Whether lucky or prescient, writer/director Jordan Peele could not have released Nope at a more relevant national moment. As our nation tunes in via TV and livestream to watch a panel of congressional officials cut to cell phone videos, recorded interviews, and news footage of a President stoking the fires of a mob ablaze, Nope asks whether we are losing our grip on reality, demanding to know “if it wasn’t recorded, did it really happen?” Sure, recordings are crucial in careful examinations like the January 6th hearings, but they’re just as often wielded as weapons – to bully, to demonize, and to set up false, filter-faked realities. So what’s the answer? Reality as we see, feel, and touch it, or as it was recorded and validated as “real” by others? Analog or digital? Old or new? Nope digs in.
The film tracks two siblings who inherit a Hollywood horse training business as they navigate changes to the industry, their family, and their futures. In a world of CGI and high-tech filming techniques, the demand for old school flesh-and-blood animal actors is dwindling. Daniel Kaluuya plays a subdued, shy, and old-fashioned brother to Keke Palmer’s fame-hungry, flashy, and outspoken sister. With him holding tight to the ways of the past and her pivoting to the future ahead, the siblings are soon united against a common enemy – something is attacking them from the skies. They solicit the help of a local electronics store techie and a famous cinematographer on their quest to capture the entity, but as their mission’s trajectory takes a hard left turn, they realize much more is at stake than a headline in a tabloid.
On its face, the film is a thrill ride. A booming, growling, tension-building score helps set the mood and carries the audience through the peaks and valleys of the story. Stunning visual effects conjure throwbacks to classic summer blockbusters like Twister, Poltergeist, and Independence Day, while delivering a surprising new take on a villain that is visually stunning, terrifying, and elegant all at once. The pacing is right, the acting is spot on, and the shots throw us right into the action. And would I even be a horror writer if I didn’t mention the gore? In a few particularly visceral shots, it’s a struggle to keep your eyes on the screen.
But the thing I love most about Peele’s approach to filmmaking – he wielded it in Get Out and here again in Nope – is that you can come as you are. If you want a fun rollercoaster of a film, stop reading now and go check it out. But if you care to dig a layer deeper, you notice Peele’s cultural commentary – on history itself and the power bestowed upon the lucky few with the pen (or the camera); on predators, prey, and carnal competition; and on the erasure of Black contributions to Hollywood over time. At the very heart of the film, and via a steady drumbeat of images and themes, Peele issues a cautious warning: in a world of fans, video views, and social media followers, don’t let the gaze of others alone define you, don’t lose your grip on reality, and hold tight to what’s tangible and true.
Jordan Peele again proves that he can shatter expectations and clichés and deliver a new brand of cinema. Nope is all at once a horror, sci-fi, Western, comedy, and blockbuster hit. It satisfies if you’re looking for a new take on an adventure thriller, but is rife with hidden clues if you’re in the mood for a deeper think.
SpecialK Verdict: For all of Peele’s criticism of our footage-focused fandom, it feels pretty meta to urge you to see Nope– but I just can’t help myself: don’t miss this one, hold on, and dig deep.
Nope opens in theaters Friday, July 22.
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