Nope, REVIEW – Say Yep to This Movie
Jordan Peele’s latest horror comedy Nope will continue to delight moviegoers. He also adds some sci-fi to his mix with OJ (Daniel Kaluuya) and Em Haywood (Keke Palmer), enlisting the assistance of Michael Wincott (cinematographer) and Brandon Perea (tech expert) to capture footage from a UFO that is stalking their farm and being the cause of their father’s death (Keith David). It would be a spoiler to reveal the best part of Nope. Everyone should know the basics of the plot and let the movie unfold independently. While some will enjoy it, others may not; there is no doubt that Nope is one the most exciting SciFi movies you will see in a cinema for a while.
Some of it isn’t working. Most of Peele’s ideas and themes don’t make it to the end. But, the film’s predecessors are simply amazing. This type of old-school filmmaking makes you think, “They don’t make movies like this anymore.” As soon as the credits roll, it’s simply amazing. You can see that Peele is a massive fan of Steven Spielberg. Peele isn’t ashamed to show his love for Nolan. He collaborates with Hoyte van Hoytema as a cinematographer and uses his expertise with the IMAX camera in creating Nope’s most exemplary sequences.
Peele and Hoytema are masters at using IMAX cameras. Hoytema can do almost anything with an IMAX camera. He can take handheld shots, over-the-shoulder shots, helicopter shots, and lingering tracking shots. In one of the first IMAX scenes in the film, OJ runs away from a UFO. You know you are about to see something extraordinary.
Peele and Hoytema push the visual boundaries in every sequence that they create. Wincott even films the UFO using an old IMAX camera while it is being filmed in IMAX. My attention was riveted to the screen, not knowing when the alien ship or aliens would appear. Hoytema is a master at moving his camera and blocking the frame to increase the tension. We rarely see UFOs or aliens. They can go anywhere they want and act whenever they wish.
This allows Peele, Michael Abels, and Johnnie Burn, sound designers, to create Nope’s misdirection-filled environment. The characters react to events in hilarious ways, including saying “nope” multiple times. This not only reduces tension but also makes the threat seem more terrifying. In a situation like this, the characters respond the same way we would, anticipating the threat and never seeing it. The main threat is as terrifying and unpredictable as the Jaws movie’s title. Instead of fearing the water and never knowing where the shark might lurk, we now fear the sky because it will take us away as soon as we look.
Even better is when the actors are great. Kaluuya & Palmer have sharp chemistry and comedic timing that rivals the best comedians. They add energy to the movie and are only used when tension is high. The real star of the movie is Michael Wincott. He brings the most emotional balance between Kaluuya and Palmer in a limited but impactful role as a cinematographer who tries to do “the impossible.” He is that good.
