With Nope (a terrible title) being a science fiction / horror film with some sort of flying saucer at its center there was no way I was going to miss this one. It’s a wild film, and a layered one, ambiguous almost to a fault, which demands one’s own interpretation of its fantastic events. I have issues with several elements, from Daniel Kaluuya’s portrayal to the significance of the chimpanzee and others, yet it is clear that this is a momentous, ambitious undertaking, one which demands respect. Perhaps no film from this year will be as discussed and argued about as Nope, with good reason.
Jordan Peele’s movie is a modern western of sorts, in which a California horse ranch owned by O. J. and his sister Emerald Haywood (Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer) somehow becomes the focal point of . . . something . . . in the clouds. As the mystery deepens and the body count rises, the Haywoods must either fight back or flee entirely. A couple of other people become involved, providing different perspectives, yet the central mystery remains obtuse until the violent, strange conclusion. I don’t think there has ever been another film like this, which credits writer-director Peele, and yet its weirdness cannot avoid undermining its effectiveness at times.
As I mentioned, I have issues with certain aspects. While Keke Palmer is all too believable as Emerald, Daniel Kaluuya is far too restrained, even casual, as occurrences multiply on O. J.’s ranch. It simply isn’t convincing that he stands uncomprehending as his father falls off his horse, stricken, or that he isn’t ready to present and coordinate his ranch’s horse for a television commercial. I’ve read accounts of why the chimpanzee element is important to Jupe’s (Steven Yeun) backstory, and that makes sense, but the film itself fails to make the case that Jupe is reacting to the cloud mystery in the way that he does because of the chimpanzee episode from years earlier. And while the cloud mystery is eventually revealed in stunning fashion, it doesn’t seem very logical (indeed, it is alien, with all that implies). The story doesn’t always hold all these elements together in a way that we expect it to. But perhaps breaking the rules is part of the film’s charm.
Much of the story is very impressive. When O. J. first notices the cloud formation, it is chilling in its repercussions. The sequence in the horse barn where the lights turn on and off is an absolute classic, with a great payoff. Angel (Brandon Perea) and Antlers (Michael Wincott) are terrific characters to help sort things out. And visually, the thing that emerges from the clouds is really cool — and chilling. Its explanation — suggested by O. J. and accepted immediately by everybody else — was odd to me, but quickly made sense; I was surprised that I had not considered that idea. The film builds very nicely to an expected crescendo, then suddenly shifts gears when additional factors come into play, and then it becomes really wild. All in all it is quite the roller coaster ride.
Most of all I give credit to Jordan Peele for re-imagining something that we’ve seen in movies for decades and finding a fresh spin on it, one which takes the idea in all new directions. This multi-layered onion of a movie pretty much requires multiple viewings to ascertain things for oneself, to work out questions and doubts from previous viewings and to enjoy the spectacle all over again. I will certainly be seeing it again and recommend it to everyone, issues or not. ☆ ☆ ☆. 6 August 2022.