Nope (2022)

 

It is pretty safe to state that Jordan Peele is one of the more interesting and visually distinct directors of the past few years. And like Robert Eggers, Peele also can come up with new ideas and give them shape much as he wants them to take shape.

Hooray for these filmmakers.

After the insanely good 'Get Out' and the disturbing 'Us', Peele gives us a new type of horror with 'Nope'. Although this film isn't that terrifying or horrific: it is cool and has its moments, but it is mainly saved by the performances and less by the supposed threat of the story which feels a little off, even if the idea was cool.

OJ and Emerald Haywood are owners of a horse ranch that trains and rents out horses for films, commercials and serials. Their father died after a freak accident, where objects fell from the sky and he was mortally wounded by one. The official explanation is that a plane lost some of its luggage midflight and this plummeted to Earth. But OJ begins to suspect there is something else at play here, as in the valley where their farm is, there is also a bizarre cloud that seemingly never moves and odd screaming noises at times. 

Fairly quickly, OJ and Emerald find out that the strange phenomenon is in fact an alien organism that attacks when people or animals look directly at it and it is highly territorial. That local 'amusement park' (term used lightly) owner Ricky lures the creature in and lets it feed on tourists isn't exactly a good idea either. 

So now OJ and his sister want to get footage of the creature in the hopes of selling that off for a lot of money to save the ranch, but maybe they have bitten off more than they can chew...

'Nope' has interesting ideas, but it doesn't always come across as being a mysterious or scary project. It is revealed fairly early on what is happening and even though the alien creature is portrayed just as a territorial animal, there's no feeling of threat or dread. Sure, the blood rain it produces over the house is a visual that tops a lot of the other ones as is its final form, but there's not that much of a sense of urgency. 

What is more terrifying and gripping, are the flashbacks to Ricky's past as star in a comedy show, where one time the chimpanzee they had goes berserk and kills most of the cast, except Ricky. This of course gives him the feeling that he is capable of 'taming the wild beast'.

Yeah no, that's not how it works, friend-O.

Anyway, 'Nope' has interesting ideas and at times cool visuals, but it is far less visceral and unsettling as Peele's previous two horror outings. Maybe it's the early reveal of the creature, maybe it wasn't set up to be creepy or scary. It is worth seeking out if you enjoy his other work, but somehow this one just doesn't stick to you that long.