Nope. M, 130 minutes. Four stars
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Jordan Peele had a long TV comedy career before establishing himself as a cinematic force in a new way with the 2017 horror film Get Out. He became the first African-American to win an Oscar for best original screenplay and the film, which he also produced and directed (in a spectacular debut), was a critical and box office hit. It was a smart, thoughtful horror movie that deserved its success.
Then came Us, (2019), another thoughtful horror movie which was not quite as good but still interesting. Peele revived Twilight Zone on TV, suggesting a longtime shift into the fantastic. For Nope, Peele had a much higher budget but more money doesn't guarantee higher quality, except perhaps in technical matters.
Nope - overlong at more than two hours - is a strange mix of elements that don't quite gel into a satisfying whole. It begins with a biblical quote (Nahum 3:6: "I will cast abominable filth upon you, make you vile, and make you a spectacle") and its story combines science fiction, horror and show business.
Peele's script, while not perhaps as tight this time, is still thoughtful and makes the viewer think a bit rather than have everything spoon-fed in between bursts of violence (which are, here, fairly restrained). Race, trauma, commercialism - all these and more are part of the film.
Occasionally things feel a bit underexplained or rushed through and oddly, the sky phenomenon doesn't seem to be widely noticed beyond the movie's characters, which seems unlikely. But it's good to have a genre movie with some substance.
Otis Haywood Sr (Keith David) runs a ranch business that supplies horses for film and TV productions. He is killed when an object mysteriously drops from the sky and his son Otis Jr, or "OJ" (Daniel Kaluuya) and daughter Emerald (Keke Palmer) inherit the place. It's not easy to run and OJ is more interested in this side of the business than his sister, who dreams of fame and fortune.
Financial problems force them to sell some horses to Ricky "Jupe" Park (Steven Yeun), a former child star who runs a small Western theme park nearby.
One night, strange things start to happen. The electricity at the ranch starts to flutter, audio slooooows doooown, the horses react violently to the presence of someone, or something, and some of them disappear. There could be any number of explanations for all this but the Heywoods eventually discover that what appears to be a UFO is responsible.
They decide to document its presence, dreaming of Oprah exposure - who wouldn't? - and the attention and money this will bring.
They recruit cinematographer Antlers Holst (Michael Wincott) to film the thing and get electronics store employee Angel (Brandon Perea) to set up the surveillance equipment they buy. Both men are intrigued by the project.
And then they wait, and hope.
Here's where that opening quote might be recalled, as well as the admonition, so often ignored, to be careful what you wish for.
The first scene of Nope depicts the creepy aftermath of a scene from young Jupe's TV show that went horribly wrong.
Nope opens memorably with the creepy aftermath of a scene from young Jupe's TV show that went horribly wrong.
Peele capably establishes the atmosphere of a cheesy sitcom - bad lighting, forced laughter - as well as the subsequent air of disquiet and there are thematic links to the rest of the story about the destructive sides of fame and nature. But this material feels a little forced and truncated: it could have been expanded and used in another movie.
Also well captured are the other showbiz elements - the tacky theme park with its Wild West town facades and show arena, the commercial studio - and the ranch setting is starkly beautiful and well photographed. I saw the film in a big cinema at Dendy, a good place for it.
While the film isn't as overtly about race as Get Out, there are references, both obvious and subtle, to black movie history. Peele has been a success but seems conscious that there still are not all that many black filmmakers.
There are special effects, but the film doesn't go overboard with them - the focus is on the story and the ideas, not spectacle for its own sake.
The actors are all very good - although none is a headliner in the league of, say, Bruce Willis. This helps bolster the credibility of the film somewhat: you don't feel distracted from the story because you're watching a Big Star.