Visionary director and Academy Award winning writer Jordan Peele is back with some bold ideas in his third directorial outing ‘Nope’
‘Nope’ revolves around owners of a black run horse ranch attempting to capture a UFO on camera. The premise is simple but the film comes with quite a few surprises and depth. While 'Nope' is horror first, it blends in quite a bit of comedy, sci-fi, and western elements- much of the western elements come from the score and the vista displaying breadth of the camera work. Calling the film Spielbergian is not completely off base, but by this point Jordan Peele has established enough of a style to call it ‘Peele-ian’
There is no reigning in of Peele’s auteurism in ‘Nope’, which even with the best and brightest directors comes with its ups and downs. Lucky for us, Peele is a skillful and thoughtful director with quite a bit of experience in all aspects of filmmaking. Peele understands the scope and spectacle of what he is attempting and generally pulls it off. One of the more intriguing themes of ‘Nope’ is that it is a critique of the spectacle of the visual medium and shows the various lengths we as a people will go to capture spectacle.
The main cast is charismatic with a lot of chemistry and they are fully invested in Peele’s vision. Daniel Kaluuya plays OJ Haywood- a laid back, stoic, level-headed man of few words. Keke Palmer plays Emerald Haywood- a flamboyant, charming, extrovert. The juxtaposition between these characters alone creates a dynamic that is engaging and rife with characterization. Brandon Perea, who plays Angel Torres- the neurotic I.T. guy, and Michael WIncott, who plays Antler Holst- the grizzled, seasoned, award winning cinematographer- also have a similar dynamic. If Perea is comic relief then Wincott is philosophical insight.
One of my favorite things about Jordan Peele films thus far is that they all have characters that say out loud what the audience is saying to the screen. Viewing becomes a meta experience in itself. It also demonstrates the finesse Jordan Peele has as he is able to quite accurately anticipate the audience reaction.
‘Nope’, while not Peele’s most refined work, is an entertaining and wildly original film that further solidifies Jordan Peele not only as an A-list director but one of the premier directors in Horror.
MY RATING 3.5/5 STARS
Be sure to check out films from the likes of other auteur directors available at The Brown Deer Public Library
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