You never know what you are going to get with a Jordan Peele film. Never. And that trend continues with a film simply titled “Nope.” But it’s anything but simple as the follow up to “Get Out” and “Us,” as Peele’s third directorial effort is just as vague as his previous ones.
It’s probably easier to give the plot description to “Nope” first.
“What’s a bad miracle?”
Oscar® winner Jordan Peele disrupted and redefined modern horror with Get Out and then Us. Now, he reimagines the summer movie with a new pop nightmare: the expansive horror epic, Nope.
The film reunites Peele with Oscar® winner Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out, Judas and the Black Messiah), who is joined by Keke Palmer (Hustlers, Alice) and Oscar® nominee Steven Yeun (Minari, Okja) as residents in a lonely gulch of inland California who bear witness to an uncanny and chilling discovery.
Nope, which co-stars Michael Wincott (Hitchcock, Westworld) and Brandon Perea (The OA, American Insurrection), is written and directed by Jordan Peele and is produced by Ian Cooper (Us, Candyman) and Jordan Peele for Monkeypaw Productions. The film will be released by Universal Pictures worldwide.
While all horrors blend some sort of social commentary with scares, Peele takes a more Hitchockian approach to its storytelling by weaving in a terrifying mystery, throwing in a few tense moments, and scary twists with what it wants to say. And it’s not any different here.
But while the “Get Out” was a scary twist on “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” and “Us” was a commentary on the duality of humanity, “Nope’s” themes and inspiration are, at least as of the moment, unclear. Which is perfectly fine as it only makes the surprises even more effective when we watch it. So what are Kaluuya, Palmer, and Yeun experiencing or even looking at? Why does the “From Jordan Peele” tag read from bottom to top instead of the usual top to bottom? And what’s with the string of lights that lead up to the dark ominous cloud in the sky? Why is Steven Yuen wearing a red suit and cowboy hat? And what took Keke Palmer? Well, I guess we just have to wait and see our questions be answered when the film hits theaters later this summer.
“Nope” also stars Michael Wincott and Brandon Perea.
Written and directed by Jordan Peele, “Nope” opens in theaters on July 22, 2022.
