“Nope” Review
OJ Haywood (Daniel Kaluuya) tries to outrun the menacing UFO on horseback in “Nope,” the latest film from writer/director Jordan Peele.
It’s very rare that a new filmmaker gets a massive following within the general public. However, this is the luxury that Jordan Peele has earned through not only being a comedy legend with the series “Key and Peele,” but by changing the game with his first two feature films “Get Out” and “Us.” With an unmistakable originality and passion, people flock to the box office for Peele’s films because Peele made them. His latest film “Nope” is the perfect combination of horror, spectacle, science-fiction, social commentary and humor which resulted in a film which surpasses some of this summer’s crowd-pleasing blockbusters.
The film follows OJ Haywood (Daniel Kaluuya) and Emerald Haywood (Keke Palmer), a brother-sister duo who are the struggling owners of a horse ranch in Hollywood following the mysterious death of their father. While they comprend their futures, strange occurrences begin to afflict the ranch and a nearby theme park owned by a former child actor (Steven Yuen). As OJ and Emerald realize that they’re being targeted by an extraterrestrial force and enlist the help of a tech specialist (Brandon Perea) and an aging cinematographer (Michael Wincott) to capture the UFO on camera.
While the actors are all amazing in this film, the real star is Peele who manages to create a film that is more grand than his earlier work. “Get Out” was made on a budget of $4.5 million while “Nope” was made for $68 million and it clearly shows. The grand landscapes, the sweeping shots and the amazing effects for the UFO all sucked me into this environment.
“Nope” is incredibly reminiscent of two of Steven Spielberg’s earlier films, “Jaws” and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” but Peele does something completely different with this concept by taking all of the horror elements and character archetypes of the former and combining them with the wonder and science-fiction elements of the latter. However, if you think that by watching those two films that you know exactly where “Nope” is going to go, you’re wrong. The film boasts several twists and turns which kept me in an unceasing state of suspense, especially regarding the identity of this entity.
Emerald (Keke Palmer) and OJ (Daniel Kaluuya) plan to capture the UFO on film using all of the technical wizardry they can muster.
After starring in “Get Out,” Daniel Kaluuya has become a massive name with memorable performances in “Black Panther,” “Queen & Slim” and an unforgettable portrayal of Black Panther leader Fred Hampton in “Judas and the Black Messiah” which won him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Now that he’s reunited with Jordan Peele, Kaluuya is fantastic as OJ, keeping his emotions dialed back in favor of physical acting.
Meanwhile, Keke Palmer delivers a more energetic presence as Emerald which perfectly compliments OJ’s screen presence. Her enthusiasm for capturing footage of this UFO is delightfully infectious. Not only are Kaluuya and Palmer believable as siblings, but their quest for the alien ultimately brings them closer together.
While suspenseful, “Nope” also has some spectacular comedy just like Peele’s other films. “Nope” isn’t explicitly a comedy but the humor fits into the story very organically and helped relieve the tension of much scarier scenes.
What makes Jordan Peele such an interesting filmmaker is not only does he make entertaining horror films, but he also injects subtle social commentary into his films. In fact, rather than calling them horror films, Peele prefers to call them “social thrillers.” The film has a lot to say about desperation for attention and how the efforts of film crews often go unrecognized in the industry. But these messages are subtle enough for viewers to enjoy the film strictly as a fun blockbuster and then think about the themes later on.
While I enjoy a lot of the summer blockbusters based on comic books, best-selling novels and The King of Rock n’ Roll, it’s nice to see a truly original film from one of the best new filmmakers working today. As of now, Jordan Peele is three for three and it’s my most sincere hope that his filmography continues to be spotless.
