“Well, I can assure you, there was no – funny business.”

Possibly one of the best opening scenes of all-time? I mean, straight out of the gate Jordan Peele was able to establish the off tone that this movie has. It’s so uncanny, and I totally see why when this was originally released, it really flipped people on their heads. The film overall can’t even really be defined as one genre. It’s more of a mix of mystery, horror, and thriller, and they all jive with each other so incredibly well to end up with a film that’s honestly unlike anything I’ve ever seen in my life.

I’m obviously not going to go into specifics about the opening scene, but adding onto it establishing the tone well, it also does a great job of just making you feel “off” when getting into the actual story and plot of the film. Though there are clearly some hints of what to come, the introductory scenes that come after the opening are mostly normal and average on paper but are full of both a sense of dread and suspense because of the not-so-subtle foreshadowing and the of course as I mentioned, opening scene.

One thing I forgot before rewatching this film was how funny it can be. That’s partially why I have a hard time defining this as a pure horror film, because there’s just so much comedic relief that it’s difficult to call it that. What’s kind of crazy about it is that it honestly doesn’t really take away or hurt the tension very much. Somehow, Peele was able to find a perfect balance of both suspense and humor. This is especially true heading into the third act when things get really bonkers and over-the-top, but incredibly thrilling.

Another thing I realized on rewatch is that, as all good mysteries should do, the writing was right there on the wall, but I didn’t see a lot of the reveals coming the first time. There were lots of things that were set up perfectly and perfectly hinted at that I only caught after revisiting it. Now obviously, I don’t think many people could have predicted a lot of the stuff that happens in the final third of the movie simply because it’s just so out there and bonkers, but the more grounded stuff was really well handled and did a good job of making me feel like an idiot on this rewatch funny enough. This is, again, a thing that all good mysteries should do.

I absolutely have to point out the cinematography too. This is certainly one the greatest directorial debuts ever, and the camera work really adds onto that. Obviously, nothing is probably going to ever beat The Shawshank Redemption but Get Out was most definitely a great start. I know this is a bit of a predictable praise, but the “Sunken Place” scene and scene with the deer (no, not that one), were some of the bests the movie had to offer. They really did a great job of sticking in your brain too with their imagery.

I also must point out the performance from Daniel Kaluuya. He had an incredibly small role in Sicario, but this was really his first major role in a big movie. What a performance. I mean it is just straight up perfect – the way he captures the uneasiness of his character, Chris, is just amazing from start to finish. And the way he slowly escalates to insanity once he starts to figure out more and more about what’s happening is on another level too. The scenes where he is being messed with psychologically are insane too, and they found quite a compelling little substance to add to those scenes to make them more emotionally impactful, and not just scary.

When I mentioned that the third act really goes for the bonkers, I meant it. The climax is just insane on every level, and I loved it. The movie fully embraces it too. This is really when some of the funniest stuff takes place just because of how crazy and whack it is. Thankfully, it also delivers a very satisfying ending. I love the music that goes along with it too that was also used at the beginning. So overall, there just aren’t many movies out there like Get Out, which just makes this movie really special on its own.