Film Review: "Nope" (2022).

"From writer/director Jordon Peele" comes Nope. This science fiction horror film written and directed by Peele. After random objects falling from the sky result in the death of their father, ranch-owning siblings OJ and Emerald Haywood attempt to capture video evidence of an unidentified flying object with the help of tech salesman Angel Torres and documentarian Antlers Holst.

In early November 2020, it was announced that Peele was set to write, direct, and produce a new untitled project. Peele commented, "I wrote it in a time when we were a little bit worried about the future of cinema. So the first thing I knew is I wanted to create a spectacle. I wanted to create something that the audience would have to come see." Speaking to GQ, he stated, "So much of what this world was experiencing was this overload of spectacle, and kind of a low point of our addiction to spectacle." He added that he "wrote [the film] trapped inside, and so I knew I wanted to make something that was about the sky. I knew the world would want to be outside and at the same time, I knew we had this newfound fear from this trauma, from this time of what it meant to go outside. Can we go outside? So I slipped some of that stuff in." He explained his decision to include a major focus on clouds in the film, "The beauty of the sky is enthralling — the first movies, in a way. Every now and then you'll see a cloud that sits alone and is too low, and it gives me this vertigo and this sense of Presence with a capital P. I can't describe it, but I knew if I could bottle that and put it into a horror movie, it might change the way people look at the sky." Peele publicly cited King Kong (1933), Jurassic Park (1993), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Signs (2002), and The Wizard of Oz (1939), movies about humanity's addiction to spectacle, as influences in his writing. In February 2021, it was reported that Keke Palmer and Daniel Kaluuya were cast in the lead roles. Peele wrote the script with Kaluuya in mind for the role of OJ Haywood. By early June 2021, Steven Yeun, Michael Wincott, Wrenn Schmidt, Keith David, Donna Mills, Eddie Jemison, Oz Perkins, Devon Graye, and Brandon Perea rounded out the film's cast. Jesse Plemons was originally considered for a role. However, he had to turn it down due to scheduling conflicts with his movie Killers of the Flower Moon which was shooting at the same time. At the same time, with a budget of $68 million, principal photography commenced and took place in the Agua Dulce desert in northern Los Angeles County and Burbank, California. The production received an estimated $8,364,000 worth of tax credits to shoot the film in the state of California. The film was shot on Kodak film, including 65mm film in IMAX, making it the first horror film in history to be shot in this format. In late July, Peele revealed the film's title and shared its first promotional release poster. Peele chose Nope as the title because he wanted to acknowledge movie audiences and their expected reactions to the film.

The film stars Kaluuya, Palmer, Yeun, Wincott, Schmidt, David, Mills, Jemison, Perkins, Graye, and Perea. An amazing ensemble effort, the cast is first-rate. The film's biggest success comes down to its impeccable casting. With everyone pulling double-duty, it's insane the depth of performance we see. As good as these performances are, the film is undoubtedly a film carried by its two lead characters and the brilliant actors playing them. Performances in genre pieces are often dismissed and disregarded, but make no mistake: Kaluuya and Palmer's works in the film are some of the very best of their careers. Their powerhouse performances finds its equal in Peele's masterful storytelling. A horror tale that confronts us with humanity's dark obsession with spectacle. Palmer's exquisite blend of nuance and scenery-chewing as Emerald deserves to be listed among the best performances ever in a Jordan Peele film. Kaluuya turns in one of the best performance in his career and shows off his acting prowess.

Peele has committed most of his film's runtime to an unyielding, scary premise that proves the filmmaker has his audience wrapped around his little finger. The film almost packs the psychological punch of Get Out and Us, but it confirms that Peele's phenomenal debut film was no fluke -- and the praise he's given is indeed well deserved. The film introduces so many ideas that it can be difficult to focus. But it's fascinating to watch those ideas emerge, contort and dance around on screen, even if they don't always come together to form a cohesive story. Peele and his team get enough right with the film to make it a worthy follow-up to Us. Combining popcorn thrills with thoughtful commentary is Peele's calling card, something that should make him a director to watch for years to come.is a perfect storm of horror, acting, and social commentary: a beautiful dark mirror that conveys a confidence seldom seen in sophomore efforts. What sets the film apart from others in the genre, and likewise Peele apart from his contemporaries, is the voice that whispers a warning in every scene, a foreboding that follows you out of the theater and into your sleeping subconscious. Peele delivers more of his now signature style, but also flips a switch on something you'd never expect. His ability to create another flawless and compelling story truly cements himself as a true Master of Horror. What the film demonstrates is that Peele is not a one-hit wonder. It's easy to compare him to cinematic greats like Hitchcock or Kubrick, but he's already established that he is in a league of his own. Peele is turning into a unique, elite director whose vision integrates social commentary, terror and comedy like no one else.

Simon says Nope receives:

Also, see my review for Us.