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.