Nope Movie Review
Nope is the third film directed by Jordan Peele that once again sent my brain into a tizzy. The movie follows caretakers at a horse ranch who encounter an alien force that affects human and animal behavior.
One thing that I love about Nope was its stellar cast, mainly Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer. Kaluuya as OJ Haywood was phenomenal as the strong silent character, but he was also able to show bursts of passion throughout the movie. Kaluuya has this mysterious presence about him that drew me into his character and then when there’s moments in the movie where he has to really express himself, I get absolutely blown away by it. Keke Palmer as Emerald Haywood was the opposite of OJ in every way; boisterous, confident, and hilarious. I loved how she brought positive, high energy to the movie because without her, Nope would have been a slow burn.
Jordan Peele also does a great job with the cinematography of Nope by creating beautiful shots of the ranch in the L.A hills. The vastness of the ranch added to the horror of the film because the aliens could get the characters from anywhere. There is nowhere for them to run. The best shots though was whenever the UFO was flying through the sky and how much it blended into the scenery. I couldn’t easily identify that it was CGI, it looked like a real life UFO. It made my heart freeze in terror to see it. Nope is truly a visual spectacle.
How Nope effectively uses horror is what makes this movie stand out for me. It didn’t overly rely on jump scares and terrifying monsters to create fear. Instead, it creates tension and fear through quality storytelling. I was aware at all times that the UFO was somewhere in the sky watching the characters and it could strike at any moment, and that knowledge kept me on edge. It was also a very unique take on aliens. I have never seen aliens like this before and that was both a scary and exciting expereince.
At the same time though, Nope’s take on aliens lead to a disappointing finale. I was expecting creepy little green men, advanced technology, and an invasion of Earth, but instead Nope gives more of a man vs nature type of finale. I appreciated the uniqueness of the alien, but it wasn’t what I expected after the crazy twists we’ve come to expect from Peele.
I really enjoyed Nope overall, despite the ending. It is incredible what Jordan Peele is doing with the horror genre and I'll mark this movie down as another win in his portfolio. Is this a movie that you should skip? NOPE!
