Jordan Peele’s third film Nope hit cinemas this summer with high expectations. Peele’s previous horrors Get Out and Us, marked the director as one of the most unique and successful filmmakers in Hollywood – and Nope did not disappoint.
The complex sci-fi thriller is nothing short of spectacular. Visually, the film is outstanding, as Peele shoots in IMAX for the first time, allowing for an immersive cinematic experience. Not only this, Peele once again leaves the viewer constantly reading between the lines, searching for deeper meaning in his work.
Just like Get Out and Us, Nope is a film which encourages the general public and critics alike to discuss and debate long after leaving the cinema. To me, the film is so impactful because its fictional horrors are an eerie reflection of the modern world.
Horse trainer OJ Haywood (Daniel Kaluuya) and his sister Emerald (Keke Palmer) are taunted by a mysterious, otherworldly being in the skies above their rural Californian ranch. Meanwhile, a local theme park owner Ricky Park (Steven Yeun) attempts to profit from this alien phenomenon. But this is not your typical ‘little green man’ story.
Essentially, Nope is a film about capturing the impossible, taming a beast, and immortalizing the spectacle.
Brimming with suspense, Nope is most successful in its portrayal of the unexpected. The film is an innovative approach to the sci-fi genre, reimagining the notion of the infamous UFO. Peele’s creative vision is impressively unpredictable, so I encourage cinemagoers to avoid spoilers – especially surrounding the UFO itself.
That being said, the cinematic portrayal of the UFO is more than worthy of its blockbuster status, and worth being discussed. Cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema captures the sky and clouds in a way that creates awe and tension.
When paired with an impressive score (Michael Abels) and fierce sound design (Johnnie Burn), the viewer assumes there is always danger lurking behind the clouds. Thus, the extra-terrestrial being is fleetingly captured roaming the sky in a way that is reminiscent of the shark stalking its prey in the waters of Amity Island in Steven Spielberg’s Jaws.
Much like in our beloved ‘predator’ classic, Nope’s protagonists OJ and Emerald team up to tame this beast, using their collective knowledge of horse training to do so. Their method of capture? Immortalizing the mystical creature in a singular photographic image and proving its undisputed existence by spreading this image worldwide.
Overall, the spellbinding thriller conjures a haunting message about modern society. It satirizes our collective obsession with real-life tragedies; it criticizes our innate desire to pick up your closest recording device and capture any shocking or rare incident; it questions our assumption that we are the superior race. Nope is a thought-provoking and thrilling journey that no one should miss out on.
4.5/5
Image Credits – The MovieDB
