’Nope’’ Review: Jordan Peele (2022)

Comedian turned smash-hit horror creator Jordan Peele brings his third feature film Nope to the masses. Having scared audiences with both Get Out and Us, can he replicate the same success and make Nope a hat trick?

The easy answer to this question is yes. In all honesty, Peele’s third feature is perhaps his best yet. The director is now fully at home behind the camera, and more importantly, trusted by those that employ him. His golden track record has facilitated a space in which Peele can work freely without interference and he throws everything in that he can to ensure Nope is his most terrifying story yet. This terror begins right from the very start when, over the top of the opening logos, comes the sound of voices. The audio sounds like a sitcom, but as the dialogue turns to screams, things don’t sound as they should. Once through the logos, Nope reveals its first visual and this first image is bold. On screen is a television set upon which sits a chimp – a chimp smothered in blood. Next to the animal is a small slender set of legs, one foot missing a shoe. Its pair lies in a frame also speckled with blood. Any film that begins like this clearly means business and immediately puts the viewer on edge, a place they’ll spend much time in over the next two hours. 

After the opening sequence, attention turns to life on a Californian horse ranch. Here comes the introduction of OJ Haywood (Daniel Kaluuya) and his father (Keith David). The pair, along with OJ’s sister Em (Keke Palmer), run Hayward’s Hollywood Horses that – as the name suggests – supplies horses to movie studios. After an unexplained event ends in tragedy, the story jumps forward six months and OJ has now found himself in charge of the struggling business. With his sister not much help, OJ and the ranch are in dire straits, but after a chance encounter with something strange he begins to see a way out. Helped by Em and tech-support worker Angel (Brandon Perea), OJ sets about trying to document the impossible, although the enterprise may cost each of them their lives. 

Daniel Kaluuya and Jordan Peele worked with one another on the breakout film Get Out and that history together is apparent on screen. The shorthand and trust that they have from their prior work translates perfectly to the two knowing exactly what the other needs to shine. Kaluuya is brilliant as the mumbling monosyllabic OJ. Having been raised on a ranch he exudes that proper cowboy energy, and much like his home, is removed from society. His isolated homestead renders him unable to communicate with those from outside of his bubble, something glimpsed every time he tries to give a safety talk on set. Much like the horses that he tends to, OJ is shy, quiet and quick to aggression if pushed. In stark contrast to OJ’s strong silent type is sister Em (short for Emerald) who is a loud-mouthed, fast-talking, attention seeker. This information is also gleaned during the early safety talk. Where OJ struggles, Em shines, loving the attention and time in the spotlight. The opposite nature of the siblings makes for interesting and entertaining viewing. Watching Palmer and Kaluuya effortlessly play off of one another is wonderful to see, and with each giving their absolute best, Nope is in very safe hands. 

Peele’s direction is nothing short of a masterstroke in balancing tones. As with his other films, Nope isn’t afraid to veer into comedic elements to sell itself. The title alone, a reference to OJ’s initial reaction to the threat he witnesses, is amusing in itself. OJ reacts in the way that many of the audience would, and to finally hear a character react in a relatable way, lightens the tone. There’s plenty of other moments of humour too; supporting character Angel provides much of the comedic relief. As Nope progresses, these little instances of humour become vital as this time around Peele isn’t playing when it comes to the fear factor. 

Mulder and Scully taught a generation to watch the skies and Nope proves why this warning exists. Through some clever sound design and creepy camera shots, Peele somehow makes the sky overhead a place rife with threat. Never has a gentle breeze sounded so sinister, nor have clouds been so suspicious. From simple scenes of OJ watching the weather begins a creeping tension, one that builds to several nerve-shredding crescendos. Peele orchestrates his scare sequences like a composer writing music. There are peaks and troughs to the sequences and the viewer is carried along for the white-knucle ride. 

Comparisons to M. Night Shyamalan’s Signs were made during the promotional phase of Nope. and it was easy to see why. This is also Peele’s third feature and appeared to involve extraterrestrials. There are also similarities during the film, such as a sequence to rival that shot from Signs. This scene is intensely creepy, best watched between hands. As uncomfortable as this moment is, Peele has far more up his sleeve. Several drawn-out sequences unfold, each so intense that they leave the viewer firmly rooted to their seats. It’s as if the force of the tension on scene is so strong it has pushed out of the screen to get the viewer too. 

The ferocity however does wane towards the end. There’s a reset during the final hour that allows a little too much pressure to be relieved, making it tricky to replicate the same heady heights for the finale. The introduction of Micahel Wincott’s famous cinematographer stalls the pacing a little, though it’s only a minor issue amongst a wealth of riches. Wincott is a great addition to any film and his work here in Nope will hopefully kickstart a resurgence for the actor. 

Outside of the main story, Peele further traumatises the audience with a subplot involving Steven Yuen and that opening chimp. In a central flashback Peele perfectly demonstrates the danger that chimps pose and the aggression that they can unleash. Of everything in Nope, this is the most horrific portion of the film and it will have even the most horror-hardened shouting out for their parents. The scene perfectly captures one of the main threads of Nope. As a whole the film analyses the relationship between man and beast, and that line between where actual power and perceived dominance lies. This sequence is a stark example of just how wild ‘tamed’ animals can be.

A prolonged journey through tension, Nope will take nerves of steel to endure. Peele once more proves himself as a talented new master of genre cinema. Here he mixes age-old questions about the universe and mankind’s place within it, with instances of innate terror. In the process he has created a sinister and confronting roller-coaster of fear that will have every viewer cautiously looking up the entire way home. 

Nope arrives in cinemas across the UK from Friday 12th August 2022.