THE horror film industry reached a new high after Jordan Peele released ‘Get Out’ and ‘Us’. Luckily for fans, it doesn’t stop there. The comedian-turned-filmmaker brings forth a new horror flick with a mononymous title that is as interesting as it is ominous, 'Nope'.
The initial teasers of 'Nope' gave viewers almost no context, which made us all more excited for the film. Though you may think that the subsequent teasers revealed a tad too much of the movie, it’s safe to say there are still twists up Peele’s sleeves.
In no time, the internet was bombarded with theories. Of course, the cast neither confirmed nor disproved them.
Daniel Kaluuya continues his collaboration with Peele, playing Otis “OJ” Haywood Jr. The film follows OJ and his sister Emerald (Keke Palmer) embarking on a mission to capture footage of a mysterious UFO that looms around in the sky with hopes to gain fame and riches after struggling to sustain their horse ranch.
(Potential spoilers ahead)
At its core, 'Nope' is more of a Western sci-fi film than the horror we expected to see. Set in a desert in the middle of nowhere with horses and cowboy hats, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a standoff happening sometime in the movie. As with every Peele work, 'Nope' also divulges into the relationships the characters have with each other.
'Nope' manages to convey different tones for different scenes with its soundtrack and cinematography. The film itself is not as heavy or confusing, making it easier to rewatch. There aren’t many nerve-wracking scenes to the point that you can’t turn your head away from the screen.
Contrarily, most of them are continuous suspense. The movie took its time to build the plot up, but with the minimal scare factors, it’s easy to get bored or distracted. There are two outcomes to this, it’s either enough to pique your interest and keep you watching, or it ends up being a snoozefest.
With a pretty straightforward plot, a runtime of 130 minutes might put off some people even more so.
Though with that amount of time, we get to see the characters show their complexity. It did feel like the cast was representing specific character tropes – like OJ being the brooding main character and Angel (Brandon Perea) being the “funny one” – but each of them was, at least to some extent, dynamic.
We’re shown Ricky “Jupe” Park’s (Steven Yeun) tragic backstory that ultimately shapes his current characteristics and how it became his motivation as an adult. That being said, it was somehow still difficult to connect with the characters.
You see their conflicts and emotions, but you just can’t bring yourself to empathise with them.
Ultimately, 'Nope' isn’t that bad of a movie, but is it the most mind-blowing, exciting one? Subjective and up to debate. It wasn’t precisely a traumatising horror film, but it still got its point across as its other genres.
This movie would bode better with sci-fi fans than with horror buffs. People had a high expectation for 'Nope', and it likely wasn’t met.
Again, it’s important to remember not to compare Peele’s films. You wouldn’t compare Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight to Interstellar – those are two different films.
Sometimes filmmakers just want to make pieces of art that they fancy, without having to crack their heads to direct a trendy movie. According to GQ Magazine, Peele did say “I don't know why people can't let me just make a movie.”
(Last warning – thorough spoilers below)
It wouldn’t be a Peele film if it doesn’t have at least some sort of social commentary in it. This time, he focused on two.
The first theme is the repercussions of meddling with “nature” and exploiting it for personal gain. Almost every type of animal in the film has been taken advantage of for the sake of entertainment.
This is most apparent with Gordy the chimpanzee and Jean Jacket the… uh… UFO. Gordy was used as the main character in a TV show, while Jean Jacket became Jupe’s latest attraction at his theme park.
Next, we have the dangers of obsessing with “the spectacle”, in this case, Jean Jacket itself. A handful of people were willing to risk it all just to get footage of the obscure UFO. OJ and Emerald put themselves in danger, and they were lucky to come out alive.
The same can’t be said for Antlers Holst (Michael Wincott), who was constantly filming as he was being eaten. Even the short-lived TMZ guy prioritised getting Jean Jacket on camera over his life.
So was Nope a “yep” or a “nope”?
Despite “nope” being said a lot throughout the film, it deserves a “yep”. It’s rewatchable, the messages within the film make you reflect, and the acting was decent. The cinematography and plot progress are dealbreakers, but it’s not a problem if you have the patience for them. – The Vibes, September 21, 2022
