“Nope”: Did Jordan Peele hit or miss in newest film?

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Photo by Monkeypaw Productions

The Nope movie was advertised.

Beverly Fishman and Esti Rosenblatt

Hit:

Nope had one of, if not the most, unique interpretations and portrayals of extraterrestrial life throughout years of alien adaptations in film. The element of creativity and incredible CGI made the unearthly figure positively shocking. The development and reveal of the creature was beautifully horrifying. This had to do with Director Jordan Peele’s creativity and extraordinary camera work.

Cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema used Kodak film, including 65 millimeters film in IMAX, making Nope the first horror film to ever be shot in this format. Hoytema also developed a unique ‘day-for-night’ camera to portray the daytime footage as filmed at night. Not only was the cinematography distinctive, but the locations were  authentic as well – a change from the common indoor, manmade sets of Hollywood. However, Nope was primarily filmed in the Agua Dulce desert in California. A large part of the reason that the cinematography was so spectacular was because of the realistic environment the film took place in.N

The cast’s performances held such power that it had the audience in breathless laughs, from fearful faces, to tearing up in anticipation. The sibling duo of OJ and Emerald, played by renowned actors Keke Palmer and Daniel Kaluuya, did a fantastic job bringing the story to life. Peele is known for casting incredible actors in every film he presents and this was no exception. The movie was filled with Peele’s signature combo of humor and horror, while maintaining a universe where the audience was able to relate to the characters’ struggles, and ambitions. Nope was filled with suspenseful atmospheres, hilarity, and haunting images without being a ‘typical’ horror film. It is a film that will challenge you mentally by pushing the boundaries of film, creating a new world of possibilities for the future of horror movies. Leaving the theater, the viewers had the opportunity to formulate their own questions and theories because of the complex nature of the film. Nope met Peele’s presented ideas and expectations; he continues to positively impact the cinematic universe.

Miss:

Is Jordan Peele’s new film worth seeing… Nope!

Jordan Peele’s Nope (2022) lacks something important to every good film: a solid plot line. The point of this movie is to show how profiting off living things causes more harm than good. Without understanding this theme before watching, audience members are left lost in the dust. 

Nope followed too many different plots that never seemed to align. The film showcases two main plotlines, but both are bad. The first plot follows ranchers as they try to take a photo of an alien UFO. But the audience is bored, and overwhelmed with plot holes. Throughout the whole movie, the viewer is never given  context about the UFO. Questions like, What is it doing on earth? Why do so many people risk their lives to see it? are never answered. Story No. 2  follows a little boy co-starring on a sitcom with a live monkey. The monkey eventually goes rabid and kills almost everyone on the show. The one connection these storylines have is that the child star grows up to be one of the ranchers that track down the UFO. These plots flip back and forth throughout the entire movie making the movie even more confusing.

In response to the movie, critics go as far as to say that Nope isn’t truly about anything. While watching Nope, audience members are excited to see the film develop and are disappointed when it doesn’t. It’s too predictable to be interesting. The movie fails to include science and horror, but still considers itself a part of the science-fiction-horror genre. In reality, the scariest part of Nope was not the alien or the killer monkey, but was merely one scene in which a group of kids dress up pretending to be the alien. While the film had (what some may call) a deeper meaning, Nope did a bad job of reflecting this depth while also being an entertaining piece of art. The production was a disappointment compared to Peele’s other films. In his other movies, like Get Out (2017) and Us (2019), Peele gave his audience everything an excellent horror-thriller movie needs: a fear factor, clear plot, and amusement. Nope did not meet this criteria.