the_ruck’s review published on Letterboxd:
Well, even if the film says otherwise, there is only one answer to the question of whether this film is awesome. Well Jordan Peele shows again with this film after Get Out and Us that he simply has what it takes for good stories and their implementation. Because with Nope he has brought us another great success.
Just like Get Out and Us, it's probably best with this film if you know as little as possible. Because Jordan Peele's films are practically like episodes of Black Mirror or The Twilight Zone. Each film stands on its own and tells a sci-fi, mystery, horror and thriller story that is different every time. Because I wouldn't compare Nope with Jordan Peele's previous films, as each of his films is independent of each other. Well, that's why Nope is more of a thriller than a horror film and the film is also clearly aimed at Spielberg's classics. And as you have already seen in Us, Jordan Peele is certainly also a fan of Steven Spielberg. Because the little boy in Us wore a shirt with Jaw's cover on it.
Well, the film itself is more like Get Out. At first, the mystery is built up and then in the last third it comes to the climax of the film. But the biggest problem of Nope is actually that the film initially takes quite a long time to get going. So by that I mean that 15 to 20 minutes could have been easily shortened and the film would have been much smoother and thus also a bit better. I think Get Out solved this better, as the mystery is constantly being built up here and there are always these strange moments and Get Out was also shorter. Well, but at Nope there are some moments that I at least wouldn't have needed and only prolong the film unnecessarily.
Well, that might sound worse than it is now, because apart from that, the film is damn good. Because once again Jordan Peele builds a poignant and tense atmosphere. Because there is this threat that no one knows about what it actually is and that just causes a hell of tension. Well, Jordan Peele is simply a master at building a certain atmosphere in which you are simply tied to the screen and forget everything else around you. And it is precisely this atmosphere that he captures again in this film.
In addition, there is also an important factor in the film, the entire look. I have also already said at Us that Jordan Peele with his films simply shows that the horror genre can also be art. Well, he shows that again with this film. Because the pictures captured here are really beautiful. The camera work is also really impressive. Well and so a film is created that is simply damn exciting and thrilling, so that you always wonder what's going on and it also looks also fantastic.
The actors are also really great, but that also applied to Jordan Peele's last two films. Daniel Kaluuya is allowed to play the leading role again, or rather one of the leading roles. He plays a very reserved and subtle role in this. At first glance, it seems rather boring, but he just plays it so great that I really liked to follow him during the film.
But the biggest star is probably Keke Palmer, who plays his sister. I didn't really know her before, but she's really great in the role. She is the exact opposite of her brother in the film, but it still fits damn well and somehow they also have a great chemistry with each other. Jordan Peele is probably almost like Tarantino in this aspect, who gets the best out of his actors.
But then Brandon Perea also plays a pretty big role in the film. He is practically the comic relief character, which Jordan Peele actually incorporated into each of his films. He definitely provides a few funny scenes and is otherwise really convincing in his role.
Well and last but not least, there is Steven Yeun. Since TWD, I've always been happy when he can be seen in any new film, because he just has that certain charisma and appearance, which is just quite likeable and charismatic. Well, even if his role is not so big, he is still really convincing in it.
So Jordan Peele shows again with Nope that he simply has talent for this genre and also talent in general. Because Nope works on so many levels, with a little humor, a lot of excitement, an atmospheric atmosphere, great actors and such a unique film experience. Frankly, I think Nope is even the worst of his three films so far and Us is number 1 for me. But if Nope is in the lowest place, then that definitely speaks for Jordan Peele.
