Movie Review: Nope

Horror is often an underappreciated genre when it comes to film. It's all too easy to dismiss a horror film as lazy in their attempt to scare people with cheap edits or effects. I don't agree with that observation whatsoever as I have come to love the genre for it's creative approach to storytelling. As humans we all love to be put through a range of emotions and being scared can definitely have it's value. One such person bringing a sense of respect to the horror genre is Jordan Peele. Previously known for his comedic work, Peele broke into the movie business with his directorial debut Get Out. Get Out was a suspenseful horror which charmed audiences and critics alike, even getting an academy award for best original screenplay. Since Get Out Jordan Peele has been busy setting up his own horror production company as well as directing and distributing a few other films. His latest film, simply titled Nope is another amazing example of the man's ability to approach the horror genre in new and interesting ways; only this time it's with an added sci-fi element.

Just to preface, the beauty of Nope is it's unconventional narrative and I'd be doing you a disservice by spoiling even the faintest elements of it's plot. That being said I will give you a quick generalisation of the bare basics. OJ and Emerald Haywood are siblings who run a horse ranch out near Hollywood in which they train horses for film productions. The siblings soon begin to notice strange goings on with the power going out in the valley and notice a strange object in the clouds. The two decide to work together to set up surveillance in order to capture the object on camera and confirm what is going on. That's really as much as I'm going to give you because any more is too much and will spoil the surprises in store for you.

From a narrative perspective I thought the concepts and themes at play in this film were way deeper than I initially expected. One thing I always appreciate about Peele's work is how he uses horror as a means of not only instilling a sense of fear in us, but how he also utilises it to put a spotlight on aspects of our society and culture and commentate on it. With Get Out it was systemic racism and with Us it was about the divide caused by privilege. In Nope's case it seeks to question our obsession with spectacle and the limits we push in order to maintain it. That thematic concept is woven beautifully within both the overarching plot as well as the film's side plot. A lot of the themes cross over in a really balanced way and I think it does a great job in giving you that core horror experience but also getting you to think about that core idea by the end of the movie. I love the horror elements in here too even if there isn't a whole lot of it. Nope knows when to play it's card during the required sequences and while that may not work for a lot of people having to accept a slow build up, I very much appreciated it.

A lot of the success of Nope can be attributed to it's main cast. Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer play the roles of OJ and Emerald respectively and they nail that brother and sister dynamic superbly. The way they portray their characters helps balance the tone of the film with OJ's more stoic approach along with Emerald's comedic timing. Steven Yeun also stars in the film as a noteworthy character and he plays him with a lot of complicated layers which goes to show how capable an actor he is and I'm happy he's getting some big roles after his time on The Walking Dead. A few other nice standouts were Keith David, Brandon Perea and Michael Wincott.

Nope for me hits the mark of a cinematic experience in so many ways. It's clever narrative is delivered brilliantly through the use of sub-text and thematic tone. It's excellent cast help carry this thrilling movie all the way to the very end and you'll be hard pressed to find another film utilising the horror genre in such a way to make such an emphatic statement about our culture all the while giving you a genuine horror experience along with it. Peele is a top name in the horror industry and I truly cannot wait to see what his creative mind thinks up next.