‘Nope’ an ambitious original thriller

Filmmaker Jordan Peele has directed some very intriguing mysteries. In 2017, Peele made his directorial debut with the 2017 film ‘Get Out,’ which received lots of acclaim and became a huge success, critically and financially. Two years later, Peele directed the thriller ‘Us,’ which was a weird, yet entertaining flick. The filmmaker also produced the acclaimed Spike Lee feature ‘Blackkklansman’ and last year’s reboot of ‘Candyman.’ Now, the talented filmmaker brings us another interesting and compelling thriller with ‘Nope.’ After random objects falling from the sky result in the death of their father, ranch-owing siblings OJ and Emerald Haywood attempt to video capture a mysterious force that affects both human and animal behavior. ‘Nope’ has a very interesting concept and delivers a lot of intriguing moments that will leave your eyes glued to the screen in amazement. Jordan Peele’s third directorial effort also offers a good deal of suspense and incredible visuals. This mystery-thriller features awesome thrills, but it does take a little bit to get to the thrills. The first bit of the movie can get a little slow as we’re introduced to the main characters. The opening sequence can get really mysterious when you see all the objects falling out of the sky and you begin to wonder what’s going on. Once the mysterious force really begins to cause havoc later into the movie, it gets really fascinating. ‘Nope’ does a great job keeping the mysterious force a mystery in a way. If you have already seen the trailers for the movie, it does show that it is alien-oriented (kind of a spoiler even though it’s in the marketing). Once the force is known and chaos ensues, the scares get really tense and very creative. The twist towards the end of the movie is also really mind-blowing and you don’t see it coming. Once you see how everything comes together that leads to the twist, it’s simply amazing. Granted, the marketing of the movie revealed the alien aspect of the feature, but thankfully didn’t ruin the twist of the feature. You may have to see the movie a second time to understand it a little more, but it will really keep you entertained right until the very end. Also, the small subplot about Steven Yeun’s character (Jupe) is really great and may or may not factor into what’s going on in the movie. One thing that I enjoy about the thrillers that Jordan Peele has been doing is that they keep you entertained and really make you think. Another thing that I enjoy about the movies that he directs is that they are original ideas! And, honestly, if you haven’t seen his previous directorial efforts (Get Out; Us), I highly recommend them. So, if you’re looking for a little mystery to watch (and have some AC), make sure to head to the Dietrich and check out ‘Nope.’ It features some good thrills, amazing visuals and some good chuckles along the way. The cast: Daniel Kaluuya as OJ Haywood; Keke Palmer as Emerald Haywood; Brendon Perea as Angel Torres; Michael Wincott as Antlers Holst; Steven Yeun as Ricky ‘Jupe’ Park; Wrenn Schmidt as Amber Park; Devon Graye as Ryder Muybridge; Donna Mills as Bonnie Clayton; Eddie Jameson as Buster; Barbie Ferreira as Nessie and Keith David as Otis Haywood Sr. ‘Nope’ is written and directed by Jordan Peele and honestly can’t wait to see what he comes up with next. ‘Nope’ is rated R for language throughout and some violence/bloody images and has a running time of 130 minutes. Let me know what you thought of Jordan Peele’s latest on my Facebook page Wyoming County Press Examiner reviews by Matt Palmer,