Sure Looks Strange to Me. 4 / 5
Directed by Jordan Peele.
Residents in a lonely gulch of inland California bear witness to an uncanny, chilling discovery.
Diving into new territory, Jordan Peele returns for an out of this world experience that plays with your expectations in shocking and terrifying ways.
Pulling influence from iconic science fiction work, Nope uses suspense as its greatest weapon, holding just enough back before finally revealing its long-kept secrets. Misdirection is used masterfully in both the marketing and the final product, leading you into a false sense of security before the truth is unveiled.
Control and respect are core themes throughout, especially when it comes to chimpanzees and animals for entertainment… This seemingly unpredictable nature is used to its advantage resulting in horrifying moments which is only elevated by some of the most disturbing sound design since the bear in Annihilation.
Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer's sibling chemistry is what bonds this fantastical film together, both giving very different but equally effective performances. Peele has his biggest sandbox and budget to date and he makes the most of it. From psychological tricks of the mind to an unbelievably cool tribute to Akira, his brilliantly deranged mind is weaved through every frame.
Nope is polarising, hilarious, terrifying, and visually staggering - it's everything I wanted it to be.
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