NOPE (2022)

Nope (2022)
Directed by: Jordan Peele
Written by: Jordan Peele
Starring: Brandon Perea, Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, Steven Yeun

NOPE
Directed by Jordan Peele

“Nope” is a word movie fans worldwide will have repeatedly said to themselves during a horror. Don’t go outside, don’t split up, don’t go into the house. Or, in the case of Jordan Peele’s third film, don’t go chasing UFOs. Following the unexpected death of their father via falling objects from the sky, Otis Jnr (Kaluuya) struggles to keep the ranch going. For generations, they’ve bred and trained horses for Hollywood – it’s been in the family business since their great-great-great-grandfather rode the horse in the first moving picture ever made. The problem is he’s not much of a seller, and while his sister Emerald (Palmer) has the gift of the gab, she’s also too flighty to commit to helping. However, when he sees a flying saucer devour their livestock, she decides to stick around and convinces him that getting it on camera can be their way to a fortune. So with the unwanted help of electronics salesman Angel (Perea) they start watching the skies. What can go wrong?

The best thing about Nope is the sibling relationship. At first, OJ and Em are pitched as opposites, with her high energy and charisma providing a comedic counter to his awkwardness and sense of responsibility. Her absence is a sore point, and there are deep-rooted resentments on both sides. However, it isn’t one note; they develop a deep and highly believable bond across the movie. Of course, it helps that Peele gives them time to be comfortable with the characters. Same with the supporting cast who get plenty to do – at first I assumed they would be there for individual scenes, but they all become part of the wider picture. At points, Nope watches like a hangout movie as they shoot the shit about nothing in particular in ways that don’t immediately advance the story. In this spirit, we also go into flashback mode for a bizarre but brilliant subplot involving a client: a former child star named Jupe (Yuen). For some, the lack of urgency will work against it, and it’s maybe his most indulgent film to date – a 2 hour plus movie where a 90 minute one would do. The excess content will seem like detours and the low-fi feel may seem in self-satisfied contrast to the promise of epic alien action. However, I reckon those who dig it will really dig it. The world-building is exemplary and it pays off too. The intimate scope makes the bigger bits even more rewarding because we care so much about the (relatively few) characters. Without specifics, it’s Peele’s most bombastic and high-adrenaline film by far. When it comes to staging action sequences, the guy’s a natural – way to land it first time.

There’s also a lot of horror too – he isn’t leaving that behind. Like his earlier films, Peele is an expert at constructing a good scare. He can pace scenes well, and it’s almost like he has an innate sense of what will become iconic. And while there’s nothing to quite compete with the jumpsuits and scissors combination of Us, there are some nightmarish visions. However, he’s more restrained than before, and the first two acts rely more on mood than anything else. A cloud staying perfectly still, or a blooded slipper standing upright, may not carry the immediate punch of a violent doppelganger, but they add to a sense of unease. Yes, we eventually get the sorts of money shots the script humorously acknowledges audiences want. But for the most part, the alien threat exists as lights in the distance or small movements between clouds. The Californian desert creates a beautiful backdrop where the vast spreads of darkness give the slightest blips a menace they wouldn’t usually have. It also reinforces that there’s nobody else around for miles. The sound design is also immersive, going from oppressive during the opening scenes in the busy studio, where Otis is ignored, to a perfect silence. Then there’s the unnerving noises of the UFO itself, which hovers above like a giant eye which sees all.

Jordan Peele has, perhaps unfairly, seemed to be tasked with the role of chronicling modern America through his movies. Whereas other big names like Mike Flanagan, James Wan or even Ari Aster are known for highly accomplished genre fodder, his name comes with different expectations. We’ll get something urgent or even important – what more wanky critics call ‘elevated horror’. Sure, he has gone out his way to court this reputation in the past, memorably referring to Get Out as a documentary rather than horror or comedy. But this time, audiences would be wrong to expect a grand message or metaphor on which the film’s success hinges. There’s no penny drop moment when we realise ‘ah, all of us are the UFO’ or we start to see it as a scathing critique on the nation’s state, etc. Instead, Nope is less representative of this side of his work than the more playful Peele, who rebooted The Twilight Zone. Its concept and characters come first. This isn’t to suggest the film is shallow – far from it. The movie has plenty to say, but in a way that is more integrated with the action than his prior outings.

Against the backdrop of the old West, Nope cleverly dismantles the mythos of The American Dream and lays bare the exploitation that often underlies it. However, this time Peele is less concerned with humans’ cruelty against each other than our hubristic approach to taming the natural world for money. Whether it is the Haywoods breeding/training horses for the films, a tragic event involving an angry ape, or the alien itself, non-human lifeforms are a means of making a quick buck. This brings me to the second big theme I took from it – capturing something onscreen. After a pre-movie biblical quote about treating something with contempt and making it into a spectacle, it’s seconds before we encounter our first camera on a TV set. Heck, our leads are essentially a guerrilla production team with one goal: ‘the impossible shot’. In other words, their literal money shot. Only, as we find out repeatedly, some things don’t want to be looked at, exposed or made a into an afore-mentioned specatcle. I’m sure there’s a lot more to it. One gets the feeling Peele doesn’t do things for no reason, and you can easily look at this as a commentary on surveillance culture or policing. Give it a few days, and I expect many more informed thought pieces than this one – if there aren’t already tonnes.

For me, though, Nope succeeds where his others lost points. Both Get Out, and Us were excellent works that suffered from over-explaining themselves in the third act. For the former, this came from its sledgehammer commentary, and the latter with its clunky plot mechanics, which raised far more questions than answered. In contrast, Nope preserves much of its mystery and is all the richer for it. We have everything we need to work with, and he trusts us to draw our conclusions as we enjoy the ride. As per Robert Egger’s recent flick, The Northman, Nope represents an indy horror auteur being trusted with a much bigger budget than before and still keeping their voice intact. For me, it’s his most exciting and enjoyable work to date and a movie I can see myself returning to. It’s also among the first really good UFO horror I’ve seen before (hit me up with other recommendations). None of this is to say it is necessarily his best. Get Out will rightfully be remembered decades from now in a way I doubt if this one will, and it’s less creepy than Us. Still, it’s a delightfully original approach to the summer blockbuster. Check it out on the big screen – if it’s playing in your local then say ‘yep’.

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