Jordan Peele had a dazzling first hit with Get Out! a unique blend of horror, bodysnatcher film and political ideas – who’s snatching whose body? It was scary, well-executed and often hilarious.
The follow-up Us was equally unnerving, which explains the fervent anticipation for Number Three. Why is it called Nope? Is it some kind of Western?
Well, sort of. It’s set on a California desert stable, run by old man Haywood and his two kids, OJ and Emerald.
Photo: Screenshot
Then one day Pops mysteriously dies, the victim of some sort of space junk.
But don’t get comfortable yet. We flash back several years to the night a popular TV sitcom came to an unexpected end when the lovable chimp Gordy suddenly ran amok.
The kid from the show – Jupe – has now grown up and built his own rodeo show, employing OJ and Emerald’s horses in the process.
Meanwhile back at the ranch – literally in this case – OJ and Em are struggling to run the business without Pop. And OJ’s started hearing strange noises – and strange silences. There’s something out there and it’s spooking the horses.
OK, you can be forgiven for being a little bewildered, even if you’ve been following the trailers for Nope. Certainly, the early ones made a point of telling us very little.
There are strange noises, there may be something out there, or maybe the farm is haunted.
But as a marketing device, this approach seemed to annoy potential audiences rather than attract them, so the studios put a lot more information in the next batch of trailers. Particularly about what’s up in the clouds.
At least now we know that OJ and Emerald have roped in some assistance. There’s computer guy Angel, who sets up their new CCTV equipment, and there’s legendary cameraman Antlers Holst – played by the semi-legendary cult actor Michael Wincott.
All right, it’s no spoiler to say that there’s something up in the clouds. And we can also suggest that footage of whatever it is could solve just about everyone’s money problems.
But what we’re still groping for is where Jupe – the rodeo guy from the TV sitcom – fits in? Who’s the mysterious woman who attends all his shows? How does a dude ranch, a possible UFO, a homicidal ape and various meteorological phenomena fit together – if at all?
And why is it called Nope for goodness sake?
Nope has certainly driven the Internet crazy over the past week or so, with some audiences scratching their heads, and hardcore Jordan Peele fans delightedly sending each other explanations of the story. It’s certainly a film that needs some of those.
One thing you notice watching the trailers after you’ve seen the movie, is how much material is in the trailers, but not in the actual film.
There’s a lot more explanation - in the later trailers particularly - and while I’m grateful for any help I can get, I prefer my clarification in the movie itself.
That said, Nope is very far from stupid, even the parts that drive you crazy. Where did whatever it is come from? Why should it care if you look at it? What’s with the crazy horses and the weird veiled lady?
But you’ll love it if you’re a fan of Jordan Peele.
For myself, I had mixed feelings – the sort I used to have for the similarly mysterious tales of M Night Shyamalan.
I may have been ambivalent about the magical hocus-pocus, but I was knocked out by how well it was made.
Too many ideas maybe, though these days that’s hardly a criticism.
