Jordan Peele is back and this time he is changing the game for the Sci-Fi genre.
Many fans of Peele’s work have been excited to see what the film maker serves up as his third feature with “Nope”, the UFO-alien themed film.
“Nope” is a sci-fi thriller that showcases Jordan Peele as a filmmaker as he takes on a bigger scale, bigger story and bigger effects than his previous entries with “Get Out” and “Us”.
This time around we find Peele reteaming with Daniel Kaluuya, as well as bringing in Keke Palmer, Steven Yeun, Brandon Perea, Michael Wincott and Keith David along for the ride.
Otis “OJ” Haywood Jr. (Kaluuya) and his sister Emerald (Keke Palmer) are attempting to maintain the family’s horse rental business following the sudden death of their father Otis Sr. (Keith David).
After Otis Sr. dies under weird circumstances that local official blame on a random aircraft, OJ, who saw what happened, seems to think it’s more than that.
Down the road from the Haywood ranch is former child star Ricky “Jupe” Park (Steven Yeun as an adult), who runs a Wild West theme park called Jupiter’s Claim.
Ricky has also seen strange things in the sky and he’s attempting to turn them into a profitable tourist venture. Not to mention we learn a horrifying back story involving Ricky from his child star days and this side story is just as compelling as the main UFO story unfolding.
Peele sprinkles in a goofy tech salesman (Brandon Perea who was a scene stealer) and a grizzled cinematographer (Michael Wincott) who gives off a Quint from “Jaws” vibe the entire time. Their plan is simply to capture “impossible” video footage of the UFO in action.
This isn’t like Peele’s first two outings which had plenty of social commentary and more overt racial messages. Instead this time Peele keeps it pretty simple. Peele leans into the feeling of dread and suspense more than commentary and it works.
“Nope” is a fun filled sci-fi spectacle that should be experienced on the biggest screen you can find. This is an ambitious film that provides an interesting take on the UFO story while showcasing dazzle that is reminiscent of Spielberg at times.
4.5/5
