Entertainment
The Most Misunderstood Sci-Fi Horror Movie of the Last 10 Years Just Took Over Netflix
These days, when Hollywood wants to find the next big voice in horror, it feels like they turn to people with comedy backgrounds. That’s how the likes of Zach Cregger, Danny and Michael Phillippou, and Curry Barker all got their starts. Before them, though, was a comedian who had success beyond a niche YouTube audience — Comedy Central’s Key & Peele made Jordan Peele a major name. Horror, with the one-two punch of Get Out and Us, made him even bigger by delivering terrifying and eye-opening experiences. Peele’s third firm, Nope, now out on Netflix, is just as good as what came before. But it’s also the movie in his filmography that’s the most misunderstood. The deeper messages behind Get Out and Us are easy to figure out. Nope is different. It’s not the simple alien invasion flick audiences were expecting. Nope has a lot to say, you just have to pay attention.
Jordan Peele’s ‘Nope’ Is Built on Past Alien Invasion Tropes
If you watch the trailer for Nope or read its synopsis, it seems simple and straightforward. On the surface, it’s another alien invasion movie. And that’s certainly not a bad thing, but the genre has been very well-trodden for good reason. Audiences love them. It’s thrilling to see creatures from another world descend to Earth and attack, forcing humanity to unite, rise, and fight back.
That is how Nope begins. In the small community of Agua Dulce, California, Otis Haywood Sr. (Keith David) runs the Haywood Hollywood Horse Ranch, which trains horses for movies and commercials. Early in the film, Otis is killed by a coin falling from the sky, which begins the setup for an usual UFO descending from the clouds. Otis’ children, OJ (Daniel Kaluuya) and Emerald (Keke Palmer), are determined to capture the craft on film, leading to a big twist. It’s not a spaceship they’re seeing, the circular shape is the alien itself. What happens next, along with a seemingly odd subplot involving theme park operator Jupe (Steven Yeun) and a killer chimp named Gordy (Terry Notary), sets up Nope‘s overarching main theme.
‘Nope’s Gordy Subplot Is About Animal Exploitation
Like so much horror, Nope has themes about grief and trauma. Throw in the parallels to Jaws, when the Haywoods and cinematographer Antlers Holst (Michael Wincott) work together to capture the creature on camera, and you already have a terrifying movie. But Peele uses his voice to explore difficult-to-confront themes. Nope is, in part, about how Hollywood exploits animals for our entertainment.
The most obvious example is Gordy the chimpanzee, who is exploited for laughs on the sitcom Gordy’s Home until he snaps and goes on a rampage. Even after his death, Gordy is exploited as entertainment in a Saturday Night Live bit. There’s also the victims Gordy affected, such as Mary Jo Elliott (Haley Babula), the actress whose face was ripped off. She is sought out by the camera, as Peele gives the audience a brief glimpse at her scarred features. Meanwhile, Jupe, who was a child actor on the series, still exploits the tragedy for his own personal gain. It’s something he’s excited to talk about and recount to people he just met. Gordy’s dying moments are a source of awe, fear, and fascination. It’s a terrifying subplot, but a confusing one if you don’t understand the themes. What does Gordy have to do with this gigantic alien?
Animals Are Used for Entertainment in ‘Nope’
Gordy is the in-your-face example of animal exploitation, but he’s not the only one. OJ and Emerald Haywood keep their father’s showbiz horse training business alive by renting out their stock for various movie productions. OJ is quiet and not as excited to be involved with the family business, but Emerald is the happy and social sibling who uses her position and personality to get their horse Lucky a role, where he will be exploited for audience entertainment.
The alien in Nope, known as Jean Jacket, is treated in similar fashion. It’s a prop exploited for Jupe’s show. It’s not a real animal to him, only a source of money and entertainment which can be tamed, just like the chimp he once grew up with. Because he lived through the exploitation of Gordy, Jupe doesn’t fear Jean Jacket. It results in his death and the deaths and the audience hoping to be entertained by the spectacle. The only true way to survive Jean Jacket, as OJ discovers, is to not look at it. If there is no audience for the grisly entertainment, it can’t be fed, which cuts to the core of what Nope is about — exploitation in its many forms.
Nope is a fun and thrilling movie in its first watch. OJ and Emerald are intriguing characters inside a well-crafted story that becomes more unpredictable with every turn. Every time you think you have it figured out, Nope shifts, making it perfect for repeat viewings. Jordan Peele’s direction and the talent of his actors remains sharp and doesn’t lose its impact as the true message becomes clear. Nope dares you to look into its eyes and take a glimpse at a highly uncomfortable subject. A simple, easy to digest monster movie it is not.
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