Nope (2022)

I'm always very nervous when a film's advertising campaign leads extensively on the director and not on the acting... To be honest, here, I really couldn't quite see what the fuss was about on either front. A pretty monosyllabic "OJ" (Daniel Kaluuya) lives with his feisty sister "Emerald" (Keke Palmer) on a remote stud farm where they provide horses for the movies. When strange things start going bump in the night, and the horses start behaving oddly, then disappearing all together - they are bemused. Off to town they go where they meet local geek "Torres" (Brandon Perea) who is full to the brim with alien conspiracy theories and who comes and installs some CCTV for them. What now ensues is a quirky, rather poorly paced sci-fi caper that takes far too long to get going and then when it does, well it sort of rumbles along with loads of pretty repetitive photography, minimalist dialogue and an ending that made me chuckle - and I am not sure that was Jordan Peele's intention. The plot reminded me of something from the "Outer Limits" from the 1960s! There is certainly some lovely scenery to be admired in this California valley but all in all I was totally underwhelmed by this film, the best bits I felt, were seen in the trail.

FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://www.msbreviews.com/movie-reviews/nope-spoiler-free-review

"Nope contains extraordinarily immersive technical elements, but the thematic focus raises narrative issues.

Jordan Peele takes full advantage of Hoyte van Hoytema's phenomenal cinematography and Michael Abels' memorable score to create a spectacle worthy of the big screen, but it's the sound production that really elevates the movie to that level.

Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, and Steven Yeun are exceptional, but the latter is tied to an extremely thematic storyline - immensely rich - with little to no impact on the main plot, leaving countless questions unanswered and a divided audience while still affecting the overall pacing.

Humor is surprisingly effective, and the moments of suspense and tension deliver what viewers most desire. A film that deserves multiple viewings and will generate endless debates."

Rating: B

**Overall : A big YEP to NOPE!**

Jordan Peele’s creativity is unrivaled! Nothing is typical of anything he does. Even knowing it is an alien movie, he keeps things fresh with surprising twists and eerie tension. Unlike anything I have seen before—there is excellent symbolism through the flashback sequences. I also enjoyed the developing relationship between the main two characters. My only complaint is that the horror and dread so palpable at the beginning fades completely about two-thirds into the film.

They said it and you wont hear me disagreeing with it. Did I find it entertaining? "nope". Did I feel the story was cohesive and comprehensible, with a clear contextual message? "nope". Were characterisations relatable and relevant? "Sort of".

Nope's characterisations are moderately relatable but somehow, also seem to appear oddly misconstrued. The mostly monosyllabic cowboy character, for example, only adds to the sense of ambiguity (perhaps that's the idea).To my mind however, this ploy, if that's what it is, stifles development, of the already ambiguous, story line. The sister, his complete antithesis, is superficially verbose but seems equally, to lack any depth of self awareness.

The only thing I can say conclusively about Nope, is the visuals are compelling, complex and, at times, almost intricate. This film certainly scores a A+ in this regard.

That said, so much else is lacking, in particular a clearly articulated narrative, that it failed to resonate, with me.

In summary, I found Nope a frustrating, dissatisfying watch. Somewhat reminiscent of M. Night" Shyamalan films Nope is visually stunning but does not offer up enough morsels of knowledge, leaving this viewer hungry for more.

Full review: open.spotify.com/episode/03ZQLC8VjUeeMGuAIbVyTq?si=b217083aa90c4457

Jordan Peele's 'Nope; comes in with some big expectations due to Peele's previous work. 'Get Out' shifted the paradigm for horror movies, taking a genre which has historically been associated with a temporary experience of thrill and adrenaline, to being social commentaries on society and raising some deeper questions about ourselves in the process of watching his stories unfold.

Nope is no exception, and in fact it can be argued that it attempts to combine story, metaphor and meaning in a more ambitious way than his previous outings. Taking the central theme of 'spectacle', Peele beautifully illustrates its dangers and how we as a society are so obsessed with the spotlight to our own detriment (and even int he worst cases, eventual demise). Choosing a more science fiction approach this time around, Peele does a great job of story telling, and often subvert's out expectations time and time again in the process. Aside from the film's deeper meaning, some of the other highlights come in the form of the cinematography and performances from the central characters (mostly notably, OJ, Emerald and Angel). Peele has managed to create some complex characters which are highly relatable, and the chemistry between the actors is something which will be a lasting memory for me.

However, I do feel that the film does sacrifice plot and narrative in its relentless effort to hammer in the metaphor of the central theme - 'Spectacle'. While I did enjoy each story (OJ and the Animal Alien and Gordie and Jupe), I had a hard time understanding the relationship they had with each other from a narrative point of view. It often felt like two stories could have been played out better without the interference of the other. Other than that I did have some questions around OJ's motivations to tame / kill this animal, the legitimacy of the final impossible shot, the nature and behaviour the animal, and how / if OJ survived (or was this open for interpretation?). The ending of the film also was a slight let down with the death of the animal not being all that grand. This however could also be tied into the overall message of 'Spectacle' as the finale is often not worth the what we expect it to be.

Overall, I think Nope is a very good movie which will probably get better with a few re-watches to fully appreciate what Peele was trying to tell us.