From Jordan Peele, the acclaimed director of Get Out and Us, comes this big budget sci-fi thriller starring Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer.
The pair play siblings OJ and Emerald Haywood, residents of an isolated ranch in inland California and co-owners of family business Haywood Hollywood Horses.
When their father is killed unexpectedly, OJ is witness to a mysterious flying object in the skies above their home. Sensing a unique opportunity, the pair recruit tech salesman Angel (Brandon Perea) and Antlers Holst (Michael Wincott) a Documentarian, to help them capture the phenomenon on film and secure what Emerald calls their ‘Oprah moment’. Meanwhile neighbour and former child actor Ricky Park, has also seen the object and is intent on making it the star attraction in his live carnival show. Something he believes will revitalise his ailing career.
As co-leads Kaluuya and Palmer are perfectly cast as bickering siblings. Kaluuya’s OJ is the strong silent type, while his sister’s frenetic energy is the polar opposite. The strength of their familial bond becomes more prominent as the story unfolds.
The Walking Dead’s Steven Yeun takes on the role of Ricky ‘Jupe’ Park, owner of Jupiter’s Claim theme park. Intermittent flashbacks to his time as a child actor and a violent incident involving a chimp, form the films most intriguing thread.
Veteran actor Michael Wincott is wonderfully cantankerous as the grizzled documentarian, tasked with capturing the airborne invader on film, whilst Brandon Perea is highly entertaining as UFO enthusiast Angel. Thematically the film touches on the dangers of trying to tame a wild beast for human entertainment, whilst on the surface it works as a tense science fiction mystery in the vein of Close encounters. Teaming with cinematographer Hoyt Van Hoytema, Peele creates a sci-fi homage to films like Jaws. Playing with the audiences imagination, the filmmaker builds a sense of dread but keeps the appearances of his lovecraftian terror to an absolute minimum.
As always, what you don’t see, is way scarier than what you do.
Michael Abel’s imposing score adds to the tension, incorporating a Morricone style western influence into the films soundtrack.
With Nope, Peele has produced an ambitious sci-fi thriller, which delivers on pure spectacle, but leaves plenty of threads dangling for viewers to ponder.
While some may find this frustrating, others will relish the chance to theorise on the films true meanings.
In a world bursting with reboots and sequels, Nope is a refreshingly original stand alone blockbuster, which despite its flaws is something that should be celebrated.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Paul Steward
@grittster
17/08/22