No, jordan Peele's latest picture, about a "bad miracle," is a meta-love letter to filmmaking as well as an exciting and amusing take on hollywood sci-fi. Fans of jordan Peele's previous horror films, Get Out and Us, are sure to love the director's most recent work; however, it should be noted that, while Nope is still full of deep, complex ideas, it is more closely executed to Get Out's horror-comedy blend than Us (which, although profound and more nuanced, was slightly more difficult for moviegoers to digest). Thematically, everything is connected, but some plotlines are more loosely connected than others, sometimes making the movie more of an experience (full of subtle references to film history, foreshadowing, and tribute) than a storyline.
Peele's return to directing is a huge success, allaying worries that the director could falter in his first feature film (mainly because of superficial pre-release parallels between Nope and Signs, M. Night Shyamalan's third horror movie). But with well-developed characters and a deep subversion of horror movie (and this time science-fiction) cliches, Peele once more reframes stereotypically white plot beats from a Black POV, with funny and enlightening effects. Nope raises the bar in a number of interesting ways, expertly balancing humor, suspense, and payoff, including several scenes that depend on masterful use of restraint and non-action. Whereas Get Out is Peele's most enjoyable and approachable movie and Us continues to be the filmmaker's most ambitious and complex work, Nope raises the bar in a number of interesting ways.
Nope follows in the footsteps of Peele's earlier movies, which showcased distinctive characters and excellent acting. Daniel Kaluuya, the breakout star of Get Out, comes back in the title role of OJ, and it is Kaluuya who sells some of the most outlandish and terrifying scenes in the movie. When the stiff character is thrown into an increasingly odd scenario (and a string of run-ins with the villain's menacing threat), Kaluuya's portrayal of OJ as stoic but tender makes for an extremely amusing mix. The actor's actual "Nope" moment encapsulates Peele's approach to horror, and it, along with another suspenseful sequence in which Kaluuya is imprisoned in his truck, are guaranteed to elicit some very cathartic laughter.
Nope is another perceptive and creative reinterpretation of a genre mainstay by Peele. It's full of interesting people and excellent performances, all of whom respond to the film's particular threat in interesting ways. The movie flirts with interesting tangents but doesn't always provide a worthwhile return on time invested because some aspects and characters do not, however, come full circle by the end. Even still, nobody else is producing films like Peele, and Nope is a welcome addition to his discography. Despite the fact that some viewers may find it to be too indulgent, it offers plenty for admirers to consider and dissect.