Nope: A Tense Sci-Fi/Horror Throwback

As a movie, Nope is best experienced knowing as little as possible going into it. It is a movie that plays on the expectations that one will have seeing a movie about aliens along with the expectations that are set from the various marketing materials. That said, much like Jordan Peele’s previous movie Us and Get Out, Nope
is best experienced knowing as little as possible because the movie is a slowly unfolding mystery and, knowing too much may influence the way a viewer interacts with the film.

Nope follows OJ and Emerald (Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer) as they run their family animal training business after their father is killed mysteriously by debris falling from the sky. As horses on the farm start acting strange and strange electrical anomalies start happening, OJ and Emerald begin to suspect that there is alien activity causing the weird happenings. With the help of a world-famous cinematographer (Michael Wincott) and a technician from Fry’s Electronics (Brandon Perea), they set out to receive photographic proof of the aliens.

Everything about the movie works well, however there is one small subplot that plays into the movie but does not intertwine with the main story as nicely as it could have. Without getting into specifics, there is a character who has a backstory that somewhat ties into the main plot and said tie-in does have a loose thematic resonance with conflict of the movie. That said, the ties to the main plot could be stronger, especially since there is a considerable amount of time that is spent detoured on this flashback that ultimately amounts to very little. Again, as to not spoil the movie any, this is a minor concern but a something a viewer might bump into nonetheless.

The acting performances across the board are fantastic and Peele’s use of long takes continues to set him apart from other horror directors. The lingering camera in sequences will add to the suspense and provide the viewer with little time to remove their self from the movie adding to the immersion. It is small nuances like this that solidify Peele’s place as one of the best horror directors active today. The production design around the extraterrestrial entities is also pretty interesting and unique while the methods that OJ and Emerald use to attempt to capture the proof of said entity is entirely unique and executed very well.

Nope is one of the best science fiction movies of the year and, beyond that point, is a totally original movie. The visuals and sound are all great and this is a film that demands to be seen on the largest screen available. As a bonus for those who go to see the movie in theater, screenings are including a preview of Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan’s new movie coming out a year from now. It is really only worth noting because it is not played as part of the trailers, it is played as part of the movie itself which may lead to viewer confusion. That said, this movie is well worth the time to see.

Final Rating: 9/10