**Spoilers**
Overview:
(Want to give 5 stars but the writer could have did more. No more gory or violence; they hit the nail on the head in that department, but it could have had a bigger plot, storyline.)
However, really enjoyed the concept, it was original despite what the critics say but seemed like the producers held back. If going to introduce such a theme, go all the way. This could have easily been the horror film/ most controversial of the year. On a disturbing sidenote, I'm sure this film depicts the sentiments of all of these MAGA hat wearing americans, so it definitely gets conversation going, however a progressive America and speaking for black Americans let me tell you this would never fly or if tried wouldn't end well for this country. I did enjoy the twist at the end because I was a bit puzzled about what was going on & how "that" could've happened and who the confederate army was fighting, was it a civil war of the 21st century, was it a bad dream like Freddy Kruger movies? I was lost which brought the twist full circle but instead of following one character's kidnapping ( sorry spoiler) the kidnappings should've been more widespread, that would have been scary. I was left with "meh" good plot but where's the rest of the movie? Overall, I would still say it's worth watching especially with the climate in America today and the mental health state of some people. It's a film that would if nothing else make you vigilant of your surroundings.
How you'll feel watching it:
This will be hard to watch for people of color and (sane) white folks alike. It has that "get out" eerriness to it but because some scenes show what black americans actually still face today, some scenes will throw you off even more with confusion because it will lead you to believe that some characters are in on "the plan" when they're actually not ( spoiler), it's just everyday racism and prejudices. So whatever you feel about racism and prejudice will be triggered throughout. If you read the reviews before watching, like I did, you will have anxiety wondering what is this horrible thing that happened that all of the reviews are saying could actually happen. So yeah, I had that bad feeling in the pit of my stomach especially watching the slavery scenes and when the "lady antebellum" was doing her recruiting or "head hunting" ( spoiler), it was like watching cruella de ville steal the dalmations. So you will feel confusion, anger and anxiety with a few very small jumps. This film is also violent and very gory. The end is the worst feeling of all because you'll see that everything that transpired was for mere enjoyment, kind of like the purge. And the fact that these type of resorts even exist and white folks pay money to go see it, is nauseating.