Nope (2022) | Film Review

Jordan Peele. How about this guy’s career, right? A longtime writer of sketches and also actor, Peele exploded onto the director scene with the societal morality tale wrapped in the guise of a horror film that was Get Out. Upon release, critics and audiences alike were proclaiming Peele a genre wunderkind, a brilliant storyteller finally emerging from the basements of cable TV. Then came Us, another strikingly original tale that, while not as accomplished as Get Out, still managed to provoke original thought while delivering exceptional chills and performances. Now, Jordan Peele has escalated his goals to the realm of summer sci-fi horror blockbuster with his latest entry, Nope.

Daniel Kaluuya – the Kurt Russell to Peele’s John Carpenter – stars as OJ Haywood, a horse wrangler who has run Haywood Hollywood Horses, an animal provider for entertainment purposes, for the past six months following his father’s untimely death due to debris falling from the sky. OJ’s sister, Emerald (a live-wire Keke Palmer), is a wanderer and wannabe celebrity. Emerald will help her brother when called upon, but her sole mission in life is to be a STAR, in any capacity she can. Haywood Hollywood Horses is under water, so much that OJ has been forced to sell horses regularly to Jupiter’s Claim, a local Old West venue run by former TV star, Ricky ‘Jupe’ Park (the always welcome Steven Yeun in a small yet pivotal role).

OJ begins to notice strange happenings in the sky, akin to a UFO (or UAP as they are now known). At first, OJ is unsure what he has seen. But Emerald, ever the fame seeker, immediately believes in her brother, and especially in the potential fortune they could receive if they capture a picture of this UAP on film. The Haywoods install several cameras with the help of a local, Angel (Brandon Perea), who contributes much of the film’s comic relief, and eventually bring in Hollywood camera royalty in the very sexily named Antlers Holst (Michael Wincott, where have you and your beautiful gravely voice been all these years?). As they begin on their journey to save the farm, OJ and Emerald further cross paths with Jupe, as well as learn they might have just aggravated a vicious force soon to be reckoned with.

Nope is a slow-burn popcorn flick that requires patience and attentiveness. If you arrive needing slam-bang action or sadistic violence from start to finish, you are likely to struggle here. Jordan Peele has grown into a confident filmmaker, similar to Quentin Tarantino’s ascent (including a hefty does of Hollywood meta), especially with how contemplatively he will play out a scene to its most effectiveness. Gradual pullbacks as our attention veers about the area, our senses tested by the accompanying sound and visuals alike are a Peele staple at this point, and in a lesser filmmaker’s hands this approach could prove exhausting over time.

Likewise, Peele also has no issue ratcheting up the weird to inform his story. As Nope plays out, several scenes almost seem completely unattached until you walk away from the conclusion and your mind finally has time to digest all the pieces. There are layers to this screenplay, including a rather intriguing character fate, that showcase Jordan Peele is playing the long game as a filmmaker. He wants you to leave the theater and converse with friends and family about what you just saw, to debate and discuss. Like the good ole’ days, before everyone knew everything and everyone else was just wrong.

Nope’s delightful mishmash of genres – western, sci-fi, comedy, horror – benefits from a stacked cast across the board. Kicking things off with the legendary Keith David before turning the reins over to probably the coolest actor currently working in Hollywood, Daniel Kaluuya. A modern day Gary Cooper in Nope, OJ is the strong, quietly intellectual hero who never turns away from a hard day’s work, nor from putting his life on the line to save his home or family. Unlike his sister, OJ has no desire to be the center of attention, but he will always get done whatever needs to be done. Kaluuya’s effortless gravitas could fuel a space station, even energizing a tale revolving around watching the dust blow if Peele wanted, and though OJ is not quite the salesperson his father nor sister is, he understands how to execute a plan of attack.

Emerald, on the other hand, is all over the map with her lack of focus and work ethic. Holding a mirror to today’s Hollywood in her contrary lifestyle (work minded versus fame seekers), Emerald is the polar opposite of her brother, often dreaming big without the fortitude to put in the hours needed to make that vision a reality. Emerald wants the easy buck and quick success, unable at first to understand her family’s diligence and duty to the ranch. Keke Palmer lifts Emerald off of the page and creates a fully realized character, slowly burgeoning into a person of consequence as she begins to understand her own inner strength, and that shortcuts can get you and others killed.

Jordan Peele attempts his stab at a glossy theatrical experience with prowess and finesse, ironic for a film centered around capturing that one perfect shot. Though his pacing languishes more here than any of his previous outings, Nope is never boring. Rather, it is calm yet riveting as OJ and Emerald establish unique ways to address the threat looming over their ranch. Peele paints his UFO as more of an unseen menace, a Jaws or Tremors in the clouds, rather than outright terror, and this is what separates Nope from the countless other alien invasion films. Rather than constantly doling out little green men, like we have witnessed time-and-time again, Peele has something more specific in mind with its own set of rules. Ominous always bests in-your-face, and this is a director who understands that.

Jordan Peele has again reinvigorated the horror genre with a concept that is equal parts unique and absurd, is stunningly shot, and imbued it with an ending that is tailor-made to be hotly debated and scrutinized. Nope might not be as flawless as the writer-director’s Get Out and less socially relevant than Us (the less said about Keanu the better), but it continues the trajectory of a filmmaker whose next project will remain exciting and enticing enough to keep our eyes on the skies.

Follow our further discussion on Watcher via this episode of The Hollywood Outsider podcast: