After making two movies that felt like overlong Twilight Zone episodes, Jordan Peele branches into full-on Steven Spielberg territory with the extraterrestrial/comedy/western, Nope. While Peele might have had lofty aspirations of attaining a Spielberg vibe, unfortunately, the results more often than not are closer to M. Night Shyamalan than Spielberg. Even though it’s much more of a mixed bag than either Get Out or Us, it certainly has its moments.
Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer star as a pair of siblings who own a ranch that loans horses to Hollywood productions. After the mysterious death of their father (Keith David) and the disappearances of their horses, they do some investigating and soon find out a pesky alien is to blame. They then set out to capture the extraterrestrial horse thief on film with the help of a UFO junkie (Brandon Perea) and an ace cinematographer (Michael Wincott).
The idea has potential, but the film is often too meandering for its own good. The chief problem is the “B” plot involving a chimp that was the star of his own sitcom until it went crazy and slaughtered the cast and crew. While that little bit of side business might’ve worked as an entertaining feature in its own right, it would’ve made for a tighter picture had it been cut entirely. Sure, it fits into the overall theme of the movie, but it’s ultimately little more than a gratuitous digression.
Although the slow build-up may have you fidgeting in your chair, stay with it, because the finale is rather rousing. Maybe not quite strong enough to justify the film’s two-hour-plus running time, but it’s a solidly crafted elongated suspense/action sequence. I will say that once we finally get a look at the mischievous E.T., it’s a little disappointing. The tantalizing glimpses of what’s going on inside the UFO work slightly better.
The performances are almost as uneven as the movie itself. Kaluuya gives a naturalistic performance. So naturalistic that we don’t even feel like we’re watching a character in a movie. However, he’s so naturalistic that at times he mumbles his dialogue so much that you can’t understand what he’s saying. Palmer is kind of annoying, but it’s not really her fault as Peele more or less writes her as the annoying sister, without a whole lot of depth. Steven Yeun fares slightly better as the child actor who survived the monkey attack to grow up to be a cowboy who owns a western amusement park. It’s Wincott though who steals the show. His off-kilter performance that injects some much-needed personality into the proceedings late in the game. The creepy way he talk-sings “Purple People Eater” is almost worth the price of admission alone.
Despite its flaws, the flick is more of a Yup than a Nope.
No comments:
Post a Comment