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'Get Out' Blu-ray Review: From sketch comedy to psychological horror, Jordan Peele's suburban nightmare is a smart surprise

May 24, 2017Ben MK



FEATURE: 
Horror movies seldom get topical. But when they do, the result is usually so far removed from our own reality that it registers as a cautionary tale at best. Get Out, on the other hand, is one of those rare horror movies that isn't just unafraid to tackle touchy subject matter, it smashes it head on.

Blending Meet the Parents, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner and The Stepford Wives, Get Out centers on 26-year-old Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya), a talented photographer who also happens to be a black man dating a white woman named Rose Armitage (Allison Williams). But even though this is 2017, that doesn't mean Chris and Rose's relationship isn't going to raise eyebrows. And so when he's invited to join Rose's family at their upstate home in an affluent, mostly white suburb for the weekend, Chris is apprehensive, to say the least.

Little does Chris realize that there's more to be wary about than just a little racism. For not long after he meets Rose's neurosurgeon father (Bradley Whitford) and her psychiatrist mother (Catherine Keener) does he begin to suspect that something weird is afoot. Suffice to say, when it comes time for Chris to heed the advice of the movie's title, it may already be too late. And not to spoil the big reveal, but by its final half-hour, Get Out truly begins to live up to its moniker, delivering a climax that's all at once bloody, applause-worthy and laugh-out-loud funny.

Written and directed by Key and Peele's Jordan Peele, Get Out isn't the type of movie to dance around the elephant in the room. And while other films might relegate the topic of race to the background, reducing it to subtext, Get Out places it squarely at the forefront. The result isn't just a pointed social commentary that sadly proves more relevant in today's America than it would have several years ago; it's also a prime example of the heights that can be achieved in the horror genre when filmmakers not only strive to instill fear, but are equally fearless themselves.

AUDIO & VISUALS: 
Get Out's visual aesthetic is rather low-key and unassuming, but it doesn't belie the fact that this 1080p transfer makes for a close approximation of the film's theatrical presentation. Minor banding is an issue, unfortunately, but otherwise picture quality is full of textural detail, colors are nicely saturated and naturalistic, and contrast levels are outstanding. As for the audio, a Dolby Atmos sound mix would have been appreciated, but, still, the provided DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is solid, especially when it comes to the violence of physical altercations and shotgun blasts, not to mention tried-and-true horror movie tropes like sudden, jarring noises and off-kilter, eerie music.

EXTRAS: 
Universal's two-disc Blu-ray combo pack includes an iTunes/UltraViolet digital copy, a DVD and the following Blu-ray extras:

  • Alternate Ending (3:39) - Playable with optional commentary by writer/director Jordan Peele.
  • Deleted Scenes (23:03) - Eleven scenes, playable with optional commentary by writer/director Jordan Peele ("Rose Hypnosis," "Extended Rutherford," "Badminton," "Sunken Place Deer," "Detective Latoya Extended," "Rod Arrival 1 Sex Slave," "Rod Arrival 2 Don't Give Up on Love," "Rod Arrival 3 White Girls," "Rod Arrival 4 Cousin Single," "Rod Arrival 5 Bathroom" and "Rod Arrival 6 Rose's Vote").
  • Unveiling the Horror of Get Out (8:50) - A making-of piece about Jordan Peele's filmmaking skills, the fine line between comedy and horror, the way the movie tackles the subject of race, and its themes.
  • Q&A Discussion with Writer/Director Jordan Peele and the Cast (5:28) - Chance the Rapper hosts this Q&A with Peele, Lil Rel Howery, Daniel Kaluuya and Allison Williams.
  • Feature Commentary with Writer/Director Jordan Peele - An informative track in which Peele talks about the nods to other films, the elements of foreshadowing, the score and the music, the motifs and themes, the cinematography, the cast's performances, the visual effects and more.

Get Out is available from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment as of May 23rd, 2017. The Blu-ray features English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French DTS 5.1 and English Dolby Digital 2.0 Descriptive Audio tracks. The film is presented with English SDH, Spanish and French subtitles. The total runtime is 1 Hr. 44 Mins.




* Reviewer's note: Portions of this Blu-ray review were adapted from my original review of the theatrical release, published on February 24th, 2017.



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