Post by Twillie on May 28, 2024 23:08:41 GMT -5
A random tweet reignited my interest in Jordan Peele's films, none of which I had seen before but knew I'd get to some day. Well, that day has come! In particular, I really wanted to watch Nope (2022), and after my initial viewing, I basically kept it on loop until my rental expired lol.
I admittedly didn't watch it as intended, as I spoiled myself on most of the plot before seeing it. Regardless, it's a very thrilling movie, and one that sticks with you after you finish it. I did a double feature with Get Out, and Peele's movies in general have great rewatchability, as there's bits of foreshadowing and irony you won't catch without at least a second viewing. They also have a unique energy to them, which I can't fully explain, but they both keep you thinking I suppose. The added social and racial commentary through symbolism and metaphor gives them extra meat, and most everything is done with just enough detail that it still makes you work to catch or understand everything. (this has all been said before though, I'm just late to the game lol.)
I'm not usually a horror fan, but there's a great blending of genres like comedy and adventure in Nope especially, so it feels like a fun ride with an edge of creepiness and horror to it along the way.
More specific thoughts: I love the desert/cowboy aesthetic of it all, Daniel Kaluuya is a delight and his character OJ might be my favorite, and kudos for being the rare horror film that largely takes place during the day! CGI can be kind of hit or miss, but it mostly hits, especially at the end. I'd recommend this to anyone interested, and I'd say go in blind if you can lol.
Major spoiler thoughts:
The scene where we find out the ship is actually a living creature by seeing it eat the Star Lasso crowd and digest them alive h a u n t e d me, like just reading about that scene made me afraid of the movie before even watching it xD Such a terrible concept to contemplate, but so so good paired after this film's buildup. Rewatching the scene gives me a sense of dread every time, but in a thrilling way like going up a large hill on a ride (which is fitting since the scene mixes terror screams with roller coaster screams lol). I love how we get just a brief glimpse inside Jean Jacket to still leave most of the crowd's demise to the imagination, and the set piece is a good mix of familiar and alien organic design, like Jean Jacket's square-shaped windpipe. Makes it feel way too real while adding an extra creepy edge.
I love how no stone is left unturned with the movie's details, and every object has some kind of symbolic or ironic meaning behind it. OJ and Em's father is killed by a coin that fell from Jean Jacket, and in the end Em gets the money shot of Jean Jacket via a coin-operated photo op. The Haywood family legacy began with the Animal Locomotion photos that spawned motion pictures, and the Haywood siblings as well pioneer the documentation of Jean Jacket with an analog camera. The popping of a balloon caused Gordy's rampage, and the popping of a balloon is what defeats Jean Jacket. I love when details like that are super deliberate and tie back to the film's climax or ending in a satisfying way.
Also, the tweet that originally got me interested was a gif of Jean Jacket raining blood on the house, which is another A+ scene haha. I love Angel's instinct during it to hide under a table with a kitchen knife in hand, as though that'll do anything to the carnivorous flying saucer in the sky, but I also can't blame him lol.
I love how no stone is left unturned with the movie's details, and every object has some kind of symbolic or ironic meaning behind it. OJ and Em's father is killed by a coin that fell from Jean Jacket, and in the end Em gets the money shot of Jean Jacket via a coin-operated photo op. The Haywood family legacy began with the Animal Locomotion photos that spawned motion pictures, and the Haywood siblings as well pioneer the documentation of Jean Jacket with an analog camera. The popping of a balloon caused Gordy's rampage, and the popping of a balloon is what defeats Jean Jacket. I love when details like that are super deliberate and tie back to the film's climax or ending in a satisfying way.
Also, the tweet that originally got me interested was a gif of Jean Jacket raining blood on the house, which is another A+ scene haha. I love Angel's instinct during it to hide under a table with a kitchen knife in hand, as though that'll do anything to the carnivorous flying saucer in the sky, but I also can't blame him lol.