It’s been three years since Jordan Peele has come out with a thrilling horror feature and the writer/director makes his big return with Nope, which sees him reunite with Daniel Kaluuya as James Haywood. Him and Jill run a California horse ranch and encounter a mysterious force that drastically affects human and animal behavior. The latest Peele vehicle will hit theaters in July, and the marketing campaign has finally released a trailer for Nope. This list will highlight the five best moments of the horror feature.
The Introduction of Jill and James Haywood
When it comes to movies, one of the most important things is characters and the beginning gives you enough insight into who James and Jill Haywood are. It’s not clear whether they’re a couple or not (they seem more like brother and sister), but the segment with Keke Palmer and Daniel Kaluuya in front of a green scene showcases Jill as the charismatic, fast-talking personality who will likely bring the humor and heart to Nope. James doesn’t seem like he even wants to be there, giving a deadpan, “Why the hell am I here” look that contrasts with the personality of Jill. That could end up being turned into a conflict between the two. Peele has been hit-and-miss with his characters, but the writer/director appears to have made an interesting pair of leads, and given the talents of Palmer and Kaluuya, Jill and James surely seem like a hit.
A Deformed Face Woman
This is a miss it if you blink shot, but one that adds so many layers to the trailer. At points, Nope has been slowly building up the mystery of what’s going on in the latest Jordan Peele vehicle: Horses are acting strange, people are looking at a mysterious thing in the sky, The atmosphere is notably shifting, and then suddenly a woman in a hat appears, and it’s clear as day that her face is deformed. Now, this could be a case of a character with a deformity; however, that image surely has more meaning than that. Nope seems like an Alien feature from Peele, is this woman’s face a result of what happens when you come in contact with these strange creatures? Is this woman one of these aliens in disguise? Is she a signal for the horrors to come in the Jordan Peele feature? There’s so many questions regarding the trailer and this image has young mind racing in a good way.
Everyone Looking Up To The Sky
Throughout the beginning of the trailer, everyone is looking up at the sky. It asks the questions, what’s (or who) coming to this world? These moments help build tension and increase the mystery of Nope. There’s even a great moment of the darkness chasing after James as he’s riding away on a horse. However, once we actually take a look at the sky, we continue to get more clues supporting an alien invasion mystery. There’s one point where a flying craft is moving in the sky and in another frame, a water portal is forming. The looking up scenes builds to these moments effectively and Peele does an excellent job giving a lot away, yet still not giving so much information. These images leave questions buzzing in your head that makes you want to purchase a ticket and find out what the heck is going on.
An Alien is coming towards one of the characters
Once we get deeper into the trailer, we begin to understand that Nope is an Alien feature. There’s an image with one of the characters trying to touch the hand of some type of creature, and in a barnyard shot, something very alien-like is coming towards one of the protagonists in the film. What makes Nope such an effective trailer is the fact that Peele never gives away what these creatures look like. The mystery of who they are lingers as the trailer slowly builds and even when we see images that clearly showcases something out of this world, there’s still plenty of intriguing questions about what’s going on: What do these creatures want? Are they looking to take over the world? Could this be some random weirdo in a Halloween costume? While the last statement isn’t likely, the point is that this moment adds excitement into this world and makes you want to find out what’s going on.
A Horse Is Upside Down!
Again, another flash in the pan moment, but a freaking horse is upside down! The shot in question sees James running from a dark gray area and in the background, a horse is upside down going up into the sky. However, the horse isn’t moving. Peele wisely don’t keep the scene on for too long, but this is one of the more fascinating images in the trailer. Obviously, a horse being upside down frozen is eye-catching but it goes back to what exactly is going on in this world? Can these mysterious creatures freeze time? They clearly have enough strength to pull objects up into the sky as the final scene in the trailer sees Jill screaming as she’s being whisked up into the sky. Nope surely seems like a great event film that shouldn’t be missed in theaters.Jordan Peele
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