Nope (2022) is a science-fiction, horror, thriller film directed by Jordan Peele who is known for his previous horror films Get Out (2017), and Us (2019), which both have important meanings and metaphors behind the surface. When I went into this film I did have high expectations as I loved both of Jordan Peele's last films and his unique take on the usual horror genre. I would say that this film is different to Peele's previous ones and can more be described as a summer blockbuster spectacle, but it still includes Peele's well known metaphors of our society embedded into the plot.
The film follows OJ Haywood (Daniel Kaluuya) and Emerald Haywood (Keke Palmer) who recently lost their father in a freak accident on their ranch. They own and run a horse ranch in California where they train horses to be used in Hollywood movies, following in the footsteps of their great, great, great... grandfather who was the first man/ first black man to be in a moving picture of him riding a horse; and even though his name is unknown by the majority this led to the invention of cinema. After these freak accidents start to occur on the ranch the siblings work together to try and take a once in a lifetime photograph ("the Oprah shot") of this 'thing' that is terrorising the ranch. Their neighbour Ricky Park (Steven Yeun) also tries to profit from these horrible events that are taking place.
Kaluuya and Palmer's characters work really well together, with Kaluuya playing a quiet, brooding man who doesn't show much emotion other than this and Palmer being a charismatic, energetic character who is the face of their families company. The film does start out at a slow pace where some things are not explained very quickly or at all, and there isn't much development with the characters which could make it hard for audiences to feel much emotion towards them. But I thought that once the pace picked up you do become engrossed in the spectacle of the events that are taking place, rooting for the siblings to get their once in a lifetime picture, reclaiming the importance of their family history.
The cinematography by Hoyte van Hoytema is spectacular with beautiful shots of the vast open skies, and size of the ranch and land around them, making the audience feel scared in such a vast amount of space. Without spoiling the film and Peele's metaphors and meanings, he takes a unique spin on these genres and creates a science-fiction horror about exploitation, and the extent humans will go for money and entertainment. Even though this film does have its moments that are a bit confusing and slow with not much going on, it is still an enjoyable spectacle and Peele still gives us a mysterious, and thought provoking horror film.
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