s not that hard to be shocked by certain developments worked on throughout the feature. If the family didn’t have a dark secret, then what would the story be for? There has to be something dark under the surface, making little room for me to be surprised. Once the twist unfolded, action commenced along with Rod’s little adventure, which was really the slowest part of the feature. The tone shifted and while Rod was funny, it brought attention away from the main characters. Some may argue that it was necessary, and while it gave reason to Rod discovering something, it felt like filler regardless. I wouldn’t say that the third act was bad, but it did falter when compared to the material given before it. I see where many people can enjoy this; it’s something new and is actually a good horror (although where is the competition?). There’s a lot to agree on in this, though I feel that “Get Out” lost its sizzle towards the end. Peele did a fantastic job directing his cast as well as specific shots he got. I just wish that it wasn’t so darn predictable. Besides one jump scare, I wasn’t on the edge of my seat in this. The cinematography is nice to watch and the plot is solid for the most part, however I wouldn’t consider this to be the “next big thing” or the greatest horror in the past years. I hope to see Peele make other films though, and am curious to see what he comes out with next. FINAL SCORE: 82%= Juicy Popcorn

Here is a trailer: