Nope: The Monster in the Sky (A Film Review)
When Jordan Peele, writer and director of Get Out and Us, comes out with a new horror project, it is certain that movie enthusiasts of all kinds will flock to the theater. With a $44 million opening weekend, Nope is currently number one in the box office. Its elements of cosmic horror, neo-Western themes and monstrous aliens make this UFO thriller strange, absurd and terrifying.
WARNING: CONTAINS MILD SPOILERS
Bad Miracles in Nope
Nope begins with a dark screen and the audio of a man and woman talking, their jokes supported by a laughing audience. We are listening to a sitcom recording. Suddenly a balloon pops, and everyone nervously laughs before their joy is drowned out with haunting screams and a howling. The camera takes us to the stage: a chimp named Gordy is sitting quietly on the floor of a TV studio stage. He is wearing dark pants, a yellow long sleeve shirt and a birthday hat. His breath is heavy, his body leaning heavily against a couch. A woman lays on the floor behind him, and he is covered in her blood.
There is a lot to take in with this opening scene, as the trailer for Nope did a good job making the plot as obscure as possible. It also sets the tone for the rest of the movie, where violence, suffering and death are inevitable. (Bearing in mind that the chimp is CGI and it’s screams are stock sound,) this is one of the most terrifying scenes in Nope and it is just the beginning.
History in the Making
Enter animal trainers Otis Haywood Senior (Keith David) and his children Otis “OJ” Haywood Junior (Daniel Kaluuya) and Emerald “Em” Haywood (Keke Palmer). After Otis Sr. has a tragic accident, OJ takes over his father’s ranch and business, Haywood Hollywood Horses, the latter of which Em occasionally helps out with. When the siblings travel back to the ranch after a long day of work in Hollywood, they notice strange things happening with the horses. It doesn’t take long for them to conclude that extraterrestrial forces might be to blame.
A critical theme in Nope is America’s centuries-long practice of excluding Black history and accomplishments. Em tells a small film crew that the “very first assembly of photographs to create a motion picture was a Black man on a horse” and that man was her great, great, great grandfather. His name is not mentioned, because the name of the jockey on the horse in the clip is unknown.
As with all works of fiction, Peele slightly alters these bits of history in Nope. What is most important is how he hones in on the true fact that Black people have had their accomplishments erased and uncredited throughout American history, whether it is in art, science or the history of horse riding. The importance of this becomes evident later in the movie when OJ and Em work hard to capture a UFO on film. The “Oprah shot” can not only preserve the Haywood legacy, but possibly change the the state of the world as we know it.
The Story
Overall, Nope is a simple tale of two siblings working to capture a UFO on film. But beneath the surface, there is a smorgasbord of layers that work and other components that do not. One of my favorite scenes is when the UFO abducts Ricky Park and his family and audience. We see a small gruesome glimpse of what happens to the abductees, and it is chilling.
Every actor, from the extras to the main cast, put on an incredible performance in Nope. Kaluuya and Palmer especially steal the show, with Steven Yeun (playing theme park owner and child actor Ricky “Jupe” Park) and Brandon Perea (playing tech salesman Angel Torres) providing excellent and comedic support. Their acting and the IMAX filming bring the story to life, even in moments when the story falters.
At the end of Nope, when the UFO takes on a different form, the CGI and filming is exquisite. It is also near this scene where the story becomes a bit lackluster. The movie ends with Em finally getting the “Oprah shot.” This scene mirrors previous figurative and literal shots in the film; Palmer carries these last few . But while Nope’s actors and cinematography are profound during these moments, the overall conclusion is ultimately unsatisfying.
And yet, Peele does well in making sure the stories he writes do not dependent on its ending. The strong world building, gorgeous film score and impressive wide shots make Nope engaging from beginning to end, even if the final scenes are not as exciting as they could have been.
Horror Meets IMAX
Nope‘s cinematography is beautiful. Peele’s used large format IMAX cameras, whose high resolution capabilities allowed for an immersive, transformative viewing experience. This, coupled with the expansive and color-contrasting desert landscape, added a unique neo-Western aura to the film. When the camera captures the spaceship creeping out of a cloud in the sky, or when blood pours on the Haywood home, it feels as if we are right there with the Haywood siblings, escaping the hungry monster in the sky.
The Verdict
As with most of Peele’s works, Nope is riddled with an array of interpretations and hidden meanings. The UFO blockbuster is a large pivot from his previous works, thus illustrating just how wide of a range the writer and director has when working with horror. Nope is a strange and enthralling UFO summer movie worth watching. And whether or not this specific niche of film is your cup of tea, there is no denying that Peele continues to make history in the beloved, under-appreciated genre that is horror.
(4 / 5)
We have come now to the finale of season four of The Boys. And while it didn’t have the literal blood fireworks I wanted, someone did get ripped in half in the air. So, that’s pretty close.
As a note, I will try to avoid spoilers as much as possible. This ending was a hell of a gut punch that should be experienced as blindly as possible. That being said, I will not be able to avoid spoilers and still give a full legitimate review. Proceed at your own risk.
The story
The main storyline for this episode is the attempted assassination of President-Elect Robert Singer. The Boys join forces with the Secret Service to protect him. But, as we learned last episode, Annie has been replaced with a shapeshifter. A shapeshifter that was welcome not just into Hughie’s anus, but into the protective bunker in which the President-Elect is hiding.
What worked
The first thing I want to discuss about this episode is the ending. But we need to do this carefully.
The important thing here is that the ending breaks your heart on so many levels. So many terrible things are happening to characters that it’s almost hard to keep track. And each moment is significant to each character.
I cannot give a specific example. But no matter who your favorite character is, you’re going to weep for them.
Unless your favorite character is Sage. And this is the next thing that made this episode so fantastic.
I don’t think I’m spoiling anything to say that Sage’s plans worked out exactly as she wanted them to. And she got exactly what she wanted.
What she wanted wasn’t power. It wasn’t money or fame or vengeance. It wasn’t to win the love of anyone. She just wanted to see if she could do it.
That is a terrific, terrifying motivation! Because all she wants is to play a massive game of chess with people as pieces. She doesn’t care about anyone. She just wants to see how many people she can manipulate. She just wants to set things on fire to see if she can.
Fantastic. A plus villain work.
The next thing I want to discuss is a cornerstone of the whole series.
The morality of The Boys shifts through the series. While it’s very much a battle to save the world from overpowered super monsters, it’s also a battle for the souls of our real heroes. And in that battle, there are two warring factors. We have Hughie, always trying to bring everyone up to a better level. And we have Butcher, who has no problem at all hitting rock bottom with a shovel in hand to do some more digging.
In this episode, we saw almost every member of The Boys challenged. Will they rise to their higher angels, or sink with their demons?
On a similar note, I am so glad that the writers kind of addressed my issues with Annie. They did this by having the shapeshifter get right into her face and accuse her of thinking that she’s better than everyone.
While that was devastating for the character, it was a little cathartic for those of us who felt like Annie was a little too good of a good guy.
What didn’t work
This is a small matter, but it is an issue that I want to address. After Annie finds out that Hughie slept with her doppelganger, she is furious at him.
In addition to this being unfair, it’s also a very cliche element to add. In almost every instance of a lookalike in fiction, there’s a moment where the love interest of the victim is fooled. Or almost fooled. And it’s always the same fight. It’s just played out and predictable. I’m just glad that it didn’t last very long.
Now that we’ve come to the end of the season, I can officially say that it was amazing. The story was deep and rich. The special effects were a stomach-turning good time. The character development was spot-on and satisfying. And, of course, it left me just about gagging to see what happens next. Unfortunately, it looks like we’ll have a bit of a wait. Because as of right now, the fifth season isn’t expected until 2026.
(5 / 5)
We’ve reached the second to last episode of The Boys, season four. And, as is appropriate for the penultimate episode of any show, things have to get a lot worse before they can get better.
Let’s discuss.
The story
Christmas is coming, and the whole world is getting ready. Ryan, despite being very clear that he didn’t want to appear on any TV shows or movies, has been strong-armed into participating in a Vought puppet Christmas special. He draws the line, though, when asked to sing about turning one’s parents in if they start talking about woke things.
Meanwhile, The Boys are trying to keep each other together. Butcher decides to take Sameer to the rest of the team. He also gets Frenchie out of prison, hoping they can make the Sup virus necessary to finally take down Homelander. Instead, this decision means disaster for one member of the team.
What worked
I first want to talk about Ryan’s speech near the end of the episode. Because it was exactly the moral of this whole story.
Ryan’s dad is a monster. His stepdad is also kind of a monster. But Ryan is a good kid. He cares about people, about family. And while he loves Homelander and Butcher, he doesn’t want to be like them.
Even better, this speech sounded like something a kid would say. Ryan didn’t open his mouth and start sounding like a college student all of a sudden. He sounds like a kid who misses his mom and wants to live up to the good standards she set for him. And I think that’s terrific.
Speaking of Homelander, he shot himself in the foot in this episode. I said earlier in the season that his hubris was going to be his downfall, and I was right. Without Sage, he just has the same weaknesses he’s always had. He’s going to fail because he just isn’t clever enough or patient enough to succeed.
Without Sage, I think a win is in the bag for The Boys. This isn’t to say that Homelander by himself isn’t dangerous. It’s just that he’s more like a wildfire than a controlled burn. He’s going to cause a lot of damage, but not get anything he wants out of it.
More’s the pity for him and everyone else who has to share his world.
Finally, I am thrilled with A-Train’s redemption story. I love that he wants to be a good person not to save himself, but to be a good person. His honest, pure and warm reaction to that little kid smiling at him in the last episode was heartwarming. It changed him in a moment, bringing to light a goodness that he’s been keeping under wraps for a long time.
This, along with Ryan’s courageous speech, proves once again what The Boys does so well. Yes, it’s gruesome. Yes, there’s blood and balls and batshit events. Yes, someone occasionally gets ripped in half. But there is a true human goodness in the story. One that we catch glimpses of. There are good people among the monsters. There is hope for redemption.
What didn’t work
Of course, so few things in this life are perfect, and this episode was no exception. For instance, I was irritated by the insinuation that Butcher cheated on his wife.
That just doesn’t make any sense. We’ve seen flashbacks of Billy and Becca. They were happy. He was happy. He was head over heels for her. And I don’t think it’s realistic or necessary for the character to throw in that he cheated. It does nothing to add to the story, it’s just a weird and offputting moment.
Doesn’t Butcher have enough to hate about himself? Can’t we just give him that at least he was a good husband?
Finally, I kind of hate that we ended up with Annie being caught. It’s just cliche, which is something I don’t normally say about this show. It feels lazy unless they do something very clever with it in the last episode. Which, I suppose, they might.
Next up is the season finale. And with this season being as insane as it has been, I’m expecting nothing short of bloody fireworks. And I mean literal fireworks of blood. At this point, would it surprise anyone?
(4 / 5)
Episode six of The Boys was one of the most surprising episodes of the series so far. And that is certainly saying something. Because this season has so far been bonkers.
The story
Our episode today revolves around a party at Tek Knight’s lovely mansion. Yes, it does look just like Wayne Manor.
The Boys know that Tek Knight is working with Homelander on something, but they don’t know the details. So they decide to send Hughie in to bug the mansion.
Because that’s worked so well the other two times he’s tried to hide a bug!
It should surprise no one that this time goes no better. Hughie finds himself in Tek Knight’s basement. And by that I mean his BDSM dungeon.
Meanwhile, the party upstairs is no less disturbing. Homelander and Sage are trying to convince some well-off political donors to support a cue after the election. When pressed for details on his plan, Homelander freezes. He looks to Sage for help, but she wasn’t recently shot in the head and still in the junk food stage of her healing.
Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on your point of view, Neuman jumps in and saves the day.
What works
If I’m going to say one thing about this episode, it didn’t hold back at all. I didn’t expect them to show a character masturbating, sitting their bare behind on a cake, or spraying breastmilk into someone’s face. But every time I thought they’d cut the scene and let something be left to our imagination, they did not do that.
This is a dangerous move. Whenever you show the monster, you run the risk of them not being scary enough, or gross enough. As Stephen King says in Danse Macabre, to leave this sort of thing to the imagination if the reader makes things so much worse. So when they finally experience the monster, they might say that this isn’t so bad. It could have been so much worse.
But in this case, they managed to avoid that by making the scenes, especially the ones in Tek Knight’s dungeon, so much worse than I imagined it would be.
What doesn’t work
While this was a deeply disturbing episode in many ways, there was one really innocent and sweet moment.
And yes, I did have a problem with it.
Confronted by Firecracker, Annie decides to apologize for spreading rumors about her when they were kids. She tells her that she is genuinely sorry.
And I believe her. I don’t think Firecracker did, but I did.
So why is this an issue? Because I’m starting to think that Annie is maybe too nice. She is too good.
I know that Annie is our good guy. But every one of the other good guys has flaws. Hughie let his pride get in the way and took Temp V. MM hid himself from his daughter instead of teaching her to work through her emotions. Kimiko is far too closed off and has a hard time trusting others. Frenchie numbs himself with drugs. And well, what hasn’t Butcher done?
It is unrealistic that Annie is just so kind and so flawless. We all have shadows in our personalities. We all have weaknesses, we all mess up. We all do things we wish we could take back. The fact that Annie doesn’t seem to have anything like that is not just unrealistic. It’s infantilizing.
Give her some deep dark secrets. Give her something real to regret.
This was a shocking episode, even for someone fairly jaded like me. I wasn’t expecting the sort of weird sexual depravity, though I guess maybe I should have seen it coming. It was dark, upsetting, tense, and funny as hell. And with just two episodes left in the season, I can imagine the stakes are only going to get higher.
(4 / 5)
By the way, if you like my writing you can get my short story, Man In The Woods, on Smashwords and Amazon.
