In Nope, Em and OJ are left to run their family’s Hollywood horse ranch in the wake of their father’s mysterious death. They begin to suspect a UFO is hiding on their property and set out to capture recorded evidence of its presence. They later discover that the UFO is not a vessel but the alien organism itself. Then there’s a major B-plot starring a man named Jupe.
Jupe may seem disconnected from the main plot at first, and in a direct sense, he is. But his role in the story is far more significant—he most clearly reveals the film’s themes. As a former child actor, Jupe starred in a sitcom featuring a live chimpanzee. One day, a balloon pops, startling the chimp and triggering a violent attack. The chimpanzee mauls the entire cast, killing some, yet Jupe is the only one left unharmed. Now an adult, he capitalizes on the nostalgia and trauma of that event, running a theme park and mini-museum dedicated to the show. Later, he attempts to lure the alien out for an audience. But this time, his exploitation of spectacle proves fatal.
Jupe’s side story deepens our understanding of the main one. He believes he survived the chimp attack because of a special bond between them, and on a thematic level, that is true. They mirror each other as exploited individuals made to perform for the camera. But in the film’s reality, the truth surrounding Jupe’s survival is different. A tablecloth obscured his eyes, making it seem as though he wasn’t making direct eye contact with the chimp. The story establishes that looking an animal in the eyes will startle or provoke it. Later, when a crowd collectively looks at the alien, they all provoke it and trigger an attack. In this film, averting one’s gaze is an act of respect—a refusal to exploit or put something on display.
This idea plays out through Em and OJ’s quest to capture footage of the alien. Many people die in the process, and the creature itself resists being recorded at every turn. Notably, one of the deaths is a TMZ reporter, a nod to the publication’s notoriously exploitative business model and practices. Ultimately, the film explores both the allure and the insidious nature of spectacle, particularly within Hollywood. Is the film itself not a wonderful act of spectacle too?
A huge part of Nope’s appeal is how novel it feels. Jordan Peele cited Signs (2002), Jurassic Park (1993), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Jaws (1975), The Wizard of Oz (1939), and King Kong (1933) as some of his inspirations. Peele’s ability to draw inspiration from old (or older) cinema and revamp it into something fresh and original is one of his many skills as a writer/director. Many people have referred to Nope as Jordan Peele’s masterpiece, but that is said about all his films. He himself is a master director who pushes the boundaries of what cinema can be and express. We are so lucky to watch this historic filmmaker work in real time.
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