AT THE MOVIES

by Isy Jordan

Nope
Director: Jordan Peele
Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, Brandon Perea, Michael Wincott, Steven Yeun, and more.


The residents of a lonely gulch in inland California bear witness to an uncanny and chilling discovery.

Jordan Peele is unique in the horror genre. I love his films and his stories. We didn't know what we were walking into with Nope, but what a fun ride.

After the loss of their father to questionable circumstances, the famous horse ranch he owned passes to his children OJ (Kaluuya) and Emerald (Palmer). While they struggle to keep the business afloat, they again experience some strange phenomena that doesn't appear to be friendly.

Like many of Peele's work, there is a sold story here with many solid shots of realism. That he has something to say about our world should be expected but he always does it in a thoughtful way. I went into the theatre to see this with several possible plots in my head. I didn't even come close.

While the siblings encountered the strange happenings, they weren't the first. There's a ranch-style amusement park close by owned and operated by a traumatize former child actor (Yeun). I would gladly have watched an entire movie about that part of the plot. Or a movie about the history of the ranch and the family at our story.

But therein lies the only problem with the film: it tries to do too much. Still, it's not the type of movie you see every day. Hell, you've never seen anything like this. It's violent, brutal, and just plain weird at times. Does it entertain? Absolutely.

The stellar cast in this one doesn't hurt either and much of the story is very character driven. It's just over two hours long and rated R for good reason. Older teens should be okay. There are some traumatic things going on. You've been warned. But you should go see it.

Isy