On July 22, Jordan Peele released his highly anticipated film, “Nope.” There was little shared about the contents of the film prior to its release. The only hints we gathered from the trailer was that it would incorporate Black cowboys and allude to extraterrestrial life. We also know that Keke Palmer and Daniel Kaluuya would assume the co-leads of the movie. Now, when you put Keke Palmer, Daniel Kaluuya, Jordan Peele, aliens, and Black cowboys in a blender, you get a summer blockbuster movie. Now, if you still have not seen it, I suggest you go buy a ticket and watch it before reading this article. Spoilers are imminent. I warned you.
“Nope” is Peele’s third film where he is a writer, director, and producer. Kaluuya broke into the mainstream following his role as Chris in Peele’s first solo film, “Get Out.” In this movie, he returns as O.J. Haywood, older brother to Emerald, played by Keke Palmer. The siblings are the inheritors of a historical horse ranch started by their great-grandfather, Alistair Haywood. The first motion picture created was a moving image of a Black jockey riding a horse shot by Eadweard Muybridge. The film is infamous, but the jockey has remained nameless throughout history. The jockey’s talent was used for profit and then forgotten, like other Black figures in American history. This sets the tone for the many themes hidden throughout the movie. It is hard to break away from the influence of Peele’s other smash hits, but a fresh lens is the best way to view it.
Smile For The Camera
The movie opens with the Bible verse, “And I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and make thee vile, and will set thee as a spectacle,” taken from the book of Nahum. The central theme of this movie is the exploitation of pain for personal profit. And the repercussions of pushing the exploited too far. White Hollywood takes advantage of the care and training the Haywood’s put into their horses. Ricky “Jupe” Park, played by Steven Yeun, monetized his trauma as a child actor bearing witness to an animal rampaging on set, killing and maiming many people. The alien entity that they discover becomes an opportunity for fame and fortune. Even near the climax of the movie, legendary filmmaker Antlers Holst, played by Michael Wincott, gets eaten with the best footage of extraterrestrial life. Capturing evidence of fantastic moments and phenomena is a sure-fire path to infamy.
Throughout the movie, the Haywoods call the alien entity, “The Watcher.” This could be a direct reference to the movie audience. We are watchers of the horrifying events in the characters’ lives and consume them for our own enjoyment. In very Jordan Peele fashion, he directly criticizes the system that we are forced to adhere to. Even though we can sympathize with our characters, we can see how their greed drives them. Getting that ‘Oprah shot’ and the eventual riches that will follow is more important than their own lives. The ‘Oprah shot’ is a direct reference to the numerous monumental interviews that occurred on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Since the advent of the cameras, humans are infatuated with ‘owning’ the moment. In the words of Holst in the movie, ‘we share a collective dream to be on the mountaintop with all eyes on us.’
Poking The Bear
In true horror film fashion, Peele tells us exactly what happens when man attempts to play God over nature. When discussing horror, you initially think of things that are ‘scary.’ A twenty foot tall Jurassic lizard, a million Black Widow spiders, dolls that come to life and murder senselessly. However, Peele introduces stark social commentary to the horror genre. Instead of making a movie about the monster in the closet, he makes films about the monster in the mirror. Opening with audio of the deadly rampage of Gordy, a monkey used for a sitcom, places us witness to the horrors resulting from the character’s own indifference. At every turn in the movie, characters make decisions despite their better judgment in pursuit of fortune.
When Jupe first discovers the UFO, he believes he can control it by secretly feeding it horses bought from the Haywood ranch. This leads up to his final reveal of the alien entity to the public, dubbing himself a master of beasts. He sought to be atop his own mountaintop, with all eyes on him and his alien pet. His own hubris and greed for notoriety are masks for the trauma he faced as a child. This mask is removed when he, alongside a great number of people, is devoured by the beast for toying with it.
Reclaiming That Black Guy In Horror
“Nope” is a direct reflection of Peele’s filmmaking philosophy. Like the Black jockey in Muybridge’s short film, Hollywood diminishes and erases Black experiences. Imagine being in the first movie ever made and no one knows your name. Often, horror and thriller films have a white protagonist and a majority white cast. Our protagonists are driven by greed. But it is greed born from living under the thumb of white Hollywood for ages. Hollywood cast the Haywoods off as simple horse trainers. Jupe attempts to buy the land owned by the Haywoods because the alien settled over it. Holst comes to the aid of the Haywoods only when he knows he can benefit as well. Time and time again, we see the Haywoods, like the alien, used for the personal gain of others.
That is why they are the last ones standing at the end of film. Capturing the alien on film is a right reserved for our heroes. This also ties back to the beginning of their lineage. They have redeemed themselves by claiming the fame that the originator of Haywood ranch was denied.
“Nope” set social media ablaze with many uncovering the various Easter eggs and hints Peele loves to sprinkle in his films. You definitely should watch it more than once just to catch all the subtleties. It is a film that will keep you on the edge of your seat and scouring the Internet digesting every take and review. Jordan Peele has again given us something to truly terrify us while forcing us to think about our own monsters.
You can watch “Nope” now in theaters.