This movie is 'Tremors' for the sky. It's the thing David Lynch would make if he saw 'Arrival' and decided to adapt it into a California western. It was also totally riveting and weird.
Having seen all 3 of Jordan Peele's feature-length horror films, I can state confidently that I dig his style. Certain ingredients are predictable now, but they never make the plot anymore so. You can expect sharp costume design, well-timed comedy, and a banger soundtrack; but you can't quite imagine what creation he's going to be piecing together next. Perhaps that's why 'Nope' was so satisfying to watch.
I'll start with the things I don't like about the movie, and they're pretty simple. I wasn't crazy about some of the acting direction, because sometimes Daniel Kaluuya and Brandon Perea ("Angel") behave aloof - and their reactions don't always match the situation at hand, leaving me confused about the stakes. The dialogue is wry, and while oiled with humor, some lines fall flat or just miss their mark. I have to admit that this might be Peele's weakest script of the three. People noticed. Lastly, and this is probably subjective, some elements left unexplained are fruitless red herrings; but as they could also be thematic chess pieces that I'm too dumb to work out, I'm letting it go.
On the flipside, however, I was enthralled the entire runtime. Peele has really begun to master scene-making, such that the expositional bits never lost my attention because of his eye for interesting set-pieces and good chemistry (which was always engaging between Kaluuya and Keke Palmer). In 'Nope', set-pieces also include the wardrobe, which was lovingly eccentric. I could never pull off most of those looks but they kept the characters unique and give insight into their character. Some outfits are even distracting, but I don't mind enough to be mad. Former double-dutch star and spelling bee champion Keke Palmer presents with most of the fits and I really hope to see more of her in future films, because she was magnetic in all of her scenes, from the very first onward. The Disney Channel can't hold back a star like that.
Oh, yeah - this is also a horror film. Sometimes, especially when I'm laughing, it's barely so. But the parts in which horror is ingrained are truly eerie, earned, and memorable. There are scenes with an ape that made me feel sick to my stomach. There's creature design (mild spoiler) that is wholly unique, but in a way that feels practical and exciting and not for the sake of a gimmick. Peele draws serious effect from the use of people's screams - something underappreciated in horror movies - and the consequence is real fear of what might be causing the din. Your imagination does the legwork. Simple sound design makes a major impact when things get tense.
The past few years have felt like a horror movie recession. I do a lot of digging to find good films that don't make it big in the theaters, and even to that end I've often come up disappointed lately. For 'Nope' to hit screens in the same cycle as 'Black Phone' feels, as you could expect, like a major breath of fresh air.
6.5/10. I'm still thinking about the ape scenes.
Having seen all 3 of Jordan Peele's feature-length horror films, I can state confidently that I dig his style. Certain ingredients are predictable now, but they never make the plot anymore so. You can expect sharp costume design, well-timed comedy, and a banger soundtrack; but you can't quite imagine what creation he's going to be piecing together next. Perhaps that's why 'Nope' was so satisfying to watch.
I'll start with the things I don't like about the movie, and they're pretty simple. I wasn't crazy about some of the acting direction, because sometimes Daniel Kaluuya and Brandon Perea ("Angel") behave aloof - and their reactions don't always match the situation at hand, leaving me confused about the stakes. The dialogue is wry, and while oiled with humor, some lines fall flat or just miss their mark. I have to admit that this might be Peele's weakest script of the three. People noticed. Lastly, and this is probably subjective, some elements left unexplained are fruitless red herrings; but as they could also be thematic chess pieces that I'm too dumb to work out, I'm letting it go.
On the flipside, however, I was enthralled the entire runtime. Peele has really begun to master scene-making, such that the expositional bits never lost my attention because of his eye for interesting set-pieces and good chemistry (which was always engaging between Kaluuya and Keke Palmer). In 'Nope', set-pieces also include the wardrobe, which was lovingly eccentric. I could never pull off most of those looks but they kept the characters unique and give insight into their character. Some outfits are even distracting, but I don't mind enough to be mad. Former double-dutch star and spelling bee champion Keke Palmer presents with most of the fits and I really hope to see more of her in future films, because she was magnetic in all of her scenes, from the very first onward. The Disney Channel can't hold back a star like that.
Oh, yeah - this is also a horror film. Sometimes, especially when I'm laughing, it's barely so. But the parts in which horror is ingrained are truly eerie, earned, and memorable. There are scenes with an ape that made me feel sick to my stomach. There's creature design (mild spoiler) that is wholly unique, but in a way that feels practical and exciting and not for the sake of a gimmick. Peele draws serious effect from the use of people's screams - something underappreciated in horror movies - and the consequence is real fear of what might be causing the din. Your imagination does the legwork. Simple sound design makes a major impact when things get tense.
The past few years have felt like a horror movie recession. I do a lot of digging to find good films that don't make it big in the theaters, and even to that end I've often come up disappointed lately. For 'Nope' to hit screens in the same cycle as 'Black Phone' feels, as you could expect, like a major breath of fresh air.
6.5/10. I'm still thinking about the ape scenes.