American filmmaker Jordan Peele, who wrote and directed the supremely original story of “Nope,” is now in full stride with his own style of storytelling that makes moviegoing very exciting.
The drama, slated to air on Friday, July 22, touches not only on alien life forms, as seen in the trailers that have been blasted on TV and social media, but also gives a thought provoking narrate that touches on the subject of respect for all life — but mostly of the animal kingdom.
There are several introductions to the main characters that make you laugh, cringe and in some cases creep you out. British actor Daniel Kaluuya stars as OJ Haywood, son of Otis Haywood Sr. (Keith David). The Haywood’s own a ranch that provides horses for Hollywood movies, TV and commercials.
After an incident early on in the movie with Otis Sr., OJ takes on ownership of the ranch. Viewers watch as he fails to keep up his father’s standard, even with the help from his sister Emerald “Em” (Keke Palmer). OJ slowly sells off the horses that once made the family money. One buyer is local business owner Ricky “Jupe” Park of Jupiter’s Claim western-style theme park in the gulch of inland California. Ricky (Steven Yeun) is all about theatrics and once was a child actor. He is very quick to show off his historical artifacts from his old 90s show, which also starred a chimpanzee to OJ and Em.
Em is very playful and doesn’t like that her older brother has become fallen down since the passing of their father. She tries to lighten his demeanor but that same evening OJ discovers something unbelievable — changing him forever. OJ is now fearful for the lives of the horses he has taken care of since he was a child.
After Em witnesses the same spectacle in the sky, the siblings decide to try to document the discovery on security cameras. A local Fry’s Electronics helper tags along, showing them the best way to use the technology.
Eventually, the obscure movie maker Antlers Holst (Michael Wincott) is recruited to help them film the “Oprah Shot” of the extraterrestrial life using very unique camera equipment.
The conclusion of this movie really gets you rooting for the main cast to achieve their goal and keeps you on the edge of your seat.
The cinematography is outstanding — especially when viewed in IMAX theaters, in which the sound effects for the extraterrestrial are equally as impressive (think “Close Encounters” but way more intimidating in a subtle way).
“Nope” in all of its strangeness follows the dark humor of Peele’s previous movies, but this one seems like it would appeal to a wider range of audience — as long you can still handle a few squeamish scenes.
