Nope

I hope we are not about to see the Shyamalan effect with Jordan Peele, where the debut film is amazing and everything that follows leaves you scratching your head. I feel like I'm on that road with Peele's body of silver screen work. "Get Out" was a masterpiece, while "Us" jus didn't do it for me and now "Nope!"

Keke Palmer did her thing in the role she played (she is the star of this movie for sure) and Daniel kept up with a good performance in his own right, but the film itself was something outta the Twilight Zone. More of a sci-fi thriller than a horror flick, it had too many holes and unanswered questions for my liking. Peele's approach to filmmaking is amazing, much like Shyamalan, but the stories, like Shyamalan's are starting to fall short of being good films.

Jordan may have dreamt this story and woke up at 5am and jotted down every detail he could remember. And like our weird dreams, they never make any sense and we forget a lot of the details by the time we wake up! Nope was like one of those weird a... dreams!

1. Commentary on exploitative social media accounts that strive for the most clicks regardless of who they negatively impact.

2. Keke Palmer's eccentric performance as Emerald. She should be in way more movies.

3. Daniel Kaluuya's deadpan one liners.

4. Rewatch value, there is build up to each twist and shocking moment. Mysterious and ambiguous scenes become scarier after learning context.

5. Foreshadowing: it is absolutely everywhere. Sometimes done subtly, other times obviously.

6. Subtle details; highly detailed set, script, and outfits, down to the logo on one of the main character's shirt.

7. Sound effects. It goes beyond typical horror noise cues, using unique sounds to build-up scares. The blood curdling screams loudly echoing as the creature flies by are terrifying.

8. Akira motorcycle shot. Thank you Jordan.

There is so much going on here and ultimately that is the films biggest weakness. It doesn't really commit to any certain genre. It's genre blending to the max! Still, it's a total blast that will have you laughing in one moment and screaming in the next. The horror elements are my favorite. At this point Peele has proven himself to be a horror master. But this is not really a horror film per say. It's got horror elements as well as comedy, thriller, action, and western. Probably the most unique film to come out in the Covid era. It was a total blast.

6.7/10

While "Nope" is a visual spectacle I found that it didn't sit as well as I would've hoped when it came to the story. However, it still manages to reach its goal of entertaining on some level.

The film felt slightly long due to the first and third acts feeling fast and somewhat stuffed with a lot of goings ons while the second act felt very slow and drawn out. The long parts put me into a state of boredom, and even further than that, once the reveal of the antagonist happened, the magic and tension disappeared. Before that tension disappeared I found there was some good tension built up due to the soundtrack, but again, things fell short.

As for the horror parts, I assumed there would be more than just the ones shown in the commercial, and while there was, again a lot of the horror/magic disappeared once the antagonist was shown.

I did find the acting to be very engaging. Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer each brought great energy to their roles, and the supporting actors were equally enjoyable.

Overall, a decent film, but if I could go back I would wait to see it on a cheap night. Acting was enjoyable, the cinematography was spectacular, but the story, the length of the film, and the antagonist weren't up to the par I was expecting.

Thank you for reading my review. Until next time.... Enjoy the show!

The amount of reviews calling this pointless and terrible clearly didn't read much into what happens here. Peele is pointing a mirror up to you and the most ironic part is a lot of don't even seem to notice. No, this isn't a typical horror movie. It's more of a Spielbergian blockbuster satire with some amusing moments sprinkled throughout. The "entity" is creative and can be quite terrifying. The cinematography is top notch and probably the standout feature of the film, while Kaluuya can say an immense amount without even speaking a word. The screenplay is odd to say the least, but it hits more than it misses.

While I still think this is a lesser film than Get Out or Us and it ran a little too long, you have to commend its originality in a summer sea of IP-based films. Peele attempts something profound and unique here, which should be respected regardless of your thoughts on the film.