About the film (courtesy of Universal Pictures):
The film reunites Jordan Peele with Daniel Kaluuya, who is joined by Keke Palmer and Steven Yeun as residents in a lonely gulch of inland California who bear witness to an uncanny and chilling discovery.

Mysteries of the unknown will soon reveal themselves as Jordan Peele’s next unconventional horror flick is set to hit theaters later today. I’m sure you’ve undoubtedly seen a promo or two for his latest film, Nope. And depending on which versions you’ve seen, questions and theories have started to race through your minds as to what this film is actually about. Unlike the increasingly revealing clips made available by Universal Pictures over the past few weeks, I choose to still remain ambiguous in my discussions of this film, much in the way that the official synopsis above reads. Sometimes less is more, which is something Peele, himself, may have forgotten in the creation of this third piece.

After taking the world by storm with Get Out (2017) and then doubling down by taking further risks in his twisted storytelling with Us (2019), fans, including myself were wondering what’s next. Nope attempts to build upon Peele’s already-impressive legacy. The sci-fi horror mystery takes the writer/director’s imagination to new heights, and get there, apparently the fight takes longer. Respectively, the runtimes of his first two films were 105 minutes and 116 minutes. This new feature clocks in at 135 minutes.

Remember when I said sometimes less is more? Well, Nope happens to be a casualty of that statement. Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer serve as the two main stars and they’re given ample time to have their stories told. There’s no denying Daniel Kaluuya’s talents as he shows once again that he can command any and every scene that he’s in. Keke Palmer also brings some real emotion to her character’s portrayal. From an acting perspective, there are many solid performances. Other names you may recognize are Keith David, Steven Yeun, Brandon Perea and Michael Wincott.

There’s something about Nope’s pacing that makes things feel uneven and drawn out at times. As mentioned earlier, the runtime is extended in comparison to previous works, yet it’s time is probably right on par with other newly released films over the past several years (maybe even a little shorter). I appreciate Peele’s patience for wanting to tell his stories in-full. That said, this one could have trimmed a little here and there, especially in some of the backstory.

Nope tries very hard to keep its grip tightly on your arm, but after a while you can’t help but try to wriggle free. This isn’t a bad attempt at entertainment by any means. I just didn’t have the same feels that I came away with after watching the first two films. Another plus is the score, in addition to Peele’s use of a well-known song, but slowing it down to allow it to hit differently. He did it with Got 5 on It by Luniz in the past and he’ll strike another catchy chord with fans this time around by using a similar technique.

I do not hold Nope in high regards as some others. It’s sort of serviceable, but not totally enjoyable. And I can’t stress enough that the less you see in the previews, the you may enjoy the ride. As for Jordan Peele, I appreciate all that he tries to bring to the screen while going at things in an unconventional way, but his head may have been in the clouds when he was developing this one.

You can catch Nope in select theaters starting today at 4:00 PM and everywhere on Friday, July 22. Will you be one of the firsts to check this one out, or wait to watch it at home, or are you just going to skip it altogether? Whatever you decide, it’ll give you something to talk about even if it’s a ‘nah’ from me.