You won't look at the sky the same way again thanks to Jordan Peele.
There is a dark cloud behind a string of brightly colored flags at the center of the supernatural horror at the center of Nope. There will be no secrets revealed in this review. I warn you that he has done it again, crafting terror that pulls screams, laughter, and awe from the audience.
The movie Get Out brought a modern edge to possession horror. Then came Us, where the story of inequality in America turned a sweetheart into a menace. It's a tale of family and fear that has roots in '70s/'80's horror cinema, but a vibe that's uniquely Peele with Nope.
Credit: Universal Pictures
Nope's scares had audience members screaming and it was superbly suspenseful. The scariest sequence involves a shadowy barn and a man who thinks it's just him and the horses. These horror hits of the past share an interest in the character and slow-burn terror that comes from being embedded in a family. The family in Nope is a dynasty of animal wranglers who have had skin in the game since the dawn of film.
A long drive from the hubbub of Hollywood studio shoots, the Haywood's own a ranch where they train horses to perform in commercials and movies. After a freak accident, it's up to eldest son OJ and his spirited sister Emerald to save the family business from collapsing. The siblings are convinced that they might be able to save the ranch by documenting a recurring supernatural sight. On their quest to catch the impossible shot, they wrangle in a frenetic tech salesman, an eccentric cinematographer, and a former child star turned theme parkentrepreneur.
Credit: Universal Pictures
He showed a madcap energy and welcoming charisma that made his appearance a vibrant joy. Similar to Get Out, Nope balances its dread with bursts of humor, both from Perea and Palmer. She has a megawatt smile, dazzling charm, bright colored clothing, and a popping patter of a true side-hustler. In Emerald's introduction, Palmer folds a safety minute speech for a film crew into a history lesson on her family's legacy and a pitch to hit her up for whatever else was needed. There are motorcycle stunts. Do you mean mac and cheese? Emerald has a lot of skills.
Why go see a Jordan Peele movie if you want the expected?
The brother who wears responsibility heavy on his shoulders, along with a dull-colored t-shirt and jeans, is her foil. He feels like a director with a cool demeanor that suggests he's ready for anything. OJ might seem dull next to Palmer's Emerald. Kaluuya is trusted by Peele to carry silent, concentrated close-ups.
One of the scariest moments in the film is when OJ is trapped and waiting for a break in the horror. His eyes wide, his breath ragged, his body as still as it can be, he is a portrait of terror. I remember it very well. He shines in moments with his sister. He has the machismo of a world-weary cowboy but within his reserved reactions there is a small amount of sadness glinting from his eyes. Even if he won't scream for our attention, this pointed pain makes us want to follow him.
Credit: Universal Pictures
Similar to Spielberg, Peele leans on character, seeding his horror film with simple human moments of frustration, failure, and camaraderie between the Haywood siblings. Our pulse quickens when things don't go as planned. He knows he has them. He teases out eerie elements such as a shadow in the sky and a blood-dripping paw. At my screening, I saw that the looming threat, coupled with a savvy score, can make audiences go crazy.
You'll miss the reveal and a spooky thing that can't be ignored, if you don't pay attention to the scare sequence. The score of Get Out and Us is so chill that it makes us shiver. Hoyte Van Hoytema, who is new to Peele's repertory, gives us wide, wide shots of majestic terrains, which visually remind us of its importance, grandeur, and also its remoteness. He won't let us miss a moment that matters, as he whips his lens down to a bolting horse, up to the sky, and then down again to disaster.
Credit: Universal Pictures
The Academy is overrun by fools if Nope's sound team does not win an Oscar. This film's soundtrack is so haunting that I had nightmares about it. It's possible to suggest scenes of gruesome violence without making a gruesome visual spectacle thanks to some of them. The violence is hard to see because of the wet thuds of the blows coming down. When you can hear it, you don't need to look at it.
The sounds of the cloud were part of Nope's sound design. It's not quite a person. It's not quite an animal. Something else was determinedly damning. A familiar sound is distorted into a mockery and broadcast as an orchestra of doom. It's a sound so rich and textured that you can almost feel it on your skin and ears.
Credit: Universal Pictures
Get Out and Us were criticized for being transparent in their messages. It's good news for the critics that Nope is more transparent. There are complex characters and nerve-shredding suspense but no easy explanation for what Nope means. The fame-chasing child star, the animal wrangling for film and TV, and the quirky camera operator are indicators of how absurd Hollywood is. You could ask yourself how real-life inspiration might be at the center of Peele's purpose. It is a pleasure to ponder.
Within this refusal to spell everything out for his audience, Peele wraps his film with a finale that brandishes eye-catching action, a curious, and a lot of gripping character moments. He's rejecting the standards of the horror genre into which he's riding. If you want to see the movie, why not? His films are so exciting because he plays with form. Fans expect a twist, but it is not meant to feel like a gotcha, but a window into frightful possibilities, like the Sunken Place.
The title of Nope could be its thesis. It's possible that Peele is calling out the messiness of human nature, where we look at the world around us, recognize the looming cloud as a threat, and then ignore the horror that's oncoming. The heroes of Nope are not going to back off. They dare to stare down the terror, and in doing so give us a rousing adventure filled with humor, humanity, and bone- chilling horror.
With Nope, Peele continues his streak as a master of modern horror, delivering challenges along with stomach-churning scares and bark-at- the-dark laughs.
Nope opens in theaters.
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