MOVIE REVIEW - NOPE: TO WATCH, OR NOT TO WATCH?
IN THE YEAR 2022, AND BEYOND, WE STILL HAVE LOTS OF JORDAN PEELE TO COME.
WITH HIS COLLABORATION WITH HIS LONG-TIME COMPADRE, KEEGAN-MICHAEL KEY, IN NETFLIX’S WENDELL & WILD ON ITS WAY, THERE’S NO SLOWING DOWN FOR THIS ALREADY REVERED DIRECTOR.
WE’RE AWARE OF HIS COMEDIC ABILITIES, WHICH WE’VE SEEN AND HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO WHEN HE HAS PERFORMED IN FRONT OF CAMERAS (KEY & PEELE, KENAU), BUT THIS PAST WEEKEND, HE PROVED TO VIEWERS JUST HOW MUCH THE EXPRESSION “THIRD TIME’S A CHARM” REFLECTS ON HIS ALREADY INCREDIBLE BODY OF WORK FROM BEHIND THE CAMERA….IN FACT, WE STAND CORRECTED….
CAN YOU HONESTLY NAME A DIRECTOR WHO HAS HAD A TRIFECTA OF FILMS DO SO WELL, BACK TO BACK, AND HAS MEANT SO MUCH TO THE CULTURE?…NOT ONLY BLACK CULTURE, BUT THE CULTURE OF ART/CINEMA OVERALL!
THOUGH HE ISN’T DIRECTING WENDELL & WILD, AFTER A WINNING STREAK WITH MOVIES LIKE GET OUT, US, AND NOW THE “SCI-FI” NOPE, WE DARE TO ASK, WHERE IS JORDAN HEADING NEXT WITH HIS VERY UNIQUE AND RESPECTED DIRECTING ABILITIES?
OFF THE BAT, THE FILM IS A BIT DIFFERENT THAN WHAT YOU EXPECTED, ESPECIALLY IN COMPARISON TO ITS ACTUAL TRAILER, WHICH ISN’T NECESSARILY A BAD THING.
TO BE HONEST, THE TRAILER SPOOKED US OUT A BIT MORE THAN THE ACTUAL FILM DID, BUT WE LOVE THAT ARTISTS LIKE PEELE ARE STILL ABLE TO USE THIS WAY OF PRESENTATION AS A TOOL TO REEL YOU INTO THEIR ARTISTIC EXPRESSIONS, AND INTO SEATS IN CINEMAS ALL AROUND THE GLOBE WITHOUT FEELING LIKE YOU ALREADY KNOW WHERE A FILM IS GOING TO GO, WITH ITS PLOT, CINEMATOGRAPHY, AND EVEN ITS TWISTS (IF ANY).
THE MAGIC OF THE “UNKNOWN” OR THE QUESTIONING BEHIND THE IMAGERY PROTRAYED IN SOMETING LIKE A TRAILER WILL LEAVE A PERSON EXTREMELY CURIOUS TO FIND OUT WHAT SOMETHING IS OR TRULY REPRESENTS IN THE ACTUAL FILM!
ITS RARE TO COME ACROSS A SKILL LIKE THIS IN THIS DAY AND AGE THAT WE LIVE IN, WHEN TRAILERS LITERALLY GIVE YOU THE ENTIRE FILM WITHIN A THREE MINUTE SPAN, SURPRISES AND ALL!
TRAILERS THEMSELVES HAVE BECOME SPECTACLES, AND SPECTACLES IS AN ONGOING THEME WITHIN THIS FILM.
TRAILER COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL PICTURES, VIA THEIR OFFICIAL YOUTUBE CHANNEL.
THE FILM POKES FUN AT OUR INTERPRETATION OF WHAT AN “ALIEN” IS SUPPOSED TO BE AND LOOK LIKE, AND THE IMAGE THAT WE’VE ALL HAD IN OUR BRAINS FOR FOREVER, ESPECIALLY AFTER SEEING THESE IMAGES PORTRAYED ON FILM.
WITH THE FLYING SAUCER, SOME CHILDREN DRESSED UP IN ALIEN COSTUMES, PLUSH TOYS, OR EVEN IN THE DESIGN OF A “TMZ-ESQUE” CHARACTER’S HELMET WHO AIMS TO GET HIS OWN FOOTAGE OF WHAT’S HAPPENING ON THE RANCH….OH! AND EVEN WITH THE CAMERA SET IN THE TV SERIES STUDIO OF THE IN-FILM SITCOM “GORDY’S HOME” SORT OF RESEMBLING ALIEN LIKE CREATURES (SEE IMAGE BELOW - DID ANYONE CATCH THAT?), JORDAN’S TAKE ON “ALIENS”, OR JUST ANOTHER LIFE FORM BEING IN THE CLOUDS IS SOMETHING UNIQUE, AND THAT HAS NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE, CONTINUOUSLY RUNNING WITH THE THEME OF, “WHAT YOU THINK YOU KNOW, ISN’T WHAT IT SEEMS”, WHICH IS WHAT WE APPRECIATE JORDAN FOR WHEN INDULGING IN HIS FILMS SO FAR.
WE HAVE ALWAYS FELT THAT WE ARE BEING WATCHED BY SOME ALIEN FORCE OUT THERE, BUT WE FEEL LIKE THE MESSAGE HE (JORDAN) IS ATTEMPTING TO CONVEY IS THAT WE ARE ACTUALLY THE ALIENS, AND WE’VE PUT EYES ON EACH OTHER IN WAYS WE SHOULDN’T HAVE (OUR PHONES, CAMERAS, THE OBSESSION OF CAPTURING SOMETHING, OR BEING THE FIRST, EVEN WHEN IT IS SOMETHING SO VILE).
IT’S AS IF THE CAMERAS ARE THEIR OWN CHARACTERS OR LIFE-FORMS, BUT IT IS US WHO HAVE GIVEN THEM LIFE AND PURPOSE.
WE CAN WRITE A FULL ESSAY ON OUR PERSPECTIVE OF THE FILM AND ITS HIDDEN MESSAGES, BUT THE ONES THAT WILL BE PRESENTED RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOUR FACE WHILE WATCHING MATTER THE MOST TO US, LIKE THE CONCEPT OF FAMILY, CARING FOR ANIMALS, AND THAT IF WE CAN CARE FOR THEM, WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO CARE FOR ONE ANOTHER AND NOT EXPLOIT OUR FELLOW HUMAN/BEING FOR GAIN. HOW HOLLYWOOD HAS ALWAYS BEEN “HOLLY-WEIRD”, AND THE POWER OF OWNERSHIP/SOMEONE ELSE WANTING WHAT YOU HAVE, AND BEING ABLE TO BUY BACK WHAT’S YOURS, ALL OF THAT + MORE!
WE FEEL THAT PEELE IS 2 FOR 3 WITH HIS FILMS THAT COULD EASILY BE SUCCEEDED BY SEQUELS.
IT’D BE GREAT IF PEELE WAS BUILDING HIS PEEL-VERSE OF FILMS, BUT THERE ARE DEFINITELY SOME UNANSWERED QUESTIONS IN THIS ONE, FOLKS, LIKE, WHAT NEXT? WHAT HAPPENS TO THE CHARACTERS NOW? ARE THERE MORE OF THEM IN THE SKY? WHERE DID IT COME FROM? WHY THERE?
WE WANT YOU ALL TO WATCH THIS FILM A COUPLE TIMES, AND ACTUALLY LEARN SOMETHING FROM IT, NOT ONLY ABOUT YOURSELVES, BUT HOW WE ESPECIALLY TREAT OTHERS, AND WHAT WE CHOOSE TO INDULGE IN ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS. THINK DEEPER ABOUT WHAT WE CONSIDER TO BE ENTERTAINMENT.
THERE ARE STORIES WITHIN THE MAIN STORY THAT ARE JUST AS IMPORTANT AS THE MAIN STORY ITSELF, SO KEEP YOUR THIRD EYE OPEN WHEN WATCHING…..LET US KNOW WHAT YOU TOOK FROM IT….
BE SAFE OUT THERE, AND REMEMBER TO NOT LOOK UP!
PROS:
IT PULLS YOU IN, MAKING YOU THINK…WHAT IF THAT WAS ME?
IT LEAVES THINGS OPEN TO INTERPRETATION WITHOUT SHOVING THE CONCEPT OF ABSTRACT OR METAPHORS DOWN YOUR THROAT
EERIE + ATMOSPHERIC
DELIVERS A MESSAGE THAT ACTS AS A “WAKE-UP CALL” TO TODAY’S GENERATION
CONS:
AN ON-SCREEN LEGEND DIES TOO EARLY
NO FULFILLING CONCLUSION (What’s Next?)
VERY DIFFERENT FROM ITS TRAILER
NOT AS SCARY AS WE WOULD’VE LIKED OR EXPECTED IT TO BE
In conclusion…
WATCH
- ARYS DÉJAN, THE WHO & HOW CLUB
COVER PHOTO COURTESY OF GOOGLE: https://images.app.goo.gl/bDMBSTjH7anAKuBL7