Review: ‘Nope’ is a great big yes for director Jordan Peele

Hailey Hernandez, Features Writer

‘Nope’ Movie Poster

Time and time again, Jordan Peele has proven himself to be a triple threat in the film industry. Peele is the writer, producer, and director of three extremely successful horror films: Get Out, Us, and Nope. His most recent film, Nope, has made over $148.7 million at the global box office, surpassing his two previous movies, according to a 2022 article by Romanchick. With so much chat on the internet revolving around the movie, you might be wondering what it’s about.

Before the movie was released in theatres, no one really knew the plot of the movie due to its vague trailer. The trailer has various scenes of the actors saying “nope” repeatedly. Peele was able to captivate the audience’s attention by providing little to no information about his new film. With nothing for the audience to base the movie on, most people felt drawn to watch it. Now, it feels like the average movie trailer is showing the entire plot in those short three minutes.

Despite not knowing the plot of the movie, I’ve watched enough Jordan Peele movies to know that I wouldn’t be disappointed. Get Out and Us had important connections and ties to issues in our modern society so I had a feeling Nope would have a similar effect. However, after finishing the film, I was left with so many questions.

To summarize the plot, the movie is about a brother and sister who try to look for answers about their father’s mysterious death in UFOs and alien life. While that may not seem interesting to those who do not like science fiction, it’s important to recognize that Peele’s movies are not always what they seem. The film delves into the topic of animal cruelty by the entertainment industry to promote fame and success. It contains a lot of flashbacks to a scene where a monkey, used in a television series, goes rampant and kills the cast of the show. The underlying connection to the scene provides a chilling and extremely disturbing effect, leaving the audience a bit confused. With Jordan Peele films, he really makes you think. His movies are not a simple, carefree watch, but more of a puzzle to ponder.

With such a huge success rate in the global box office, there might be an upcoming sequel for the movie. Peele hints at a sequel in an interview, stating, “I do think [fans] will get more answers on some of these things in the future. We’re not over telling all of these stories”, according to a 2022 article by Grobar. As a huge Jordan Peele fan, I am extremely excited to see what else Peele does with this story.

Make plans this weekend with your friends and family to visit your local movie theatre and watch Nope! Whether it’s your first Jordan Peele film or not, I promise you won’t be disappointed.