Nope

 

Gillipedia Official Rating: Yeah no yeah, it’s good

Score: 8/10

          Jordan Peele creates films that I enjoy. I wouldn’t go so far as to call Get Out a masterpiece, but that’s a great movie. The more divisive Us captured my attention and is still a film I think about. Peele reunites with star Daniel Kaluuya in Nope, and it also isn’t a masterpiece, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. To say Peele sticks with the horror genre is far too simplistic. At this point you can almost expect his films to go in unexpected directions. Nope is his furthest deviation. There are still horror elements, but this movie ventures more into the sci-fi thriller realm while truthfully not being bottled up in any true genre. Which is part of one of the big compliments I have for Peele—you won’t find common tropes and cliches. He honors and homages classics, but we’ll dive deeper into that later.

          I saw like one trailer for this film, knew I would see it, and attempted to avoid any further promotion. I enjoy not knowing what to expect, and the experience of this film is better that way too. So I’ll address some things from the trailer but keep the review relatively vague and spoiler-free. There are 3 elements you’ll probably take away from the trailer, and that’s all you need to know. 1) It stars Daniel Kaluuya as a ranch hand of some sort. 2) UFOs are somehow involved. 3) It has a bit of a wild west vibe.

          For those that need a bit more than that, basically, Kaluuya runs an isolated farm specifically for entertainment horses with his sister, and The Walking Dead’s Steven Yeun runs a little circus nearby. UFOs come into play pretty early on, and the rest of the film is around the characters figuring out what exactly is going on and if there’s danger.

          Back to the three main elements, let’s talk about now Oscar-winner Kaluuya. It still brings me great joy when people learn that he’s British. When I first saw Get Out, I was like wow, that’s one of the best American accents I’ve ever heard. That’s because I was first introduced to him from the very British comedy Johnny English Reborn. Very different style of film. But others would watch his interviews and see that this mate is very British. And in Nope he plays American OJ. Don’t expect his name to pop up during awards season; however, it’s not because his acting is bad. Stylistically, his character is very reserved. He knows horses, and that’s what OJ interacts with most. His family’s company deals with Hollywood, but the social aspect was run by his father, played by Keith David, and now by his sister—costar Keke Palmer. Pretty sure half of Kaluuya’s lines are him saying, “Mmm,” when asked a question. It’s relatively an understated performance, and he plays the introverted ranch hand really well; but it’s not the role that will attract award buzz.

          Kaluuya is the star, but Palmer provides lots of high energy as a balance for our sibling main characters. And if I’m being honest, she kind of annoyed me at first. Her character doesn’t portray too many redeeming qualities at the start of the film—showing up late to a gig, promoting herself over the family business, brushing off duties. But there is a definite passion to her and an underlying love for her brother, and she won me over a bit by the film’s conclusion.

          I don’t want to reveal too much, but there is a comedic relief character that oozed with Peele’s comedic abilities, and the other main player is Yeun. People know him from The Walking Dead, and I adored his performance in Minari. He makes some interesting choices as the owner of a circus with a long history in the spotlight—but some trauma in there as well. Can’t say I loved his character here and his scenes are what brings the film over 2 hours, but it’s also where some of the themes of the film come into play. Yes, there are UFOs. But I appreciate how Kaluuya, Yeun, and their occupations and interactions with horses and mother nature in general come into play story-wise and thematically. It’s not revolutionary stuff, but there is some intrigue in there and just enough bones to gnaw on after the end credits have rolled.

          “Okay, Gill, you have to give us something about these UFOs!”

          As I mentioned previously, Peele does a superb job of avoiding tropes. How UFOs come into play takes this concept two-fold. Unlike the plethora of horror films with supernatural elements that either never reveal the main baddie or save them for one climactic scene, we see our UFO fairly early on and there are multiple interactions throughout the film. It’s engaging, there’s still plenty of mystery, but it also instills a sense of awe that yes, this is what you’re looking at… but you still don’t know the full truth behind it yet. Which brings me to the second element: this is some of the best cinematography I’ve seen all year—courtesy of frequent Christopher Nolan collaborator Hoyte Van Hoytema.

          It’s not just the sweeping landscape shots films with wild west settings need. It’s the fact that there’s a pretty even 50/50 split on scenes in the day vs at night. Daylight scenes in horror films are typically where you can relax back into your seat knowing there shouldn’t be any suspense. Jordan Peele takes Nope and says, “Yeah, I’ve got UFOs. Here they are.” The ability to discern this object in the sky that moves in such an unnatural fashion—a threat constantly looming over you—instills that suspense and dread from quality horror films. But you also have nighttime scenes as well. And not only do these take place at night, but they are lit by a full moon. No, I’m not saying werewolves come into play. What I am saying, however, is that these scenes are still bright. They have that quiet terror of night, but you can still see everything. Contrast that to say the A24 film It Comes at Night. You never see the villainous creatures, and the scenes at night make you scared of what you can’t see. If you’re wondering where the title of Nope comes from, it’s the ability to see what you should be scared of and saying, “Nah, I’m good.” And yes, there are characters that will say, "Nope,” in the film.

          There’s really only one true jump scare in the film, and it will get you. But that’s not what the film is reliant on. More than anything, I wasn’t so much on the edge of my seat as I was trying to piece together in my mind where the film was going and what the end goal is. It sounds vague, but it’s true that the best way I can describe this film is interesting. It has an interesting premise, and it keeps you engaged without the tropes of jump scares or relying on nonsensical plot twists. There’s still a monologue or two that lasts too long, but the 2 hr 10 min runtime overall flows really well.

          The climax got a little overly dramatic with a couple of characters making dumb decisions, but it doesn’t detract from the experience as a whole. You can tell Peele enjoys movies and the moviemaking process, and his homage to classic films comes through without being overbearing. In particular, there’s a scene in the rain that is the clear standout moment in the film. The score, especially at the climax, is strong. Overall, this may not be the film many people came to expect, but I enjoyed my experience and can mark this down as a memorable movie.

Thor: Love and Thunder

 

Gillipedia Official Rating: Watch out, Thor, because this review is gonna bring the lightning-- KA-CHOW!

Score: 7/10

 

          Marvel needs to be careful. In terms of the quantity vs quality debate, they have undeniably overwhelmed DC by churning out multiple movies every year while mostly still entertaining audiences more than the DC films have been able to. While Marvel ventured into the TV realm way back with shows coming out on many different networks and multiple shows on Netflix, there has been a more concerted effort to integrate both mediums into the Cinematic Universe with the emergence of the Disney+ shows. They have been largely successful—both overcoming the obstacle of filming over the pandemic as well as taking advantage of butts in couches the last couple of years. So with all the success—across both TV and film, why does Marvel have to be careful? Well, after the incredible buildup to Avengers: Endgame back in 2019, Marvel has ventured further and further into the cosmos and are broadening the breadth of characters and worlds travelled to. The expansion of scope is necessary, but with it is the possibility of fatigue. Multiple TV shows, 3 Spider-Man related movies, and the Doctor Strange sequel have all come out just in 2022. It almost feels like they’re taking the business strategy of Netflix that promised a new original film every 2 weeks to ensure constant content. Marvel can survive some hiccups like Morbius, but the fanbase—especially those that have been around since the beginning in 2008—can be weary of the oversaturation.

          I think that fatigue leaked through to this movie which is why there’s been a split reaction to Thor: Love and Thunder. Following up from the huge success of embracing a goofier side to the character in Thor: Ragnarok, Taika Waititi returns as director and co-writer for this 4^th Thor film. They double down on the humor and pushed the boundaries even further with improvised moments. The end result is everything but the kitchen sink of humor, and while I found myself laughing consistently throughout with some clever recurring gags, there’s plenty of stuff that are like half-jokes that make you smile but not really laugh. This is where Love and Thunder lives and dies. Some of the rehash works, but it doesn’t have the same shine that the previous movie had. Personally, I really liked this movie! But the reactions weren’t all the same even among the friends I went with.

          For those that remember how things were left with Thor from Endgame, he’s fat, single, and forced his way into the Guardians of the Galaxy and proclaiming them as the Asguardians. Despite this being Thor’s 4^th solo film—the first in the MCU to do so—this is actually one of the most accessible of the MCU films. Early on we get a recap of the previous films and where Thor left off in quick and humorous fashion. They have some “classic Thor adventures,” but it quickly makes way for the real heart of the story.

          The film starts off with a dying Christian Bale and his young daughter. Pleading to the gods for help, not only is he shunned away, but he also loses his daughter. A cursed sword with the capability of slaughtering gods whispers out to Bale, and he makes it his mission to eliminate all gods so that people aren’t misplacing their hope. Outside of the hilarious Christian vs Atheist Bale meme, honestly, this is one of the strongest villains. The backstory is intriguing, his ability to summon shadow creatures is unique and way different than the MCU villains just copying the heroes’ abilities, and it’s Christian Bale.

          While I’m a huge fan of Bale’s Gorr the God Butcher, the issues I also hold with his character is a microcosm of my main issue with the film. There’s powerful themes of dealing with loss and cancer… and love and thunder… but the film suffers from the cardinal sin of telling, not showing. In the opening scene, Gorr is brought in front of his god and talks about how his daughter sacrificed herself in the god’s name. Like yes, I just saw that happen two minutes ago. That instance is easily forgivable, but he talks about how he lost his daughter due to the gods at least two more times in the film, and he’s not in all that many scenes. Bale’s performance is also certainly not nuanced, but it provides a great foil to Thor and adds a much-needed darkness to the light tone. We also don’t actually get to witness too much god-butchering happen, but Bale being Bale and losing all that weight to commit to the role still leaves him as a memorable villain.

          This movie also marks the return of Natalie Portman’s scientist Jane Foster from the first two films. Now, I love me some Portman. And my understanding is that all that beautiful beefing up she did to be Mighty Thor is all her. So well done on that. How’s she integrated into the story is proper enough. But if we’re being honest here, I think she struggled the most to adapt to Waititi’s style. She does this little like head bob as if saying, “tee-hee look at me, I’m a silly little scientist!”

          I think I’ve said this now for a couple Marvel films, but I’d describe the action as fine. While teaming up with the Guardians of the Galaxy, there’s so much happening on screen that it’s a little dizzying. There’s some great spectacle, but it’s hard to focus your eyes when so much is happening and the action cuts every second because we’re trying to hide the fact that there aren’t all that many stunts and this is green screen. Plus, with all the gods and different worlds and the only real explanation of Gorr’s powers being that he can summon shadow creatures and can kill gods, there’s never much weight to the stakes of the action simply because I don’t know what anyone is capable of. The shadow creatures are mostly just fodder for Thor and Jane to swing some hammers at. Also, I don’t want to misspeak because the visuals are dazzling and really well done, but there’s still times that I can clearly tell are filmed on green screen, and the physics of superheroes still looks a little rubbery.

          Don’t hate me in the comments for it, but I wasn’t stoked for the Guns N’ Roses songs. There’s an undeniable 80s vibe with the soundtrack and the outfits and poses Thor strikes, and the end credits fonts are some of the hardest names to ever read. I really enjoyed the fact that overall, this film kept to the core group of Thor characters to focus on. Waititi has such a distinct style, and even if it wasn’t perfect, I still had a blast. There’s so much to enjoy. The whole black and white sequence in the film is visually stunning. I’m a sucker for those Sin City type aesthetics where you highlight certain actions by mixing in small amounts of colors in an otherwise black and white environment. Also major props to the climax. I think I’m being clever here when I saw one of the characters wearing a Phantom of the Opera shirt, and the visual from that shirt tied into the climactic setting. The climax is fun, heartfelt, and the way it ended was great.

          There’s still a couple surprise cameo appearances to be had, and Love and Thunder might not rise to what Ragnarok accomplished, but it’s still so much fun. I enjoyed this more than Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The story could’ve had some powerful material, but it was a bit ham-fisted in its delivery, and Gorr could’ve been utilized a bit more. But even that critique is a bit of a double-edged hammer, right? Because this was a brisk 2-hour movie. If it was longer and developed more content, maybe the pacing would’ve suffered a bit. But I digress. I still prefer real stunts and long action shots like from Top Gun: Maverick and The Northman respectively, but the action here is fine enough. The core characters are all endearing, and with Waititi at the helm, you know you’ll laugh and enjoy your time. This isn’t a perfect film, but it should hold us over until Jordan Peele’s Nope comes out later this month.