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Nope 2022 ★★★★★
From the very first shot – with what we later learn is Gordy – this film has you intrigued and hooked. A monkey covered in blood, crouching over the body of a woman and a single shoe of a child. What is going on? What happened to the child?
Jordan Peele chooses to focus on atmosphere, showing not that much of the monster until later in the story. And even then, you're left to guess. The “second monster” at the end... Is that an evolved version? An alien queen like the one we saw in Aliens?
This way, he leaves much up to the actors. And they deliver. Especially Daniel Kaluya shines here, showing his range. Between the smart, artistic Chris in Get Out and the somewhat gruff, quiet OJ, the difference is pretty big. I'm also a fan of Steven Yeun and based on his suit in the trailer, I was for some reason expecting an OTT character that borrowed from Nicholson's character in Mars Attacks. Thus providing the comic relief.
Here, however, he plays it straight, with sometimes a hint of insecurity in his body language and inflection. Leaving him looking like someone suffering from what we now call imposter syndrome. Although, as I am typing this, I also realize that it can symbolize fears of a minority person that I as a Caucasian cannot and probably will never fully comprehend.
Because we cannot discuss a Jordan Peele-movie without talking about symbolism and metaphors. Some look a bit on the nose, like “Run OJ run” or the fistbump between a bloody Gordy and young Jupe. I also wonder wether what happens next is a nod to Night of the living dead, but maybe I am looking too far. Because there is so much more. The story about their ancestor. The shot of Keke Palmer covered in those yellow crime scene lines. And the idea of the monster being “in the cloud”, which I consider a stroke of genius in times where a lot of people have a large chunk of, if not all of their lives in such a cloud.
I could knock out a few more paragraphs, but I will leave the rest of the images and metaphors for a rewatch.
Five stars across the board. Deserves to be in all top-5 lists for 2022.
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