Sharp Satire in a Tale of Unreasonable Terror
‘Nope’ (2022) Movie Review
I’m a huge fan of Jordan Peele’s work, especially ‘Get Out’ and ‘Us.’ His directing style revolves around crafting thought-provoking and delightfully weird horror films. He avoids the typical jump scares found in most horror movies and instead incorporates psychological thrills and a healthy dose of satire, addressing contemporary issues.
Jordan Peele’s last film ‘Nope’, released in 2022, remains relevant. It’s unfortunate it didn’t receive any Oscar nominations, as I believe it deserved more recognition.
‘Nope’ blends the horror and sci-fi genres, marking Jordan Peele’s first venture into this unique combination.
It features an ensemble cast of award-winning actors, including Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, Steven Yeun, and more, who deliver outstanding performances.
‘Nope’ is a smart satire on the exploitation of disasters commonly carried out by the global community. The film follows the story of two siblings, portrayed by Kaluuya and Palmer, managing their family’s horse farm in California.
One day, they discover something ominous in the sky above their house. At first, they are fine with it and choose to overlook the situation. But over time, this mysterious presence begins to wreak havoc, especially on their farm, turning everything into a horrifying ordeal.
Strangely, what should have been a threatening phenomenon is instead exploited by many parties and the media for public consumption and validation of their work.
However, as time passes, the terror starts to manifest, and eventually, people realize that these creatures can be highly dangerous.
The terror in the film is depicted in an incredibly unique and surreal manner, almost as if it’s impossible to occur on Earth.
Peele’s creativity in bringing to life the terrifying airborne monsters in the film is unmatched and unlike anything seen in other movies.
Interestingly, the peculiar shape of the monster successfully creates tension and a sense of horror for the viewers. Simultaneously, the audience’s curiosity is sparked as they are eager to uncover the source of these calamitous creatures.
In addition to the monstrous forms, the visuals in the film are incredibly dynamic, with colors that mirror the emotional arc of the story.
The viewers’ eyes are treated to delightful visuals amidst the tense storyline.
Gordy’s Home
In the opening and middle of the film, there is a disturbing scene featuring a chimpanzee in a show called Gordy’s Home. Initially, it may not seem to connect with the overall storyline, but it carries a profound, symbolic significance.
In this scene, it’s initially just the chimpanzee named Gordy who is supposed to play a role in the sitcom. However, he unexpectedly turns violently aggressive towards the other sitcom actors, displaying extreme intensity and disturbing behavior. Surprisingly, instead of feeling pity for the other victims being attacked, there’s a sense of sadness directed toward Gordy.
Peele explained in a conversation a year ago with Empire that the disturbing scene with the chimpanzee in ‘Nope’ serves as a depiction of exploitation and represents the underlying anger within the industry.
Gordy, the trained chimpanzee in the film, symbolizes a once-wild animal manipulated for entertainment purposes. When Gordy starts attacking humans with brutality, Peele intends for the audience to grasp the underlying message and empathize with what the character represents.
“We are afraid of Gordy, but we don’t hate Gordy. I think there’s something interesting happening for the audience out there,” he continued.
Peele entrusted Terry Notary to bring Gordy to life, relying on Notary’s previous work in films such as the recent ‘Planet of the Apes’ trilogy and ‘Avengers: Infinity War.’
Notary also shared his perspective on the ‘Gordy’s Home’ scene, emphasizing that duality was his primary focus in bringing Gordy to life.
In impersonating what Gordy might say if he could talk, Notary expressed, “I don’t want to be evil. This is what I’ve done, and I’m sorry for it. I know I may upset people, but I just can’t hold it anymore. You guys forced me to do something that is unusual for me to do.”
In my opinion, the premise of the film ‘Nope’ really resonates with that story. This movie provides a straightforward depiction of the current world within a complex and fantastical narrative.
The mysterious emergence of monsters in the sky represents a significant disaster that threatens to annihilate humanity.
The sudden appearance of enigmatic sky-borne monsters poses a grave threat to the survival of humanity.
People are racing to create historic works about this disaster without fully realizing the risks they are about to face.
The desire for recognition through disaster-themed content has led many to overlook the trauma experienced by the affected characters.
On the other hand, the general public also races to capture the phenomenon as content and evidence that the disaster is indeed real.
This seems to emphasize that victim reports alone are not sufficient to prove that there is a looming disaster out there.
And this exact behavior is all too familiar in today’s real-world society. The exploitation of disasters and the trauma of those affected is still normalized for the sake of entertainment or for validating one’s work.
One of the strengths of this film is its sound design, which significantly contributes to building the horror in ‘Nope’.
Set on a horse farm, the sounds of horses that emerge in the middle of the night are often startling and draw closer attention to the desolation of the location.
Furthermore, the echoing, human-like screams of the monstrous creatures also intensify the film’s horror.
The theme music that plays and stops without warning heightens the audience’s anticipation of the arrival of the monsters.
Overall, the terror in ‘Nope’ is intelligently crafted and the film is filled with suspense. Jordan Peele has once again delivered exceptional work.
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