[REVIEW] Nope
Jordan Peele’s cinematic prowess is something to truly behold. The man that has brought us two great films (Get Out, Us) that we’ve discussed and dissected ad nauseum has created yet another fantastic film with this year’s Nope.
Starring Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, and Steven Yeun, Nope is a sci-fi horror that pokes your funny bone with the use of the title, and how it’s used by especially Daniel Kaluuya’s character OJ. Although you go into the film unsure of what it’s really about—plenty of theories took form when the posters went live online—once you do find out that it is indeed that thing, you’re still not prepared for the ride the movie takes you on.
The film opens to a tragic event having taken place; Gordy the chimp has effectively maimed or killed his co-stars on set, all except for one lucky person, a young kid named Ricky aka Jupe (played by Steven Yeun when Ricky becomes an adult). Gordy is covered in blood and you wonder what happened, and what could have sent the chimp into such a rage (side note: this will be circled back to and looped into Jupe’s part of the film)? Once we get these thoughts, we go to the next scene featuring a father and son in the middle of training their horses when a strange phenomenon takes place. A faint screech is heard throughout the valley before objects start falling from the sky, one of those objects seriously injuring the father (played by the illustrious Keith David) who later succumbs to the injury in the hospital, leaving the son OJ and the family business of training Hollywood horses in a tough spot financially.
Emerald (Keke Palmer), OJ’s sister and his complete opposite personality-wise, comes home to help with the business but sees that OJ has been selling off their horses one by one to Jupe for his shows. OJ explains to Emerald that he has a plan to buy their horses back, but while talking to Jupe, neither are aware that the possibility of getting their horses back may not exist as Jupe has been using them not as main attractions, but to lure the main attraction.
Although the siblings have no reason to not trust Jupe with their horses just yet, Emerald and OJ use this time to try to reconnect. They especially decide to do this since the passing of their father means they will have only one another to count on. While having a good night with booze and a little toke or two, OJ goes out to look after their horses, only to find Ghost (one of their unruly horses that just can’t be trained) has run out. When trying to wrangle the horse back to the farm, he sees and hears something wrong and the horse is gone along with the power, like something has sucked the life out of the lights in the town and on the farm. OJ decides he’s seen and heard all he’s needed to see and hear with a “Nope!”, immediately going back to the farm.
As Nope progresses, you notice that odd sounds are echoing through the mountains and you wonder what those terrible noises are, but you’re not fully prepared for what is making those haunting sounds. But once you do get the full understanding of what is causing the noises, what is making the horses on Haywood Hollywood Horse's farm act out, you’ll be saying “Nope!” as well.
The creature that we witness on screen is indeed of the extraterrestrial variety, but we are beyond surprised by the way its true form looks. How it got to be there in the first place remains a mystery, but we do find out why it has stuck around. With Peele being inspired by creature features such as Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, to name a few, it’s no wonder we get such a beautifully executed film that Peele has offered up to us, and we gladly accept.
With a running time of two hours, your time is not wasted as there’s much to take in and really appreciate from the writing, to the imagery, and the acting (which is superb). The cinematography is outstanding, rich with color, and the night scenes are incredible. They are shot during the day, but a method that was used with two cameras and in a very sophisticated way by cinematographer Hoyt van Hoytema. The sounds are haunting, and linger, especially the screeching of the horses when they’re abducted. But also the way sound is used for the creature and when it’s time to feed—it’s truly disturbing but you can’t tear yourself away.
There is absolutely no doubt that if you are already a fan of Peele’s first two motion pictures, then you’ll be in for a treat with Nope as well. This film will be no different when it comes to creating conversations, except this one will be less about social commentary and more about the different meanings of the theme in the movie, which is humans and our appetite for spectacles. This spectacle is certainly one you don’t want to miss.
Nope is available on VOD and Peacock now.
