Every once in a while, you hear about a movie that blurs the lines of genre and includes a variety of cultural commentary – that’s just what writer-director Jordan Peele does with his films.
Out of the trio of at-first-glance horror films he has directed, I’ve definitely marked this as my absolute favorite!
“Nope” was filmed in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic and had a little delay making it to the silver screen.
But, honestly, I think that gave Peele more time to tweak this unique experience.
And I definitely think it’s worth the time and money to catch it on the big screen in order to see it in all its glory.
Nope is a science fiction horror film written, directed, and produced by Jordan Peele under his Monkeypaw Productions banner.
It stars Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, Steven Yeun, Michael Wincott, Keith David, Jacob Kim, and Brandon Perea.
The movie is rated R for language throughout and some violence/bloody images and is 131 minutes long.
In 1998, on the soundstage for the sitcom Gordy’s Home, the titular chimpanzee animal actor attacks and maims three of its co-stars after being startled by the pop of a helium balloon.
The show’s youngest actor, Ricky “Jupe” Park (Kim), hides under a table and is unharmed, though traumatized by the experience.
The chimp finds Jupe and extends his hand for a fist bump, just before being shot dead by authorities.
In the present day, ranch owner Otis Haywood Sr. (David) trains and handles horses for film and television productions.
When he is killed by a nickel through the eye that falls inexplicably from the sky, his children, Otis “OJ” Haywood Jr. (Kaluuya) and Emerald “Em” Haywood (Palmer) inherit the ranch.
OJ tries to keep the business afloat and maintain his father’s legacy, while Em seeks fame and fortune in Hollywood.
Six months later, while filming a commercial with prominent cinematographer Antlers Holst (Wincott), one of the horses reacts violently when the crew startles it.
The Haywoods are fired from the project and the ranch’s financial woes force OJ to sell horses to Jupe (Yeun), who has moved nearby and set up Jupiter’s Claim, a small Western theme park.
Em encourages OJ to sell the ranch to Jupe, feeling no connection to the business and recalling that their father broke his promise to train her own horse.
The Haywoods notice their home electricity fluctuating and their horses vanishing or violently reacting to an unknown presence.
They discover an unidentified flying object (UFO) shaped like a flying saucer that has been devouring their horses and spitting out inorganic matter.
The siblings decide to document evidence of the UFO’s existence and recruit Fry’s Electronics employee Angel Torres (Perea) to set up surveillance cameras.
Electrical interference from the UFO and a praying mantis on one of the cameras prevent them from getting clear footage, but Angel notices a nearby cloud that never moves.
They deduce that the cloud is the UFO’s hiding place.
While the film builds slowly, it definitely picks up steam once they work on their next plan for evidence of the UFO.
I really enjoyed how the Haywoods interacted as siblings and when faced with the unique fear the UFO brought.
All in all, it’s a worthwhile experience and by far one of the better mash-ups of Sci-Fi and Horror that I’ve seen lately.
