Jordan Peele's
UAP
A fan-edit of Jordan Peele's "NOPE"(2022) which seeks to give the original film's story more discipline, and adds some violence and gore that I thought the movie skimped on.
+++INITIAL OBSERVATIONS+++
I love that the film is a thoughtfully ripping off Spielberg's "JAWS"(1975), at least in the stylish sense, rather than just being another monster movie. However where "JAWS" was a B-monster movie elevated into a thoughtful character study about PTSD and Apex-machismo. "Nope"(2022) felt like a character study about PTSD and the aforementioned toxic-Apex ego turned into a glossy B-monster movie. It's a movie trying too hard, and apes early Spielberg with too much restraint. So much so that the director Jordan Peele wanders a bit into M.Night territory here, i.e.M.Night is known for trying to be at times a self-conscious wannabe Spielberg, duh.
But even early-Spielberg, for all his own OCD perfectionism and workaholistic-discipline, had enough sense that he knew he would have to give us the goods. In "JAWS" you get severed bloody legs then a salty old pirate (of sorts) eaten alive. Even a giant mutant shark that explodes like a blood sausage Death Star at the end.
So when I watched "Nope"(2022) I was stoked to learn how the movie would feature savage chimpanzee attacks (ripped from the headlines of true stories of chimp pets losing their sh*** and eating the faces of their prey). And it promised a unique 'violent' spin on UFOs that sorta delivers. The problem I had is that "NOPE" wasn't really a film I would watch again, where "JAWS" is a movie you come back for seconds and thirds. And Peele was definitely aiming for a cult-classic with that ambition in mind.
But Peele's take on "JAWS", which feels more like "Tremors" meets "SIGNs", wants to disturb us soooooo badly with what it does NOT show off-camera (i.e.a Spielberg speciality), that it leaves TOO much to the imagination, and instead of 'less-being-more', I felt a little cheated when it came to the payoffs and money shots, etc. Sorry, but "JAWS" wouldn't be the same if Quint was simply dragged under water and we saw a little blood come to the service. Spielberg bragged he made the definitive shark-monster movie and if you swing for that fence you had better make sure you hit a homerun.
Maybe Peele was coming off of the huge financial & critical success of "Get Out"(2017) with a box office hangover, and perhaps was suffering insecurity about a worthy follow up film and didn't want to become too exploitative?
In any case, I decided to give "NOPE" a harder-hitting "Jaws" meets "Close Encounters" vibe that I think the movie was intended to be, and that we the audience deserved in the way of a true-Spielberg movie experience, at least the one I wanted when I first entered the theater on opening day.
+++HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE!+++
*Changed opening quote to something more fun, ominous and conspiratorial. The movie has a great hook with its "true-life spin" on biblical 'angels'. Used that as inspiration here.
*Changed title to "UAP".
*Moved opening scene to its flashback sequence titled "DAD". As the flashbacks here wisely were used to help anchor our characters to their various experiences to past-trauma and PTSD, that change does a lot to better setup the movie. Makes for a less sloppy opening 10 minutes.
*Better opening score that plays against type, and feels more ominous with a meta-Hollywood vibe as the movie itself is also about filmmaking.
*We now see the bloody carnage of Gordy the chimp in brief flashes that still leaves enough to the imagination without pulling its punches too much.
*Violence disturbing imagery is now added to the scene inside the UFO/UAP to help better sell the mid-movie twist which was meant to make us wonder if we are dealing with malevolent aliens or even something supernatural or perhaps ... something more gut-wrenching?!!?
*Some quirky moments throughout sprinkled in reminicient of early-Spielberg and his wonderfully dorky humor, since once again this movie is painfully striving for an 'alien Jaws'. For instance, when Ricky's wife tells spectators to turn off their phones, we cut to a kid playing "Super Mega Death Worm" on his cell, a game where an alien worm is eating cows and people. If you remember, in "Jaws" there is a scene of someone playing a video named "Shark Attack". Little fun thoughtful moments like that in a movie like this complete the thought IMHO, and give that movie a charge of joy as you want to immerse yourself in the spirit of movie by way of losing yourself in another's imagination.
*A better more emotionally satisfying 'explosive' bloody climax, with better music cues to bring this home.
+++FINAL THOUGHTS+++
“Nope,” like “Signs” and “Arrival,” was a decent-enough hit at the box-office, and confirmed the power of the Jordan Peele brand even if it was no "Get Out"(2017). But it also confirms that making movies with too much desire to have Spielberg had rather than achieve the high-standard he set threatens to become part of that brand much as it 'did to' (read: fatally, in a career and legacy sense to) M. Night Shyamalan. So here is me tossing in my 2 cents no one asked for in the form of an edit... taking a movie that was 'close but no cigar' and giving us the fine Cuban to smoke that was promised us. Enjoy!
ENTER THEATER!
 |
Comments
Post a Comment