"Nope" is the next disappointment by Jordan Peele who, with each movie, seems to look more and more like a one hit wonder. "Get Out" was an incredible thriller that fired on every cylinder and hit every note; "Us" had a phenomenal trailer, but seemed to confuse audiences with its convoluted and borderline pretentious ending where, the more you think about things, the less sense they make. "Nope" follows that same vein, and I can't help but think that Peele feels as if he needs to shock and awe when, perhaps, a more simple, straightforward tale would have worked better.
"Nope" is two hours and ten minutes long, so you could say that this isn't a short, breezy film. And I don't necessarily have a problem with that. The problem is, however, that "Nope" doesn't have much to say, do, or tell within that lengthy run time. A slow burn to its very core, "Nope" takes its sweet time setting up the story that it wants to tell - scratch that, though, because there isn't much of a story here in the first place. If you've seen the second trailer for this film, you know that it's about two ranchers who seem to witness an unidentified flying object in the skies above and, as they are both down on their luck and strapped for cash, they decide to set up some cameras in hopes of capturing said UFO on film so they can sell the footage. An interesting, if bare bones, premise to be sure, but surely one that gives way to the real meat, hook, and plot of the film, no?
Nope. The story never gets any grander or more unique than its initial set up. Sure, there is a subplot that is, granted, pretty intense, leading to a few unique and twisted scenes, but it hardly adds anything to the movie except an added running time. Without spoilers, the subplot has to do with a certain animal; while I understood what they were going for, I couldn't help but wonder why the scenes didn't get cut in editing to create a tighter, more focused story, as I imagine the entire point of the subplot will fly over the heads of many.
The simple premise wouldn't be a problem if the film led to a bombastic and satisfying conclusion, but it doesn't. Throwing its simple premise out the window to instead attempt to surprise audiences with a twist that is somehow more underwhelming than my life, "Nope" devolves into a parody of itself by the end. I don't want to spoil anything, but I do want to say that the final act reveal takes all mystery, suspense, tension, and horror out of the picture completely - I literally couldn't believe my eyes; I mean, who thought what they did would be a good idea on any level, especially visually? Let's just say that, in this case, less would have been more.
"Nope" was a disappointment to me, and is further proof that Jordan Peele is - sadly - becoming a one hit wonder. A tighter, more streamlined and focused story would've worked wonders here, especially in helping to create the horror film that this movie was advertised as being. It pains me to say, however, that viewers may not find the contents of the film horrifying as much as they may find themselves scared of "Nope's" utter mediocrity.
"Nope" is two hours and ten minutes long, so you could say that this isn't a short, breezy film. And I don't necessarily have a problem with that. The problem is, however, that "Nope" doesn't have much to say, do, or tell within that lengthy run time. A slow burn to its very core, "Nope" takes its sweet time setting up the story that it wants to tell - scratch that, though, because there isn't much of a story here in the first place. If you've seen the second trailer for this film, you know that it's about two ranchers who seem to witness an unidentified flying object in the skies above and, as they are both down on their luck and strapped for cash, they decide to set up some cameras in hopes of capturing said UFO on film so they can sell the footage. An interesting, if bare bones, premise to be sure, but surely one that gives way to the real meat, hook, and plot of the film, no?
Nope. The story never gets any grander or more unique than its initial set up. Sure, there is a subplot that is, granted, pretty intense, leading to a few unique and twisted scenes, but it hardly adds anything to the movie except an added running time. Without spoilers, the subplot has to do with a certain animal; while I understood what they were going for, I couldn't help but wonder why the scenes didn't get cut in editing to create a tighter, more focused story, as I imagine the entire point of the subplot will fly over the heads of many.
The simple premise wouldn't be a problem if the film led to a bombastic and satisfying conclusion, but it doesn't. Throwing its simple premise out the window to instead attempt to surprise audiences with a twist that is somehow more underwhelming than my life, "Nope" devolves into a parody of itself by the end. I don't want to spoil anything, but I do want to say that the final act reveal takes all mystery, suspense, tension, and horror out of the picture completely - I literally couldn't believe my eyes; I mean, who thought what they did would be a good idea on any level, especially visually? Let's just say that, in this case, less would have been more.
"Nope" was a disappointment to me, and is further proof that Jordan Peele is - sadly - becoming a one hit wonder. A tighter, more streamlined and focused story would've worked wonders here, especially in helping to create the horror film that this movie was advertised as being. It pains me to say, however, that viewers may not find the contents of the film horrifying as much as they may find themselves scared of "Nope's" utter mediocrity.