Jordan Peele pours his meticulous planning, impeccable direction, and knack for character-writing into a B-Movie premise, and the result keeps his 1.000 batting average intact.
The most disturbing scene of Nope doesn’t involve aliens, and it doesn’t even occur in the same era as the primary plot line. It is a flashback that we return to multiple times, to a tragic television shoot from the fictional 90’s sitcom “Gordy”. Gordy is the name of a character played by a chimpanzee, back when that sort of thing seemed like a fine idea to people in the entertainment industry, and that chimp goes on a rampage in front of a live studio audience that results in the death and maiming of several cast members. It is a scene that is not gratuitous (much of the violence is implied rather than shown) but becomes more and more horrifying as additional details are revealed throughout the film. It may not seem intuitive that a scene like that makes sense in the context of a UFO movie, but if you are familiar with Jordan Peele’s work then you know that nothing he does is an accident. I don’t know how to talk about Nope without some spoilers that extend through the second act, so I would suggest turning back after this paragraph if you haven’t seen the movie yet and intend to watch it at some point. My short analysis is that Nope continues the high quality of Peele films that we have come to expect, as well as the thematic density and thought-provoking writing that leave you thinking about it well after the credits roll. It’s also a fun, big budget take on a B-Movie staple, and Peele leans into that pedigree as well. Go watch it.
SPOILERS AHEAD.
So, the big theme of film seems to be interrogating the relationship between man and animal, specifically man’s desire to corral wild animals for purposes of entertainment. In addition to the grizzly Gordy scene, you have the characters played by Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer operating their late father’s ranch which supplies Hollywood shoots with horses. The horses may not have the same capacity for explosive violence as a chimp, but as Kaluuya learns, a lax shooting environment can certainly lead to an agitated horse putting crew members in danger and getting you booted off the project. How that all ties to the major plot, however, comes from the revelation that the UFO that Kaluuya and Palmer are trying to get footage of is in fact not a spaceship, but rather a large, saucer-shaped, flying predator. The protagonists are putting themselves in a dangerous situation involving an unpredictable animal in order to film something that will secure them significant financial gain. That exploitation of nature is made even more pointed by the schemes of Steven Yeun, who has parlayed his experience as a child actor on “Gordy” into a lucrative “Dollywood” style roadside attraction. He also has designs on getting his share of the UFO-generated fame and fortune. His approach is smaller scale, and justifies some collateral damage in the form of the horses he buys from our protagonists, but to his credit he is the first to effectively monetize the alien. Then, in an inevitable echo of his childhood trauma, the collateral damage extends well beyond the horses.
Nope is a film that is comfortable taking its time. Both in the length of the set up and in the gorgeous cinematography that emphasizes big wide open spaces, you get the sense that Peele is taking advantage of the leeway he has rightfully earned to tell this story in the best way he sees fit. In most cases, his measured and fastidious approach pays dividends: the acting is excellent, there is room for humor and interesting side characters, the theme is explored to its fullest extent. I do get the sense that the Friday night drive-in inspiration for the story is a little at odds with his ambitions to make great cinema, and a brisker pace and/or a little more mayhem would have served the movie well. Still, nobody really makes films like Peele, and his ability to creatively serve the fun monster movie elements while making room for the broader commentary on the movie industry, is impressive. There are even times in the third act where the action reminds me of another man vs. nature horror epic, Jaws. That’s a comparison I think any director would welcome, and although I don’t think Nope is destined for the long-term cultural impact of Jaws, and in fact probably ranks as my third favorite of Peele’s three horror projects thus far, it makes me excited to see what he has in store for us next.
Comments