Once again it’s time to talk the latest entry from Jordan Peele—who made his cinematic splash in 2017 with the creepy, comedic, and zeitgeist-tackling piece Get Out. His subsequent entries have been a little mixed—while I thought Us and the Candyman pseudo-reboot certainly had their moments, each also had a few stumbles that weighed down what were otherwise still decent flicks. That brings us to Nope—which, at least on the surface, appears to be Peele’s take on the now resurgent topic of UFOs. Does it ascend above his prior efforts, or would you be better off calling Dave Duchovny to ramble about the Tibetan numerologists of Appalachia?
Thankfully, after digesting it, I can certainly give this one a thumbs up. Our premise is fairly straightforward—Daniel Kaluuya plays Otis, son of a mysteriously deceased horse rancher (played by Keith David, and I felt the film could’ve used his awesome dulcet tones just a little bit more). Struggling with business, he soon notices unusual activity around his home valley—one that he and his sister Emerald (Keke Palmer) decide might just make a great monetary opportunity. Together with tech salesman Angel (Brandon Perea), they soon realize they’re probably in for more than they bargained for.
To get into more detail—the cinematography is unquestionably on point for this one. Peele has a knack for slow sweeping shots, and in this case, the desolate Californian valleys where the hills themselves could be concealing something unknowable lend themselves wonderfully to that. The nighttime scenes convey a sense of uncertainty in the most delightfully unnerving way, and there’s one scene around the middle that I’ll get to which, set in the daytime, works really damn well in providing the most viscerally terrifying moment. There’s also some very creative and unexpected visuals near the end, let’s just say, where the money paid to the art department really shines—so on this front, I give full marks.
Pacing wise, it’s a bit of a slow burn—which may not work for some general audiences, but I definitely appreciated it. It helps us to get to know some of the characters better—and a standout for me was Steven Yuen as Ricky, an owner of a theme park near Otis’ ranch with some heavy yet suppressed trauma in his past. In many ways he’s the most interesting and tragic character in the film, and that in turn lends itself well to that one scene in the middle which really wrenches the gut well.
Theme wise…shockingly, it’s actually a bit more subtle and complex than one might expect, with way less made as upfront as in prior Peele projects. There is definitely an idea of man trying to control and exploit nature with tragic consequences that builds up from the very opening shot—it’s a broader one that’s also more universal, and takes more time to settle in, which in many ways makes it more effective if you have to contemplate. To a degree, it reminds me of an elongated episode of Twilight Zone—and wouldn’t you know, Peele also hosted the latest reboot of that.
Though, as the film itself points out, it also takes on the current craze related to what are now being termed by some as UAPs—and, as it also wryly notes, how people will still read a lot into very vague blurry footage of undefinable blobs zooming over a sky.
So yeah—while perhaps not the same crowd-pleasing level as Get Out, I definitely preferred this one over Peele’s subsequent films, and definitely recommend it wholeheartedly once you set your expectations to a somewhat more low-key pace. Certainly, it’s a more interesting take on flying saucers than some of the usual schlock—so if that sounds like it has any appeal, certainly give it a watch…
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