Jordan Peele’s feel-good summer movie (for film buffs)

I’ll never forget seeing Get Out in the theater.  I was riddled with excitement to see Jordan Peele, who I knew from the comedy world, make a horror movie that would hold its own with anything that was coming out at that time.  Peele followed Get Out with Us which I found to be a bit more on the cinematic side.  Us was impressive nonetheless.  Five years after Peele’s directorial debut the world will bear witness to Nope, the 3rd installment of films that he wrote, directed, and produced.  Nope is the perfect storm for Jordan Peele fans.

I’ve always admired directors who have a strong brand but can flex diversity within their catalog.  Peele is a visionary who makes films that are always saying something but are more about stimulating a feel than being preachy or producing clickbait for the opinionated.  Nope is a nice contrast to Get Out and Us.  It’s a little bit more palatable than Peele’s other films and has the potential to reach a wider audience.  There is still a normal amount of shock and disturbia but Nope is…  Jordan Peele’s feel-good summer movie.  Its themes and aesthetics remind me of flicks like Signs, Super 8, and Ghostbusters.  Don’t get me wrong, you might want to think twice about taking your kids or the guy at work that only watches marvel movies to see this one.  Let’s just call it a feel-good summer movie for film buffs.

One of my favorite aspects of Nope and possibly the film’s greatest strength is the chemistry between co-stars Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer.  Kaluuya plays a very straight-laced modern cowboy type that makes up for his lack of empathy with stubbornness while Palmer is an excited aspiring actress who has never met a stranger.  The duo are siblings that own and manage a horse farm that caters to filmmakers who employ the use of animals on the big screen.   When eerie events start to happen in the sky, they decide that the most reasonable course of action is to document it on camera so they can sell the tape and get rich.  The result here is hilarious as the story takes things over the top with dark humor and speaks to a society that is constantly making videos on their phones.   

Nope is pure summer blockbuster horror gold!  This is a film with cowboys, UFOs, an unlikely hero from the Geek Squad, and dark humor galore.  I recommend seeing this one on the big screen.  The cast is excellent and the popcorn will taste great.  Do I think this is Peele’s best film to date?  Nope.  But I do think this fits perfectly in his filmography and stands as another case for my love of his films.