NOPE
Remember when Jordan Peele was the quiet half of a comedy team with Keegan-Michael Key?
Wow, has he evolved! And this might be the best title ever for a film. When you see the context in which it's delivered (a line by lead actor Daniel Kaluuya), you'll agree.
"Nope" is Jordan Peele's third movie as writer/director. His first was his best. The racism satire "Get Out" won him an Original Screenplay Oscar. "Us" dove deeply into the horror genre. "Nope" goes full-out sci-fi.
Peele doesn't like to give away much before you see his films, so I won't say too much about the plot, either. Kaluuya (O.J. Haywood) and his sister Emerald (played with spunk by KeKe Palmer) have inherited the family's business furnishing horses for movie shoots. They're proud of their legacy even when falling on hard times. At their horse ranch, O.J. witnesses stranger and stranger occurrences in the sky, signaling the possibility of UFOs. KeKe's character decides they should try to record them, so they bring in a filmmaker along with a tech guy from the local big box store.
Also in play, a local Old West town called "Jupiter's Claim." Steven Yeun ("Minari") owns it and puts on a daily show for visitors. He also has a tie to the opening scene of the film involving an old TV show with a chimpanzee which is deeply disturbing and also recurring. (I'm sure it has deep meaning, perhaps a little too deep.)
So, where does "Nope" rate in Peele's trifecta? The expression is "the third time's the charm."
Instead, I'd say the third time's a challenge. Peele shot this during the pandemic. The starkness is actually effective. The movie seems inspired by Steven Spielberg's works. "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" comes to mind. I hope there was an on-set chiropractor, because Kaluuya in particular, must have had a constant kink in his neck from looking up. It was shot on IMAX cameras, and is sometimes stunning to watch, but the narrative is not cohesive. The tone is eerie ... the film more intriguing than enrapturing. In Peele's words, this one is all about "the spectacle."
I would not call it spectacular, but I eagerly await his fourth.
(Universal Pictures. Rated R. Running Time 2 hrs. 10 mins. In Theaters Only)
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