Jordan Peele’s list of films as a director is small, which is a surprise
given the box-office success and critical approval he got for his fist two
films, Get Out in 2017 and Us in 2019. His third, Nope, with its numerous
trailers over the past year which have slowly revealed more and more of the
plot line, seems to have taken an eternity to hit cinema screens.
Very little knowledge of the plot is a good thing if you’re planning on
seeing Nope as the story turns up more than a few surprises before the end.
Without giving too many spoilers away, and it will come as no surprise if
you have seen some of the trailers, Nope is a sci-fi thriller where a giant
spacecraft appears above the ranch belonging to horse wrangler O.J Haywood
(an excellent Daniel Kaluuya who appeared in both get Out and Up) and his
more plucky sister Emerald (Keke Plamer).
The main thread of the story sees O.J and his sister with the help of a
local tech guy (Brandon Perea) trying to catch the UFO on film so that they
can sell the clip for vast sums of money. This part of the story is without
doubt the most satisfying part of Nope and it leads to a conclusion that
more than makes up for some of Peele’s story, especially in the first half,
that serves no real purpose other than making the plot feel a bit
meandering and confusing.
Nope, thanks to the stunning effects and cinematography by Hoyte Van
Hoytema (Dunkirk, Interstellar), is a film that should be seen on the
largest screen possible, ideally in IMAX as it was filmed using IMAX
cameras.
Nope is without doubt Peele’s best film to date and comes highly
recommended.
