THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
When you become a successful filmmaker, audiences will anticipate every follow up as an event. There have been many eventful filmmakers throughout time like Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg, James Cameron and Quentin Tarantino etc., making it less crazy to see what an instant success Jordan Peele became in the 2010s. After blowing the world away with Get Out and Us, expectations were so high that the next film would be an event itself like the filmmakers before him. In 2022, his third directorial outing Nope lived up to the hype.
PLOT
The film takes place in California and follows the Haywood, descendant of The Horse in Motion actor Alistair Haywood, who own a horse ranch that they handle for Hollywood productions, ‘Haywood’s Hollywood Horses’. The story begins with Otis Sr. (Keith David) apparently being killed by a falling coin that came from a plane. His death leads to his only children, Otis Jr./OJ and Emerald to inherit the ranch. OJ keeps business afloat by selling horses to the western theme park, ‘Jupiter’s Claim’, owned by former actor Ricky ‘Jupe’ Park who once survived the maiming of a chimpanzee actor unscathed during the production of the sitcom ‘Gordy’s Home’. One night, the Haywoods make the shocking discovery of a flying saucer shaped UFO that has been capturing their horses and regurgitates inorganic matter. This means that this extraterrestrial is responsible for the death of their father. Wanting to save the ranch, both siblings plan to get visual proof of its existence and sell it. They go to Fry’s Electronics and purchase new surveillance cameras to ensure they get proof. Employee Angel Torres sets up the equipment for them and by night, they see the alien once again. However, the UFO causes electrical interference for one of the cameras when passing over the ranch, while a praying mantis blocks the screen of another. Despite not getting proof, the siblings witness the extraterrestrial camouflage in the clouds. When Angel offers to help get proof, he sees it hide in a cloud that never moves. Jupe on the other hand has been aware of the UFO for the past couple of months, making an attraction out of it by luring it out with the Haywoods’ horses as bait, in front of it. This time, the UFO reveals itself to be its own territorial/predatory organism that eats anything that looks directly at if. When OJ decides to retrieve his horse Lucky, he discovers the truth of the alien as it left behind a massacre by killing everyone at the park including Jupe. After he gets back his only horse, he tries to warn Emerald of it before it regurgitates above the ranch. When the incident at Jupiter’s Claim gets the attention of the media, cinematographer Antlers Holst agrees to help them get proof. When he arrives with a non electric IMAX camera, OJ shares the new plan to capture it without getting killed by influencing its behavior. After the group steals a set of electric tube man props, they can deduce its location from the sky. On the day of the plan going in motion, it appears to backfire when a TMZ reporter interferes to get the scoop of what happened at Jupiter’s Claim. When he trespasses the ranch via electric motorcycle, he gets himself consumed by the creature. Holst gets himself killed as well when getting closer as a result of capturing an impossible shot to film. Angel survives when the alien tries to consume a tarp and barbed wire, causing it to unfurl. He remains left there to witness the Haywoods get the job done. OJ choose to look at it directly to give Emerald a chance to finish it. Believing her brother to have died when hearing the screams of Lucky, she uses the motorcycle to drive to Jupiter’s Claim and lure the alien one last time. She pulls it off by releasing a large hydrogen balloon mascot in the park and once she uses an analog camera well to get a clear picture, the alien explodes as the balloon pops. With more media reporters arriving, the film ends with Emerald celebrating the proof she caught and sees her brother alive and well with Lucky, outside the park.
THOUGHTS
Due to being a fan of Peele’s filmography for the past decade as of writing this, those who know me personally would definitely wonder how I feel would of this one in particular. Was it like anything I’ve seen before? Nope. Was it worth seeing in theaters? Yep. While I don’t think this film as great as the past two directorial features, that does not mean I did not enjoy it because I did a whole lot. Peele knows how to scare people with the unimaginable and he still delivers in doing just that. Thanks to Michael Abel’s retuning to compose and adding Hoyte Van Hoytema for cinematography, there is further success in getting audiences to feel their most dreaded. Since this is a modern movie about an alien invading Earth, you know the visual effects gotta look hella good. And they don’t look so, they’re instead incredible on the final cut. Every second you see it, you're oddly in awe as you have been like past fictional aliens. Seeing it expand like an orchid or a jellyfish is one of many things that make it stand out. It is scarier than others because it of how it lives up to being a territorial animal by devouring first and caring later. You're already getting chills of the sound it makes when it passes, but the true moment of fear that kicks in when you witness that it slowly digests its prey like a vacuum. Seeing all the humans cry in peril as they're getting eaten is the most claustrophobic part and it works so well. I even dug how its life feels like a mirror to the chimpanzee Gordy, brought to life via motion capture acting by Terry Notary. They're both creatures that should never have been in the positions they were in at all. Seeing the alien get killed by Jupe's balloon reminded me of how the ape's demise occurred when attempting a fist bump with the young Jupe before being put down. In a way, the film started and ended with something making contact with a form of Jupe. While that dynamic was indeed intriguing, the true selling point comes from how it explores a particular theme: Obsession, the obsession of being part of or creating a spectacle. When you choose to let your ego lead you to do in a selfish/superior manner, there are going to be consequences that won't ever be avoided. When you look back at the character Jupe, Steven Yeun is able to make clear that he's one whose unable to escape his trauma no matter how hard he openly embraces it. Even after all he lets out, there's so much within he can't bear sharing. It was without question a haunting moment when Gordy situation because it was a situation that should've been handled differently. Considering no one had his back at that time, it was like the industry betrayed. Yet after that moment of tragedy, he he still wants the dream he can't wake up from. He was stuck in the past because he was too comfortable and if he let go in a better way, he wouldn't really know how to strive on his own. He still felt that his worth tied to how much exposure he had. No matter how cool his park cooled, he basically created his own prison because he still can't escape from the past. And in a sick way, he felt to be in sweet relief after realizing in the last moment that he masterminded his own fate. And seeing him look above before his demise would be his awakening. Seeing his story arc go from beginning to end, from surviving Gordy and being devoured by the alien are the best examples of what happens the spectacle in enforced, it just backfires. Although Jupe may not be able to be part of the spectacle like he preferred, our two protagonists were lucky enough to do so. Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer had great chemistry to match the sibling energy OJ and Em had within. They were definitely polar opposites due to how their personalities differ and not just their gender. Em has all the showmanship, OJ lacked the confidence and charisma, being more soft spoken instead. They acted distant towards each other at the start because Em never had the same respect her father gave her brother. And off of that, she never really had direction she needed. The best thing about these two is that after spending as long as they could to avoid danger, they decide to confront the threat head on with their wits. Em may have not gotten her dad's respect, but she felt whole by the time she realized OJ always did. He names the alien 'Jean Jacket' after the horse she never got to train. This would only further make her success of capturing UFO proof as part of an act of reclamation she deserved. It would make it a satisfying ending when she focuses on her surviving brother rather than the picture because it proved that the only respect that matters in life is not from strangers, but from family. What's in front of you is more important than what's above you. And in all honesty, it was so smart whenever they said "no/nope" when they chose to avoid the danger because it just felt like a realistic decision for these characters to do. I generally had a soft spot for Angel because Brandon Perea embraced him as an insecure guy whose curiosity led to him fitting in with the most unexpected duo. He wanted to be a part of something and lucky for him, he was part of saving the world. Lastly, Antlers Holst was so interesting due to how magnetic of a performance Michael Wincott gives. He stood out for playing him as a man who had his own passion for film, but sadly becomes so obsessive to achieve the impossible shot that took his life, the belly of the beast. I'm sure he'd be proud of that piece of work, but I wouldn't if he's not gonna live to see it. This movie was outstanding to get through, but even a fan like myself can admit that there were noticeable issues upon re watching. For instance, why would OJ invite Em to Jupiter's Claim if he knew she wouldn't take business serious? I know this gives an excuse to understand Jupe, but I'm sure this could've been done without her curiosity. Speaking of which, why the hell would SNL get away with a Gordy sketch? They already got away with skits about OJ Simpson, R Kelly and Amber Heard, so they'd be very low for making fun of a wild animal which is just as weird as the MAD magazine cover. I then wonder how did the white horse Ghost get out of the cage in the first place? Considering that OJ checks on them later on, it doesn't look that an easy for those animals to escape. And was it really legal for Electronic Fry's to spy on cameras that customers bought. Even if it was helpful of Angel to do so, that should've not been possible because that is a massive violation of privacy. Also, why did it take so long for OJ to pick up Lucky? There is an alien out there and he is insane to take his sweet ass time. He walked so slow that I forgot he actually drove there. On top of that, what made Angel think a knife would stop Jean Jacket? I know he doesn't want to die and I don't want him to either, but he should know he's know gonna have a chance once he's consumed. I even gotta admit, I know it's in OJ's character to speak quietly, but did he have to when he said he was gonna get Lucky? Angel was talking to him to warn him of the storm and it comes off like he ignored him, which is weird. I'm then wondering how come the headlights in the Fry's van wasn't flickering when the group was leaving the ranch? The music slowing down did imply how close the alien was, but flickering headlights would've further sealed the deal. I even feel a little bit annoyed that Angel didn't even try to stop Antlers from sacrificing himself. He could've put himself at risk, but he could've tried saving the camera. And lastly, how did the car dealership not have cameras when the tube men were taken? For a place pretty local, I don't think they'd get over them so fast. If they didn't, they'd likely arrive at the ranch before the TMZ reporter that died. Other than that, you can remain invested once ignoring said flaws. In short, Nope is an incredible sci fi horror film for knowing how to open mind in ways you wouldn't expect. If you are a fan of Peele, I promise you won't be disappointed.
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