NOPE, filmmaker Jordan Peele’s third film, is a pretty damn good movie. The film stars Daniel Kaluyaa and Keke Palmer as siblings whose family descends from the first ever movie star (an African-American jockey riding a horse). Also starring are Steven Yeun as a traumatized-child-star-turned-amusement-park-owner, Michael Wincott as an old-fashioned director, and Brandon Perea as a tech-store employee.
Perhaps the most unsettling part of the movie takes place during the opening scene. A seemingly vacant sitcom studio is quickly revealed to be the site of an attack. Gordie, the chimpanzee from the in-universe sitcom Gordie’s Home, massacres his human costars. With no music or other sound, and most of the action just offscreen, the scene is truly unnerving. While some might view the scenes of Gordie—which are periodically interwoven throughout the movie—as unrelated to the driving plot of the movie, they are directly tied to the film’s message about spectacle and attempts to domesticate and control animals. Jupe, who survives the rampage when the chimp is shot while going for a rehearsed fist bump with him, is made to think that he survived due to a special relationship with the animal.
That hubris later leads to his death, with the movie’s primary antagonist, Jean Jacket, slowly digesting him, his family, and everyone he invited to his show. Jean Jacket, a giant alien who takes the form of a flying saucer for much of the film (NOPE, Not of Planet Earth, get it?), embodies the other primary theme of the movie: human inability to “control” animals. The Haywoods (Kaluyaa and Palmer’s characters) make their living controlling horses in movies. Kaluyaa’s OJ, in particular, practices deference and respect to the horses, ensuring they aren’t surprised or startled. It’s this deference that allows OJ to survive encounters with Jean Jacket, refusing to look her in the eyes and slowly but steadily retreating.
The main thrust of the plot develops as the Haywoods attempt to succeed where Jupe fails, trying to catch a “money shot” of the alien who has arrived in their backyard. Their massive ranch becomes the setting for an exhilarating chase scene. Interestingly for a horror movie, the climax is shot during the day. This choice demonstrates the quality of the movie, maintaining the suspense, fear, and engagement of the audience without poorly-lit jumpscares. If you’ve read this far, you’ve probably seen the film and how it ends. On the off chance that you haven’t, I’ll leave the finale unspoiled. Be certain, though, that it holds up to the rest of the movie in terms of quality.
One could perhaps fault NOPE for its departure from what often works for horror movies. The reduction in jumpscares and reliance on suspense doesn’t work for everyone. Nor do the interspersed cuts to another story that fits with the themes but is only tangentially related to the plot. NOPE, however, is another entry in Jordan Peele’s set of horror movies providing a breath of fresh air to a genre mired in tropes and jumpscares. It tells a story that reflects on human nature and behavior as well as our relationship with the creatures in the world around us, and it does so in a way that unsettles and scares. NOPE is a horror movie you’ll remember, not a string of knife-wielding masked men jumping out from behind corners. Watch it.