A black man, his white horse Ghost, facing the immensity of the Californian desert. Apart from the overly modern light and music pollution of a small house in the background, the decor would (almost) still bear the mark of Eastwood cowboy boots. But neither brute nor ugly against the good Otis Junior (OJ, interpreted by Daniel Kaluuya). More like an unidentified flying predator. Without warning, his nag Ghost jumps the barrier, to disappear into the dark night at a frantic gallop. The lights and the music abruptly fade away. Only distant high-pitched cries stimulate the senses. Until this menacing dance of a circular shadow in the clouds. OJ’s eyes are lost in cumulonimbus clouds that have become a frightening jungle. He blows : “qhat is a bad miracle?
Throughout the anxiety-inducing 2h10 of Nope, in theaters since August 10, writer and director Jordan Peele changes his characters into vulnerable ants in the face of a mysterious and deadly saucer. Straight out of another dimension, this unidentified flying object sucks in (and digests) humans and animals, under the petrified gaze of OJ and his expansive sister Emerald Haywood (Keke Palmer). What is their first instinct? Collect video evidence of this being’s existence, in order to bail out the finances of their Hollywood horse ranch. Neither really into horror, nor totally into thrillers, the author of disturbing Get Out (2017) et Us (2019) plunges the viewer into a thrilling science fiction blockbuster. In two words for actor Daniel Kaluuya, with the media Essence : “horror-adventure”.
As with each delivery of Jordan Peele, the mixture of genres and tones hooks the viewer never to let go. For the occasion, a whole cocktail of references has even been concocted. The classic western is mixed with Steven Spielberg-esque sci-fi, with hints of the universe and manga imagery like Neon Genesis Evangelion. Without the third feature film by the former American comedian turned director becoming locked by these reading keys.
The poignant palette of emotions of Keke Palmer, the bombast of Steven Yeun as the sheriff of an amusement park for mini-cowboys, the “nope” (“well no”) recurrent of an apathetic Daniel Kaluuya… Thanks to a fresco of very human characters, the bottom of the intrigue keeps a first foot on the ground, while the second flies away towards the sensational. Because in this extraterrestrial safari, Jordan Peele offers a novelty: the big show. Arrived at the second half of the film, the director lets go of the horses and offers himself a hectic chase. All in broad daylight, another break with his previous more nocturnal creations.
Nope nevertheless retains within it the struggles of its creator. Behind the fundamentally frightening creature and its improvised documentarists slips an incisive metaphor. “The real villain is our addiction to attention and spectacle, and the consequent inability to be able to react in real time., summarized Keke Palmer to AFP. Also, by still maintaining a predominantly African-American cast while moving away from the horror genre that made it famous, Jordan Peele covets another message.
We can be the protagonists not only of a horror movie, but also of an action, adventure, comedy movie, etc.
“We can be the protagonists not only of a horror filmhe hammers for Essence. But also an action film, adventure, comedy, etc.” With historical evidence embedded in the plot: Emerald and OJ claim to be descendants of the first black person captured on camera in moving footage by Eadweard Muybridge in 1878. A horse jockey, whose name has since wandered into show business limbo .
Genre : IT ISmighty-horror, science fiction
Director : Jordan Peele
Actresses and actors : Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, Steven Yeun
Pays : IT IStats-Unis
Duration : 2h10
Sortie : August 10, 2022
Distributer : Universal Studios
Synopsis : The inhabitants of a lost valley in the depths of California witness a terrifying supernatural discovery.
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