Nope (2022)
In Agua Dulce, California, the Haywood family trains horses for film and TV productions. One day at the Haywood ranch, small metal objects unaccountably fall from the sky. One of which, a nickel, kills Otis Haywood Sr (Keith David). His children, Emerald “Em” Haywood (Keke Palmer) and Otis “OJ” Haywood Jr. (Daniel Kaluuya), continue to run the business. However, due to the loss of a contract, they have to sell some of the horses to Ricky “Jupe” Park (Steven Yeun), who operates a Western theme park called Jupiter's Claim. One night, the Haywood’s notice the electricity supply fluctuating and their horses violently reacting to an unknown presence. They discover that something has been taking their horses and regurgitating inorganic matter, which OJ believes caused their father's death. The Haywood’s decide to obtain proof and subsequently ask electronics store employee and UFO enthusiast, Angel Torres (Brandon Perea) to set up surveillance cameras.
Nope is a contemporary telling of an old tale. It has many of the standard tropes you expect from the “creature feature” genre but with a contemporary spin. Just as George A. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead is also a vehicle for a critique of capitalism and consumerism, director Jordan Peele tackles a wealth of sociopolitical points via Nope. He dissects modern media culture, internet fame and the relationship between race and employment. There are no traditional white scientists, didactically explaining things and expediting the plot in received English. The protagonists are all blue-collar workers, who speak and act in a realistic manner. The cast are very good, and the characters are interestingly quirky. The screenplay’s innovation comes from showing a group of people who usually are not the traditional participants in such genre movies. Yet they figure things out on their own terms and the conspicuous absence of the military, local police or newspaper reporter is refreshing.
Nope also excels in depicting a truly original monster. One that is genuinely scary because of the nature of the threat. The digital effects are subtle and it is not until the climax of the film that the audience gains a clearer grasp of the nature of the creature. One sequence is reminiscent of a comparable scare in The Borderlands (2013) and some viewers may consider this a step too far. However, if you’ve made it this far then I would argue that you’re pretty much onboard with wherever Nope is going to go. Although it can be argued that being 30 minutes shorter may have helped proceedings. There is an entire subplot involving Ricky “Jupe” Park, who was a child actor in a sitcom with a chimp called Gordy. This fascinating and tragic vignette seems a little incongruous in relation to the main story and may well have worked better as the basis for a separate film. Minor criticisms aside, Nope is creative, different and superior to much of current mainstream horror cinema. However, its niche approach may not be everyone's cup of tea.
