Nope 2022
I really enjoyed Jordan Peele’s Get Out, but was less impressed with the more conventional horror movie Us. I hoped for the best with Nope and was glad to see good reviews. I try to stay unspoiled, but one review said it was a mix of genres, which sounded positive. It actually feels very much like an M. Night Shyamalan movie, particularly, Signs. There are aspects I liked and there was some humor, but ultimately I feel like it was just a mysterious monster movie. Even though I don’t really like horror movies, I still feel like I've seen very, very similar movies and despite some good characters and performances, this movie doesn’t break new ground. In fact, quite a lot seems unsatisfactorily explained. It isn’t that I was completely clueless, I just think Peele chose to set up a bunch of mysteries and you have to fill in a lot of the blanks on your own. I also did not like some of the effects used, which I don’t feel like I can go into. Still some neat ideas and a lot going on despite a slow start, so I feel like it gets a B as much for style as substance.
Written: 27 Jul 2022