Jordan Peele has blended Western, Sci-fi, Mystery, Horror, Thriller, Suspense and Family Drama into a blockbuster about paranormal activity. Pique cinema.
This is Peele’s best film to date. He’s getting better at storytelling and direction. Get Out delivers the “smack in the face” messaging we needed–- desperately needed — at that time. And, it resonated with a more diverse audience, which was unexpected. But Nope, cinematically– filmically, is the better film.The performances in Nope are amazing. Every actor in this film is stellar in their respective roles. Even the animals are great. Shoutout to the animal trainers and Humane Society on set.
Now, I know Keke Palmer is getting a lot of praise for her performance and it’s very deserving.
Steven Yeun is outstanding in his supporting role. He elevates the story in such a way that his arc deserves a standalone limited series because you’ll be begging for more of his storyline.
Brandon Perea’s comedic timing is perfect. He’s hilarious as the comic relief.
Michael Wincott is a masterclass in ‘show, don’t tell’. He plays a nuanced, albeit suicidal director, frustrated with the commercialization of new age filmmaking. It’s a bitesize role, but man does he deliver a great performance. Every second he’s on screen is incredible.
But the absolute standout performance for me was Daniel Kaluuya’s. He plays rather subdued, but it’s what his character called for when you examine his underlying motivation.
He’s bankrupt and suddenly forced to oversee the ranch after his father died suddenly. That’s not a spoiler — it’s in the trailer. Keith David’s character is hospitalized and dies after a tragic event.
Kaluuya’s character must fill his father’s shoes and maintain this ranch that was handed down to them for generations. And he’s lost, unguided in terms of what’s required of him. He feels like such a failure. He has the most to lose and must grow the most. His younger sister, played brilliantly by Keke Palmer, is more of a free spirit and is less responsible than he.
Kaluuya gives a more emotionally cerebral performance– more layered and weighty. “I have mouths to feed” was such a powerful line of dialogue it still reverberates with me. His arc is the most pivotal. He will be mistaken by many as a dual protagonist, but nope — he’s the hero.
Speaking of trailer moments — Keith David is hardly in this film, which is a shame that such a legend was under utilized in this film. But I’m glad his injured face was shown in the trailer because if his injuries were saved for the film, it would’ve been too devastating to stomach. And it comes almost immediately before the chimp scene, which is hard to sit through, too. Your jaw will drop to the floor.
The film starts with the unknown history of the first Black jockey in stop motion photography. History remembers the name of the horse — Sallie, but history has erased the name of the jockey astride Sallie.
I like how Peele incorporated the names of the horses on this ranch (and chimp) as chapters to follow while the Black wranglers deliver memorable performances. It was really genius of him.
I also appreciate that not a single cop was called to the scene. Genius. What were cops going to do anyway — shoot the aliens? Nope. They handle this situation themselves, without cops.
Cinephiles are comparing Nope to M. Night Shyamalan’s Signs, which was released 20 years ago. And Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind from 1977.
I can see the resemblance as it relates to genre. But as it relates to theme and narrative, I think Nope goes further and deeper than those films.
My issues — I don’t like how the animals were treated in the story, even though chapters are dedicated to their names.
I’m an animal lover and vegan and sometimes it’s difficult for me to isolate mistreatment of animals in story from real life.
That said, I don’t like how the stallions or the chimp were treated by some of the characters. I’ll just leave it at that.
Overall, Nope is one of the best told stories of the year. The score, the cinematography, the performances, the screenplay, the direction–pique cinema.
BTW, you will see the trailer of Oppenheimer right before the first scene of Nope.
I think Hoyte van Hoytema is jockeying for double nominations– for his principal photography in Oppenheimer and Nope.
Brilliant strategically by Universal Studios and Chris Nolan in an effort to reach Black audiences because there has been discord on social media surrounding The Manhattan Project and Black erasure in Oppenheimer.
I saw Nope in Dolby and will see it in IMAX next.
Dolby is my preferred viewing format because I enjoy the more immersive experience than that of IMAX.
I highly recommend you see Nope in the theater in one of these formats at least once.
