JT'S FILM REVIEWS - 'Nope'

Writer and director Jordan Peele tackled the many layers of systemic racism with his first horror film “Get Out” in 2017. He then tackled psychological horror and classism with “Us” in 2019. Now he’s tackling sci-fi horror and our obsession with attention and fame seeking spectacle with “Nope”, starring Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, Steven Yeun, Michael Wincott, and Brandon Perea.

The movie is about Otis “OJ” (Kaluuya) and Emerald  “Em” (Palmer) Haywood, a brother and sister that operate the Haywood Hollywood horse ranch. After their father Otis Sr. dies when mysterious debris falls from the sky, OJ is trying to keep things afloat at the ranch while Em is trying to seek fame and fortune in Hollywood. Soon, they start to experience other mysterious situations such as fluctuating electricity and the horses going wild.

After OJ catches a glimpse of a UFO, Em convinces him that they need to try and capture it on film in order to reveal it to the world and get their fame and fortune. While Em just wants fame, OJ can use the money to keep from having to sell his ranch to Ricky “Jupe” Park (Yuen), a man who owns a nearby carnival. What follows is a film that redefines the alien invasion movie in fun and exciting ways.

Keke Palmer, Daniel Kaluuya, and Steven Yeun star in Jordan Peele's 'Nope'.

It may seem like I revealed a lot in my description of the movie, but the truth is that I’ve barely scratched the surface. This does present a problem in that I can’t really say too much more without giving away the film’s twists and turns. What I can say is that the movie explores our obsession with trying to seek attention and quick fortunes.

After all, think about what we do when we see something strange and even potentially dangerous. We don’t call the authorities right away or try to run away. Instead, we get out our phones hoping to capture whatever it is so that we can then post it on social media for that instant attention and gratification.

Another thing I can mention is that the performances are fantastic. Kaluuya gives another great performance as the weary OJ, a man who wants to keep his father’s legacy alive despite the trials and tribulations that come with the job of operating the ranch. At first, you don’t really like Em, but that’s by design with Palmer’s spectacular performance. You begin to relate more to the character when we learn more about her story and why she acts the way she does.

I absolutely loved “Get Out” and “Us” and now I can add this to the list as a fantastic horror film from a modern day Master of Horror. You can see Peele’s influences here such as “The Twilight Zone”, “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”, “Jurassic Park”, and “Signs” but once again Peele takes his inspirations and crafts something original out of the proceedings. The movie is without a doubt Peele’s most ambitious film technologically but he never loses an inch of his unique style as a director.

In short, say "Yes" to "Nope"!