¡Nop!

I surmise that the idea for "Nope" came out of a clever idea for a sketch. Imagine a film where the main character says "Nope" to terrifying, unexplainable phenomena instead of rushing forward like a courageous, but dumb movie hero.

Except, bucking that trope only takes a movie so far. And that's the point where the movie "Nope" starts to unravel, when it can't adequately explain why the protagonists are sticking around.

Somewhere between halfway and three fourths of the movie, the dialogue just becomes far too cryptic to make sense of. And that's the point where the actions the protagonists are taking really needs to be clear, as it's the climax of the film.

I wished the director Jordan Peele, one half of the successful Key and Peele comedy duo, would try his hand at the horror/comedy movie genre. I believe this is his third and latest film, and the second one that most fits in that genre.

To his credit, some sequences have great cinematography, tension, and horror. And some moments are really funny. One particular sequence is both terrifying and hilarious, and best encapsulates the title "Nope," as a main character goes head to head with a massive, intimidating force and just closes his car door, and says "nope."

But overall, the horror and comedy sides do not feel totally woven together. It's like at some point budget was lost and some sequences just couldn't get follow through. And the characters had to be stretched to make up for missing plot points, or fill the moments with comedy. The writers and actors and visual effects teams are good enough so they manage it. But there is a sense of "what did I just watch" at the ending, which wasn't there with Peele's two other more finished films.

Whatever the back story is that has given "Nope" its rough landing, I still found the film enjoyable. Sometimes experimental. Mostly unpretentious and original good fun. But also, what did I just watch?

There is so much going on here and ultimately that is the films biggest weakness. It doesn't really commit to any certain genre. It's genre blending to the max! Still, it's a total blast that will have you laughing in one moment and screaming in the next. The horror elements are my favorite. At this point Peele has proven himself to be a horror master. But this is not really a horror film per say. It's got horror elements as well as comedy, thriller, action, and western. Probably the most unique film to come out in the Covid era. It was a total blast.

I hope we are not about to see the Shyamalan effect with Jordan Peele, where the debut film is amazing and everything that follows leaves you scratching your head. I feel like I'm on that road with Peele's body of silver screen work. "Get Out" was a masterpiece, while "Us" jus didn't do it for me and now "Nope!"

Keke Palmer did her thing in the role she played (she is the star of this movie for sure) and Daniel kept up with a good performance in his own right, but the film itself was something outta the Twilight Zone. More of a sci-fi thriller than a horror flick, it had too many holes and unanswered questions for my liking. Peele's approach to filmmaking is amazing, much like Shyamalan, but the stories, like Shyamalan's are starting to fall short of being good films.

Jordan may have dreamt this story and woke up at 5am and jotted down every detail he could remember. And like our weird dreams, they never make any sense and we forget a lot of the details by the time we wake up! Nope was like one of those weird a... dreams!

I can honestly say I have never had any movie grip me with so much curiosity and excitement in the first 30 minutes only to end with so great a weight of disappointment at it's close.

As others have pointed out, it's difficult to understand why - given the plethora of avenues that were available and sure to be imagined by so talented a mind as Jordan Peele - this is where the film was taken.

There was boundless opportunity for storylines that could have classed in the same category of special and original as Get Out and Us - Peele's previous works, but the film became bizarre. No other word for it.

Peele's characters are usually so believable, and it is one of the cornerstones of his work that has best enabled audiences to feel so enraptured and immersed prior to Nope. That convincing forming of character is missing in more than a few here. Not - it should be noted - in the two main characters played by Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer, but when surrounding and still important characters fall so flat and insincere in the majority of the film, it takes a lot away from the strong work Daniel and Keke produce.

I don't know whether I'm more disappointed at the execution of the film, or that so valuable an opportunity for alternative and haunting plot lines was wasted.

It was generally not good - and it really pains me to say that.

1. Commentary on exploitative social media accounts that strive for the most clicks regardless of who they negatively impact.

2. Keke Palmer's eccentric performance as Emerald. She should be in way more movies.

3. Daniel Kaluuya's deadpan one liners.

4. Rewatch value, there is build up to each twist and shocking moment. Mysterious and ambiguous scenes become scarier after learning context.

5. Foreshadowing: it is absolutely everywhere. Sometimes done subtly, other times obviously.

6. Subtle details; highly detailed set, script, and outfits, down to the logo on one of the main character's shirt.

7. Sound effects. It goes beyond typical horror noise cues, using unique sounds to build-up scares. The blood curdling screams loudly echoing as the creature flies by are terrifying.

8. Akira motorcycle shot. Thank you Jordan.