Nope (Review) – Jordan Peele Is Three For Three

DIRECTOR: Jordan Peele

CAST: Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, Steven Yeun, Brandon Perea, Michael Wincott, Wrenn Schmidt, Keith David, Donna Mills, Barbie Ferreira, Devon Graye, Eddie Jemison, Oz Perkins, Terry Notary, Andrew Patrick Ralston, Jennifer Lafleur

RUNNING TIME: 135 mins

CERTIFICATE: 15

BASICALLY…: A mysterious flying object is discovered by a pair of siblings on a California horse ranch…

NOW FOR THE REVIEW…

Jordan Peele’s writing and directing career has gotten off to a fantastic start, with both Get Out and Us being outstanding pieces of horror filmmaking that are not only smart with their scares and overall atmosphere, but are also narratively solid with memorable characters and simple, yet effective, storylines that prey on very natural human fears. Expectations were thus understandably high for his third film Nope, which is by far Peele’s biggest feature yet in terms of both scope and technology, but could it be that reaching such grandiose heights and ambitions might finally knock this filmmaker down from his high pedestal?

The answer to that question is a simple, “nope”.

Now three for three with yet another strong entry in his filmography, Peele’s latest is certainly less concerned with socio-political commentary as his previous two features were, but its levels of pure spectacle and ambition match early-career Spielberg in all the best ways possible, in particular films like Jaws and Signs where the fear comes from what is (mostly) not seen until absolutely necessary.

The film is set primarily on a horse ranch somewhere in the California gulch, where siblings OJ (Daniel Kaluuya) and Emerald (Keke Palmer) – whose family is one of the top horse trainers in Hollywood, apparently descended from a jockey whose image was among the very first recorded moving pictures – begin to notice a strange circular object floating in the sky, which causes any electricity nearby to switch off, and is sucking up horses into its mysterious orifice. The siblings soon become determined to capture the object on film and find fame and fortune with it, bringing aboard technician Angel (Brandon Perea) and artsy cinematographer Antlers Holst (Michael Wincott) to help them on their increasingly dangerous mission, which also attracts the attention of former child star and local theme park host Ricky “Jupe” Park (Steven Yeun).

One of the most interesting things about Peele’s films is that they offer plenty of imaginative scenarios and ambitious messages, while still keeping the plot reasonably simple and also intense throughout, and Nope continues the trend without sacrificing any of this filmmaker’s integrity or his keen eye for visuals that are often very chilling. It’s a straightforward enough plot, which upon being broken down can best be described as Jaws by way of Shyamalan’s Signs, but it’s also a very character-driven movie, with Peele dedicating a lot of time to fleshing out these people and their backstories to get the most out of their differing roles in the diegesis. The film is generous with its leads, as Kaluuya and Palmer have plenty of material to work with that makes their characters feel much more real and three-dimensional, as well as its less-prominent supporting characters, some of whom are given horrifying pasts that arguably aren’t necessary to the main plot, but do wonders for establishing said character and expanding upon some of the overall themes.

Spectatorship, and the irresistible silver screen allure that fuels it, is one such theme that stands out among the rest, both within the film’s narrative and how Peele physically frames his film. Throughout, characters like Steven Yeun’s Jupe are constantly trying to entertain the masses with whimsical visual displays and the recounting of extremely traumatic experiences, not just for financial gain but to also provide their audience with something impossible to lay their eyes on, as is common in most effects-heavy blockbusters nowadays. Peele’s film could perhaps be viewed as a commentary on the status of blockbuster filmmaking itself, so consumed by giving audiences something extraordinary that all other things such as common sense and pure morality get swept up into the sky along with everything else. All the while, Nope itself indulges in large-scale blockbuster filmmaking, but in ways that are substantially necessary to the plot and its characters’ growth, like the decision to shoot parts of the film on IMAX cameras (a device that Michael Wincott’s character appropriately uses), and effects both practical and computer-generated that appropriately make you fear this mysterious creature lurking just above – or perhaps even inside – the clouds. With Nope, Peele offers pure spectacle where further thought isn’t necessarily required, but still makes you think about all the ways in which it reflects the cyclical notion of blockbuster entertainment from the perspectives of spectator and presenter.

It’s an impressively made film, with some gorgeous shots by cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema capturing the absolute eeriness of night-time in the desert, and a script that allows moments with these characters to happen without cutting in to the steady pacing or disrupting the intense tone. There will be those that probably might leave this movie asking more questions than it has actual answers to, which to some may make it less rewarding than either of Peele’s previous films, but like Jaws and Signs beforehand, it isn’t too hard to accept the fierce threat that is (literally) devouring everything around them, and how our protagonists manage to handle this present threat in ways that feel perfectly natural to what we’ve seen of them previously. It’s smart with its characters, themes, plotting, visuals, and most other things too – this is a movie that even gets the presence of a fully-CG chimpanzee right, and the results are among some of the most frightening stuff you’ll see in a film all summer.

At this point, it’s probably fair to say that Jordan Peele is a filmmaker who really understands not only how to make a strong and impactful film with good characters and thorough storytelling, but also how to give his audiences the kind of spectacle that is hard to resist while also treating them like intelligent viewers with just as much passion for big-screen thrills as he does. Here’s hoping that whatever he develops next will continue his streak that is, so far, a resounding “yep”.

SO, TO SUM UP…

Nope is a thrilling big-screen spectacle by writer-director Jordan Peele, who allows plenty of unsettling moments to happen with its fleshed-out characters while also offering some thoughtful commentary on the notion of spectatorship in general, making it a compelling and must-see experience that rewards the brain as much as the eye.

Nope is now showing in cinemas nationwide – click here to find a screening near you!

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