Nope Is Thrilling and Ingenious Blockbuster Filmmaking

Jordan Peele’s latest work is further evidence that his curiosity, creativity, thoughtfulness, and thoroughness make him one of the most exciting filmmakers in the industry today. Each of the features he’s written and directed so far has explored a slightly different subgenre within horror—Get Out was primarily a psychological thriller, Us was a gory slasher, and Nope is an action-heavy monster movie—but all have more than enough nuance, humor, and cross-genre synthesis to make even those brief categorizations feel incomplete.

I will avoid spoilers for the most part, particularly from the latter half of the movie. However, I will cover some basic plot points crucial to the premise and acknowledged in the trailers, along with a content note related to a brief scene that some viewers may want advance warning about. If you want to know as few details as possible before viewing, let the first sentence of this review be my exhortation to go see Nope as soon as you possibly can.

Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, and Brandon Perea in Nope. Universal Pictures

The majority of the film takes place on or near Haywood’s Hollywood Horses, a family-owned ranch that trains horses for work on film and manages them on set. It’s operated by siblings OJ (Daniel Kaluuya) and Emerald (Keke Palmer) but is struggling in the wake of their father’s death in a mysterious accident, as well as the pair’s difficulty merging their different strengths into a partnership. OJ is reliable and perceptive but lacks the charisma and assertiveness of his somewhat flaky sister. And, as in most sibling relationships, the real and perceived unresolved slights of their upbringing further complicate their dynamic. However, it’s a testament to their bond that when OJ sees something in the sky that he can’t explain, Emerald believes him without blinking—even if she may be more interested in getting a picture of the thing as a ticket to fame and riches. And even if the thing looks remarkably like a classic flying-saucer UFO.

As they form a plan to capture an image of the phenomenon, they’re (reluctantly) joined by an endearingly eager tech support worker named Angel (Brandon Perea) and a gruff cinematographer named Antlers Holst (Michael Wincott). Their paths also cross with Ricky “Jupe” Park (Steven Yeun), the owner of a local novelty Western-themed carnival who has a past as a child actor and a few secrets up his embellished sleeves. Unfortunately for the Haywoods and their team, the menace in the clouds seems to be getting more impatient and aggressive, putting the pressure on Emerald and OJ to figure out what it wants and what they can do to survive.

Steven Yeun as Park. Universal Pictures

Peele’s writing in Nope pulls off one of my favorite tricks in a horror movie: just when you think you know what to be afraid of, it changes the game on you. Not a moment is wasted, making for both a gripping first watch and many rewarding rewatches. The first half sets up several seemingly disparate plot points, building intrigue and dread for what’s arguably the most brutal scene at the midpoint of the movie. (For the horror cautious, Nope is overall less gory and frightening than Us. However, viewers should be aware that this particular scene does include children in danger. It’s a relatively brief scene, but those for whom that could be a dealbreaker may want to look up further plot details ahead of time.)

From there, the movie launches more definitively into action-adventure, with the themes established in the first half firmly attached like the eerie kite string that’s featured as a significant part of the movie’s promotional materials. As with Peele’s previous movies, there are bound to be hundreds of theories and interpretations of what Nope is “about,” the details of which would be difficult to get into without spoiling plot details. However, I will say that the more I’ve thought about this movie, the more I’ve been struck by its reflections on the film and television world and showbusiness in general. Peele has been part of the industry for decades now, known before Get Out primarily for his work in comedy, and in Nope he explores the relationship between spectacle and exploitation as well as the complicated histories of Black people in the industry and the glorification in media of “the Old West.”

Daniel Kaluuya, Brandon Perea, and Keke Palmer in Nope. Universal Pictures.

The movie is also gorgeous to look at and listen to. I had the opportunity to see it in IMAX, which I highly recommend. The Haywoods’ house on the ranch is a central location, but with a few notable exceptions we don’t spend much time inside of it. Most of the movie is spent outdoors, with the house serving as a point of reference in between the enormous hills and clouds and the relative tininess of the humans (and horses). The way Peele and his cinematographer, Hoyte Van Hoytema, move the camera through both those wide-open outdoor spaces and the carefully chosen and decorated indoor spaces is a crucial part of the storytelling and creating the mood of unease. Van Hoytema’s previous work includes sweeping Christopher Nolan films such as Interstellar (2014) and Dunkirk (2017), and the pairing of that ability to manage large-scale grandeur with Peele’s finely tuned eye for uncanny imagery and movement makes for a film that’s constantly visually engaging without becoming exhausting.

Universal Pictures

The sound design by Johnnie Burn and score by Michael Abels play necessary roles as well. Get Out and Us both used sound in their own memorable ways, but Nope presents a unique challenge, which it rises to wonderfully, creating sounds related to the central mystery that caused me to write “What a sound!!” in my notes more than once. Abels also created the score for Peele’s previous two movies, and while I loved the central theme of Us, this may be my favorite of his yet. Matching and enhancing the large visual scope of the movie and blending notes of sci-fi and Western action music, the score and the several well-placed needle drops add layers to the energy of the movie.

Universal Pictures

The relationship between Emerald and OJ is the heart of the movie and the anchor around which the rest of the action swirls. The crisis helps them to appreciate each other and work together in a new way, and I appreciated that both the writing and Palmer’s and Kaluuya’s performances make their dynamic a seamless part of the storytelling, not requiring extra detours or explainers. Though it was far from his first screen appearance, Daniel Kaluuya’s role in Get Out was his breakout role for American audiences. Since then, he’s played a wide variety of characters, each of which seems to reveal a new layer of the skill and nuance he’s capable of. Here, he’s quiet and watchful, with pitch-perfect deadpan comedic timing that works precisely because of how matter-of-factly he delivers his lines. OJ is the first to start to understand the thing in the sky, and his eyes and body language show him figuring it out as well as the confidence his character gains throughout the movie.

There haven’t been many live-action leading roles in Keke Palmer’s adult career, but hopefully this (as well as Alice, which came out earlier this year) signals a turning point. Both on screen and in interviews, Palmer exudes charm, and paired with Kaluuya’s quieter characterization in this movie, it would be easier for a less skilled actor to simply go bigger and louder. Palmer, however, calibrates her charisma in graceful coordination with her costar, creating an interplay in which the characters are meeting and negotiating with each other in a genuinely sibling-like way rather than just bouncing off each other. Emerald’s generally exuberant energy highlights how potent it is when she slows down, and how heartfelt and earned her more emotional moments are.

Universal Pictures

Though Steven Yeun is in less of the movie than Palmer and Kaluuya, his role is a crucial one; it’s central to many of the movie’s themes and requires Yeun’s specific ability to play charming with an undercurrent of menace. Brandon Perea is delightful as Angel, the conspiracy-theorist tech worker who persistently becomes part of the Haywoods’ plan, and Michael Wincott brings a fun twist on the “gruff older antimentor” trope.

Though the pandemic is far from over, this is the first definitive “summer blockbuster season” we’ve had since 2019, as well as the first film written and directed by Jordan Peele to be released in that season. It’s a fantastic treat to have what feels like the height of blockbuster filmmaking come out at this time. With fast-paced and engaging storytelling, breathtaking visuals, characters you want to cheer for, and moments of terror and humor that remind you what’s so special about being in an audience of strangers united by your reactions to the screen in front of you, Nope is one you’ll want on your viewing calendar again and again.