3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Nope’: 1. I kept waiting, and waiting, for this film to get good. For the moment when things kick into high gear and it earns that price of admission. For me, it never got there. It always teetered on the edge of something fun and edge-of-your-seat… but it remained uneventful despite its seemingly-momentous scenes. 2. The pacing was all sorts of wonky. It felt like there were a lot of disconnects here, a lot of questions. Scenes that went on too long. Unrealistic character reactions and decisions. My scalp is sore from all the head scratching. I just wish this were a more structured story with all the ideas it contained. 3. Great cast, but the character of OJ was incredibly bland and emotionally flat. A more compelling lead character may have risen this film above all its flaws. Bonus Thought: What was the significance of the mysterious balancing shoe?

Never have I seen a movie fumble so hard in the third act, but here we are. The first 2 acts are legitimately amazing and horrifying, but the writing and characters take a huge nosedive once the third act starts. The ending, if you can even call it that, didn't wrap up any of the plot threads introduced. What happened Jordan Peele?

Nope is a movie of two equally great but disparate halves. The first is a harrowing examination of what we do when faced with ‘bad miracles’. Keke Palmer’s effortlessly charming Em wants to get hers, get the fame and money and recognition she and her family have fought for by explaining the terrible unknown. Perea’s Angel just doesn’t want to be left out of something this big. Steven Yuen’s Jupe is haunted by one from his past and looks to wrangle a new one as a way to understand and come to terms with it, give it meaning, And Daniel Kaluuya’s OJ does what black people have always had to do; weather the storm, stare it down, and know when to Nope the fuck out. This first half sets up that while Get Out reckoned with the horrors of the past that reverberate, and Us dealt with the monsters within us, especially the ones that don’t look like we expect, Nope will tackle the horrifically miraculous. The one in a million, can’t be explained but must be lived through natural tragedies. The second half is a thrilling spectacle, a homage to both classic Spielberg fate like Jaws and old school schlock in the best ways. It plays like a fusion between a monster movie and disaster fare like Twister. It’s a heartening example of what blockbuster films can be with a director who truly has a vision and is allowed to execute it, as opposed to the ‘house style’ of the MCU. Again, both of these halves are good, great even. And they are of equal quality. But they don’t quite mesh into one complete film like Peele intends. Still, it’s impossible not to recommend. The cast is fantastic. The things Daniel Kaluuya can do with his eyes are still unmatched, and Steven Yuen has a stare that feels nearly as impossible in length as it does masterful in conveying his character. Peele has fantastic shots, the naturalistic design of the monster unsettling while keying in on the core themes of the movie, and it has Keith David! It feels like a nod to one of Peele’s biggest influences, John Carpenter, cause there’s a good amount of overlap in theme and motivation of The Thing and the creature of Nope. There’s two great halves of two different movies that had they been paired with their matching half, could’ve created an amazing one. But it’s still no reason to Nope out of seeing this one.

Want a good review? Nope.