Set in a desert town in California, Nope tells of a mystery surrounding the Haywood ranch. After the sudden death of their father, brother and sister OJ (Daniel Kaluuya) and Emerald Haywood (Keke Palmer) now have to take care of their ranch and horses when they discover something sinister lurking in the skies.
After three years, acclaimed writer and director Jordan Peele is back with another ambitious and eerie cinematic extravaganza. The film also reunites Peele with Oscar winner Kaluuya, who worked with him previously in 2017’s Get Out.
Unlike Kaluuya’s character in Get Out, OJ is more low-key and without as much substance. Meanwhile, Keke Palmer treats us to one of her most magnetic performances as Emerald Haywood.
Brandon Perea is the comedic star of the show Angel, a tech store employee who gets wrapped up in the Haywood’s wild journey.
Steven Yeun plays Ricky ‘Jupe’ Park, a former child actor turned theme park owner, while Michael Wincott rounds out the cast of Nope as a legendary cinematographer named Antlers Holst.
Keith David also makes a cameo as OJ’s and Emerald’s father, Otis Haywood Sr. (Fun fact: Peele named the ranch after his real-life father Haywood Peele!)
Nope was a spectacle to witness in theatres. Although it started off a little dry, the film got suspenseful as it went on. Peele always knows how to set up a good, moody mystery, and managed to deliver the perfect amount of tension and suspense.
It didn’t feel like a horror movie, but more like a sci-fi horror. It was disturbing, yes, especially the bloody chimp scene that’s briefly included in the trailer.
That said, the trailer itself didn’t really give away much of the story, so going in half-blind, I was in for a treat. Besides the horror, the comedian in Peele also managed to inject some levity into the rich stew.
Visually, director of photography Hoyte van Hoytema really captured the cataclysmic action on screen. Even the comedic undertone of the movie shone through with the clever use of colour in contrast to the vast lifeless desert.
Without giving too much away, that’s all you need to know. However, if you look at the audience rating, you can see that it’s a mixed bag. Most of the complaints come from thinking that the storyline was all over the place. Personally, I enjoy this kind of randomness that’s reminiscent of millennial YouTube humour.
But if you want to know if you love it or hate it, give it a try. Nope is currently in theatres.
Director: Jordan Peele
Cast: Keke Palmer, Daniel Kaluuya, Steven Yeun, Brandon Perea and Michael Wincott
E-VALUE: 9
ACTING: 9
PLOT: 9
