NOPE REVIEW

 *MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

In 2017, writer/director Jordan Peele impressed with Get Out, which was successful with critics, who praised his thought provoking and thematic script, and at the box office, earning over $255 million. At the 90th Academy Awards, Get Out received four Oscar nominations including Best Picture, Best Leading Actor for Daniel Kaluuya and Best Director for Peele, who won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. Following the impressive success of Get Out, expectations were high for Peele's follow up feature, Us, which was released in 2019 and had a more dark and unsettling tone. Although it didn’t received the same recognition at the Academy Awards as its predecessor, Us further established Peele as a skilful filmmaker who could create a gripping horror film filled with clever twists and strong performances from its cast. Nope is Peele's latest film and sees him reuniting with his Get Out star, Kaluuya, however, is it as impressive as the filmmakers' two previous films or a disappointment?

OJ (Daniel Kaluuya) and Emerald Haywood (Keke Palmer), two siblings who run a California horse ranch, discover something wonderful and sinister in the skies above, and the owner of an adjacent theme park, Jupe Park (Steven Yeun), tries to profit from the mysterious, otherworldly phenomenon.

It's best to go into Peele's latest film, Nope, knowing as little as possible as the viewing experience will be more rewarding as a result. The premise is simple as it focuses on two siblings who become determined to capture the “money shot” of a mysterious UFO that they think is responsible for the strange disappearances of their horses. Those expecting a serious horror film that is packed full of jump scares and gruesome gores may be disappointed with what Peele has created with Nope as it's more of a mystery and thriller. The first hour succeeds as an intriguing mystery with Peele not revealing anything about the UFO until the climatic act, which answers the questions viewers had during the beginning. The final thirty minutes is where Nope is at its most thrilling with OJ and Emerald, along with Fry's Electronic employee, Angel Torres (Brandon Perea) and cinematographer, Antlers Holst (Michael Wincott), coming up with a plan to find the alien life form and capture it on film. What I liked most about the revelation of the alien in Nope was its unusual and unique design. It hunts for people who look directly up at it. One of the most intense sequences involves Jupe who invites a small crowd of people to witness the UFO, using one of OJ's horses as bait. Unfortunately, this has disastrous consequences. Although Get Out still represents Peele at his best, both Us and Nope further establishes him as one of the most interesting filmmakers working today.

Since the release of Nope’s first teaser trailer in 2021, which revealed little about the film and left viewers with a lot of questions, there have been numerous theories about the plot and what the film is about. Although Nope may not answer all of the questions people had, it makes for a thought provoking watch for the majority of its 130 minute runtime. It’s a film that will benefit from multiple viewings as there are a lot of subtle details that probably went unnoticed the first time round. Nope will, most likely, divide audiences as there will be those impressed with what Peele has created with his latest film, however, others will probably be leaving the cinema with more questions. Fortunately, I belong in the former category as I found Nope to be a suspenseful thriller and intriguing mystery that kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. Because I’m not the biggest fan of horror films that are gory, I wasn’t sure I was going to like Nope, however, I was pleasantly surprised. Because Peele prioritises telling an original story, instead of filling the film’s runtime with cheap jump scares, it makes for a better viewing experience.

In Get Out, Kaluuya impressed with his leading performance as Chris, with the role earning him a nomination for Best Leading Actor at the 90th Academy Awards. Since then, he has continued to establish himself as a talented actor with appearances in Widows and Judas and the Black Messiah, with the latter winning Kaluuya an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. In Nope, he reunites with Peele and it’s clear that the two have a great working relationship as Kaluuya understands what kind of film the director wants to make. As OJ, Kaluuya portrays him as the laidback owner of a ranch who becomes suspicious of his horses disappearing. Alongside him, Palmer stands out as OJ’s enthusiastic and energetic sister, Emerald, who becomes excited about the prospect getting the “Oprah shot” of a real UFO. Steven Yuen has a small but memorable supporting role as Jupe Park, the owner of a theme park who is still traumatised by an incident he had with a chimpanzee on the set of a sitcom when he was a child. This scene that shows the traumatic incident is one of the scariest in Nope. Brandon Perea and Michael Wincott provide solid supporting roles as two characters who help OJ and Emerald capture the UFO on camera.

Technically, Nope features impressive work from the sound design team. The sound is expertly used to increase the tension and build suspense. Nope is a film that is made for the big screen, especially in an IMAX screen, as both the immersive sound and high definition picture are used to purposeful effect. The impact probably won’t be as effective when watched at home on a smaller screen. 

I can’t imagine those who enjoyed Get Out and Us being disappointed with what Jordan Peele has created Nope as it features the usual traits audiences have come to expect from his films, including interesting characters, a mysterious story and suspense.

8/10