Read between the lines of most reviews for Jordan Peele’s Nope—even the many positive ones that laud the film for its “ambition”—and you’ll detect the fatal flaw that kneecaps this movie, as it does most Hollywood tentpoles: The script is not particularly good. Peele’s third feature takes place on a cowboy ranch where something otherworldly lurks in the sky. Is it a UFO, as hinted by the film’s marketing, or is it something else entirely? Well, you’ll have to see it to find out, but it’s closer to “Jaws in the sky” than Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Daniel Kaluuya, who earned an Oscar nomination for his turn in Peele’s Get Out (and won one for Judas and the Black Messiah), stars alongside Keke Palmer as sibling owners of said ranch, which provides trained horses for Hollywood productions. The Haywoods, Otis Jr. (aka O.J.) and Emerald, have recently lost their father (Keith David) in a freak accident. The quiet, introspective O.J. prides himself on being the decision maker of the family but relies on Emerald to be the face of the family business—even though it’s just a side gig. In one of Peele’s more clever connections, the Haywoods are…
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“Nope” Review: Creature Feature Can’t Stick the Landing
