Great observation. Although I did think that Gordy clearly knew it was Jupe under the table, because he went in for the fist bump. It's not clear whether he really would have harmed Jupe, but either way Jupe must have thought he was untouchable after that.
@@Johnny_Sockohe didn’t try to ‘fist bump’ Jupe, he was actually slowly lifting the table cloth to see Jupe’s eyes. If he would have seen his eyes, he would have killed him on the spot.
@@TheJerbol Jupe thought he had something special with Gordy and mistook Gordy’s action with the table cloth for a fist bump. You can see Gordy look into Jupes eyes as soon as he was (shot?) It’s just a theory tho
@@liamurr.No it's a fist bump. Jupe describes the set as the site of the world's "first exploding fist bump". Gordy always did it with Jupe and he knew it was Jupe under the table (smell, can kind of see him, etc.) but the tablecloth blurred the eye contact so Gordy didn't freak out. OJ understood what Jupe didn't, is that you need to respect the wild nature of animals, so just because you didn't get attacked doesn't mean there is some deep meaning behind it. OJ always treats the animals like they could cause harm, and he's consistently proven right.
Isn’t it funny that a flying space shape has any recognition that eyes exist, and have the same challenge response as animals with faces and eyes, and that a hungry space aliens only eats food if it looks it in the… Mouth? It’s not like it had eyes to look into. Like how a lion running after a gazelle, clawing it to the ground to eat will first overtake to look it in the eye before deciding if they’re allowed to eat it… No, wait, the opposite of that.
For me, I’ve always felt that Gordy, the training horse at the beginning and Jean Jacket (alien) were all linked: Animals who were threatened by humans and reacted violently as a result. OJ was the only character who took the time to understand the animals
This is the correct connection. Like OJ says, "Jupe got caught up trying to tame a predator.: Another similarity is Jupe focusing on the wrong things. He was focused on that shoe and how it stood up (the miracle), not the horror of the situation. In the present, he was focused on fame he would get from the alien, not the implication of what such a creature means to humanity.
I think you’re slightly off. OJ didn’t understand the alien, what he understood was that he didn’t understand the alien. Jupe & others make an unreasonable assumption that they can connect with wild animals or that because wild animals “behave” sometimes that they are therefore predictably reliable. They aren’t. Maybe sometimes, maybe most of the time, but all it takes is one time to be the end.
When was jean jacket threatened by humans? The connection is spectacle. That's why jean jacket looks like an eye. Making Media Matter has a brilliant video essay on this movie
@adrianr87 I mean, it was fed a plastic horse, which obviously did some damage to it and led to it acting unpredictable. I think it's less about threat and more about the idea that animals are still animals no matter how much you try to train them with the horse lashing out with the reflective ball and gordy with the ballon it's the same idea with the plastic horse and jean jacket
Quick explanation of why Jean Jacket spread out: By the logic of the movie, the alien is an animal, so it follows certain behaviour patterns based on instinct; reacts violently when people look at its eye, establishes a territory, and it is somewhat sentient. But like and animal, it can feel frustration, and fear. The Alien has amazing eyesight, being able to see the eye of its prey from hundreds of miles up in the sky, so it knew OJ. It came across him multiple times, and couldn’t get him. And in the final act, in taunted OJ, got scared of the raimbow parachute (it associated it with pain, like the wooden horse’s color that failed to digest) and when it almost ate Angel, it got hurt with the barb wire. So Jean Jacket got scared, and threatened. So it unfolded itself to appear larger, a thing thst animals like peacooks, owls and bears do when threatened. And then it stood in front of OJ, in a standoff, without moving, cause it sense OJ as a threat. But when the sister run, she behaved like prey, so it chase after her. Is a really goog characterization of the Alien, it gives it personality and a great use of show don’t tell
Yeah I wasn't sure but that was how i interpreted it too, like it already felt threatened by people coming onto its territory and looking at it, but the barbed wire actually injured it and made it feel pain, so it felt afraid and was trying to intimidate them
A number of comments are saying the underlying theme is about abuse of spectacle, but don't forget it's also about abuse of animals/nature in film and in general. We treat them like predictable, disposable objects.
The abuse of animals/nature falls under spectacle, and the lengths people will go to capture spectacle, even if it means causing harm; whether it be using nervous horses on film, training a monkey for a tv show, or summoning a ufo for an audience.
Tiny detail I loved: Emerald get's the number of "great"'s in her speech wrong because she is just saying the speech the same way their father would, she was only wrong because she forgot it needed updating now that it was one more generation down.
@@brysonius Basically yes. In the opening we see Jean Jacket's mouth, and pushing in on it we see the clip of the horse, the first "motion picture." Peele is effectively saying cinema, that "spectacle" can be a thing that devours people. That was the point of the call between Emerald and Antlers. She's seeking fame partly for the money, but also for notoriety. He's calling fame the nightmare you don't wake up from, since that attention can be both addicting and destructive. "Spectacle" as "exploitation." Not a hard conclusion to come to as a black man in Hollywood.
@@brysonius No problem! Once you catch the meaning of spectacle that Peele is trying to convey you can't help but see it all over the movie. Jupe is clearly traumatized by his experience as a child star with Gordy, but he can't escape making spectacle of himself. And he tries to make spectacle of Jean Jacket in kind, which is what kills him. Even Mary Jo Elliot who was gruesomely mauled by Gordy can't escape shobiz's spectacle, she shows up to Jupe's show wearing a shirt with her face on it.
@@brysonius basically about exploitation blowing up in your face. Exploitation of animals in media, exploitation and discarding the old ways (replacing the real horse with the green screen one on the film set and as ceremus said people basically destroying themselves to be famous. Gordy gave Jupe (also exploited as the 'token' sitcom Asian kid) the idea that he was special and had power over dangerous beasts which makes him think he can tame Jean Jacket for fame. OJ knows from his heritage and family experience when you can and can't look at animals in the eye, the difference between a predator and prey animal and he's about respect as opposed to exploitation.
Gordy reaching toward Jupe in the studio was their "signature fist bump," a bit they did on the show. Because of that, Jupe thought he had a "bond" with Gordy that spared him from being killed/attacked. In actuality, the only thing protecting him was the lack of direct eye contact. Jupe thought he had a similar "bond" with Jean Jacket ... but, there was no table cloth to shield his eyes this time.
Jordan Peele's thematic horror trilogy, Get Out, Us, and Nope each pull from one side of the classic literary theme triangle. Man vs man (Get Out), man vs himself (Us), and man vs nature (Nope) Simplistic themes elevated to high horror art. I think Jordan is a modern master.
Don't forget NOPE was also a commentary on people's fascination with spectacle, and the price paid as a result. It essentially turned Spielberg's theme of wonder (prevalent in CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND and ET) onto it's head. This is actually my favorite Jordan Peele movie for this very reason.
One of the coolest parts to me was finding out that Jupe was stuck in his own trauma even with his new show. The kids' alien outfits were reminiscent of the camera reels, his staff's outfits were Gordy's, etc. It was super cool to see trauma represented in such a subtle way
His trauma is the part that registered for me. His childhood experience was formative - and violently interrupted. Whatever was happening between himself and Gordy didn't have any resolution.
I still maintain that this was deserving of Oscar nominations, especially for Sound and Cinematography. I think it would have been a worthy Best Director nominee as well.
@@LeapingRat I respectfully disagree. I believe this utilized visual storytelling very well, blending multiple themes in one go, and using visuals to convey that effectively. Granted, I wouldn’t have voted him as the winner (my pick would’ve been Steven Spielberg for THE FABELMANS that year), but he deserved to be a nominee in my view.
@@axr7149I mildly enjoyed this movie but it felt like a film that was telling me that it was visually communicating things to me without any real substance behind it. It just fell flat in a lot of places
As an animal person I LOVED this movie. It captures the gritty gross reality of taking care of animals well and also the mentality of knowing ur their only caretaker. OJ saying they have to go back for the horses, lucky needed water! Was stuck in a trailer!! That rly sold me on this one. That part resonated so loudly with me. You GOTTA go back. You can’t just leave them. Even if it’s scary.
The one scene that legitimately caused my skin to crawl is when the screams were silenced shortly after Jean Jacket decided to finish its meal. You arent alone when you said the sound design team was evil.
What I did like about this film: - Making the UFO a creature instead of a vessel. Very original as sci-fi. - The previous twist also changed the genre of the film, from horror to adventure. - I love the characters and Daniel Kaluuya's subtle acting. How they high-fived each other felt very honest and lived in. - The movie doesn't play dumb: "Aliens? what are those?"
Nope is about legacy, history, exploitation, cinema, hubris, and so much more. The themes aren't as obvious as Get Out so a lot of people write it off as not as "deep," but there are tons of explainers, interviews, and deep dives that everyone should seek out if they're remotely interested
Honestly that's one of the reasons why its so great, because it blends into the film so well and doesn't just stand out like in many other films. Its kind of like CGI, people say CGI is bad but they don't realize the best CGI is when you don't notice there's CGI.
Things that are amazing about this film that it took a second watch to get(or watching it with full context makes it cooler): The radio thats on before the key drops onto Haywood Sr. states there were some hikers missing for two days. That means that Jean Jacket(who I'll refer to as JJ in this)had still been digesting them. The shot in the opening credits is the reflection in JJ's eye the whole time and the wind whipping past. I love that it transitions into the shot of the running horse as well(just a personal enjoyment). 6:26 Otis's father was probably the one who used to do the speeches, so Emerald did need to add another "great". Jupe is clearly still traumatized by his experience on the set of "Gordy's Home"and he treats it as a joke to try to cover for it. However, his whole office and work is in reference to his past experience(his wifes office is like the display cases in his private room, the masks for the alien "viewers"that his kids dress as are like the reels for the film on the set(17:15) and he kept the shoe that he saw as something impossible in the moment(I'll go into that in a moment). Gordies rampage might have been because the studio audience were also making eye contact with him, with the balloon popping being what set him off finally. OJ doesn't get attacked by JJ early on because he's always wearing his hat, meaning that he never directly makes eye contact with it. Jupe hypes himself up by telling himself he's "chosen". However, Jupe made a mistake because of his past. He believed he and Gordie had a connection because Gordie didn't kill him. However, a few factors were why he didn't get killed. One, he was distracted by the shoe and didn't make direct eye contact. Two, he was crouched down and in a submissive posture. Three, his eyes, when Gordie came in close, were covered by the tablecloth. However, he made a mistake and he believed he did the same thing again when JJ entered his life, believing he was spared because he had connected with the "viewers." However, as OJ said at one point, the event was a bad miracle. Lucky really WAS lucky. JJ came early, I think, because the horse statue lodged in his throat made him angry and he tried to dislodge it by eating a lot. However, when that didn't work, he contracted his body like a squid or a jellyfish and spat out everything inorganic. They also had a Jupiters Claim website. Both JJ and Gordie die because of a popped balloon.
@@MasonOfLife More like what DOESN'T it symbolize? (Moreso that in the search for spectacle("Gordie's Home"using a chimpanzee as its main star and the Haywood kids trying to get images of JJ, both animals die thanks to a popped balloon(Gordie because he went wild after the "birthday"balloons popped and he was already on edge and JJ because it tried to destroy what it thought was another predator or threat in the sky).
*all of it. They never filmed at night due to the clouds not being caught on camera at night, but in the day time and applied special effects and filters to make it look like night... So yeah... dude a GENIUS lol
Really love the idea of an extra terrestrial being not being some sort of advanced intelligence or technological wizard but just a eldritch animal from beyond the stars.
@@w1975bIt’s always up to interpretation. I just like the title because it would be my exact reaction to something completely FUBAR, just like OJ when Jupe’s kids were getting him back, and when he was taking in the scale JJ.
This movie is absolutely about the predatory nature of Hollywood and the cruelly symbiotic nature of us as viewers - we say we hate the abuse and the exploitation of the people that entertain us but as a society we desire and crave more and more and more and the duality of it all is kind of staggering when you think about it. OJ, a black man that ends up on a white bronco, being the protagonist is telling. The fact that he and his sister are the only ones that seem to inherently understand that you can't look a predator in the eyes is also telling, but to me the biggest tell on it is in the very beginning when he's on the movie set - notice he never looks anyone in the eyes there - you shouldn't look a predator in the eyes and he absolutely knows who the predators are in that moment. Jean Jacket is meant to be spectacle, an awful horror that's also a terrible miracle and we shouldn't engage and we shouldn't look but we can't help it. Jupe couldn't help it either, he thought he was special because he survived a bad miracle and thought it was because he was special and that he could contain and wrangle a predator when nature doesn't work that way. Predators aren't to be contained or controlled and the hubris it takes to believe you can is something we're all often guilty of.
The movie is about the allure and the consequences of fame and the silver screen. It chews people up and spits them out, it ruins peoples visage permanently, it kills people. People behind the camera hit a point where they’re already famous but nothing is good enough. The director is willing to get eaten because he’s like “there’s nothing left, I will give everything for that last shot. And it might be for nobody else except me.” Steven Yuen thought he was special because he was a child star, but also survived the chimp attack. The secret there is the same as the monster: there was a tablecloth protecting his eyes so the chimp couldn’t see it, and he was spared. Then he thought he was so special and it drove him to become this washed up adult who thought his specialness carried over to the point that he could “whisper to animals” and “tame the aliens.” The alien was just a giant predator. He got lucky one too many times. It chewed him up and spit him out too. The one guy who is impervious to the wiles of fame is the farmer. The quiet dude who doesn’t want to be noticed, who understands animals, who wants to be left alone and isn’t playing any games. And even then, his brushes with it are nearly lethal. Funny how the TMZ reporter is the exact other end of the spectrum, and can’t help but be in the very wrongest place at the wrongest time. Dude can’t help himself at ALL. Wears a friggin mirror. Wants a piece of the pie, like the parasite he is. Adds nothing but a crunchy appetizer to the story. Almost like…those people add nothing to society, and leech off of others’ fame? Also, notice how the director was watching the octopus hunting when they called? He had been waiting for that shot his whole life. “Jean Jacket” was basically a lighter-than-air sea predator. It’s got the smooth movement, it sucks its food up, and it even has a last resort frilly distraction tactic: LOOK AT ME. LOOK AT ME. Tries to distract you, MAKE you look at it, which is obviously the last thing you want to do. Which…happens to look reminiscent of some of the first moving films, that sorta square tunnel that you’re drawn to. Harkening back to the very first film of a black man riding a horse. Tying it all together. The family that started it all is still a part of this, but they survived by the skin of their teeth, and it’s because they DIDNT get the fame and recognition. There’s layers to it, and I’m missing some of it I’m sure. But this is like a really really heady film, and it’s wrapped in the facade of an “alien” film, and then packed and shipped with the template of Jaws. If nothing else, I thought it was a fun suspenseful movie.
This is my personal favorite of the Peele Trilogy, the scene of JeanJacket over the house was insane & you can tell he truly has a passion for the genre! ALSO, I have a lot of Black Vultures in my neighborhood & when you watch them hunting for food they fly just like JeanJacket, long strides with quick turns and before you know it they're directly above you!
Jean Jacket's 2 forms are meant to consolidate flying saucers and biblical angels. That is to say, Jean Jacket is not an alien, but an Earth animal that has remained elusive for thousands of years, and has been previously misidentified as an angel and an alien saucer. Jean Jacket generates an electric field that allows it to fly, and it is merely a coincidence that this electrical field also disables electronic devices. The green square is Jean Jacket's eye, and the flapping green strips are effectively its iris tissue.
This is so interesting hearing you analize this movie from an entertainment industry perspective. I work in animal care/ animal training, and I was praising this movie to all my friends about the character of OJ, and how he is EXACTLY like someone experienced working in animal care. Many movies get animal care wrong but this movie shows it perfectly. Thanks for the react!
So there is a connection between Gordy and Jean Jacket. The Gordy Incident made Jupe feel like he made a special connection with Gordy, which saved him from the rampage. Jupe thought he could do the same with Jean Jacket. And as we saw, that wasn't the case. The Gordy Incident was dumb luck or Gordy just remembering the "fist bump" training prompt. Either way, Jupe got cocky with Jean Jacket.
@@arrgggod4656 Oh, good catch! I never noticed that (for some reason). Or maybe I thought Gordy could see through the cloth, like Jupe was? I dunno how my brain works sometimes...
Hi Nat, regarding Jupe, the reason why he was included was because Jordan Peele was making a commentary on spectacle and how people are eager to chase it regardless of the costs. I think what it showed that he learned the wrong lessons from the incident involving him in childhood, and he felt that he could use the alien to make himself famous again, but paid a heavy price as a result. Jordan Peele himself confirmed that the movie was a commentary on spectacle itself at a Hollywood Reporter roundtable. It is this layer that makes this my favorite Jordan Peele film IMO
The digestion scene in the movie theatre was one of the most horrifying scenes I've seen in recent years. I'm a horror buff and it made me uncomfortable to the point I had to look away and breathe slowly to compose myself.
Super fucked up scene. I’m not claustrophobic but goddamn. And you know there’s a bunch of kids in there too. One of the classic tropes of horror is that characters have to “transgress” somehow to “deserve” death in the script. It’s all over the place, so we can enjoy seeing the cast get dramatically whittled down over the course of the movie. Jupe transgressed with his hubris, but everyone else there? Yeesh.
My favorite scene in this movie is the barn scene. Not only because it was a huge nail-biting moment, showcasing Jordan Peele's talent in suspense, but it served as foreshadowing for the rest of the movie. You think it's aliens coming to invade, but then you learn that it's another issue entirely. Also, it's the scene where people shout "Nope" the most.
Jordan Peele’s best work so far, without any doubt. Every choice, every frame, every performance is so intentional and on point. I can’t think of a single thing I did not like in this movie.
Jordan Peele himself said that a lot of this film is about the idea of spectacle, even in moments of horror or tragedy. The Gordy show was a hit because Gordy is a freaking Chimp on tv. That’s cool as hell. In the Gordy incident the spectacle for Jupe wasn’t the death and gore, it was the shoe standing up in an obscure way. Jean Jacket is an extraterrestrial spectacle that people are constantly trying to capture, both through entertainment (Jupe’s show) or through film, leading to their comeuppance.
The scene with the kids in the alien masks in the stable... The theater was dead silent. You could literally see people start to tense up. It was incredible
You saying that you buy Daniel as a rancher really speaks to the details he adds to the performance. Even the way OJ interacts with other people includes brilliant little touches (like him tapping his leg to encourage people to run, or the little sounds he makes to communicate).
Jupe didn't learn his lesson the first time with Gordy. He had a front row seat to see how thinking you can own and use a wild animal for your profit without taking the time to understand it can get you killed. He did the exact same thing with the predator and paid the price. I LOVE the inclusion of the Gordy scenes. LOVE what Jordan Peele has to say with this movie about animals in entertainment
I love how this movie tip toes the line of Horror, Suspense, & Cosmic Horror. There's so many themes that can be interpreted, In my opinion spectacle is the most prevalent.
Once I realized that this film is essentially just a country-fied version of Jaws, that's all I can see in it now lol and its expansion at the end of the film, at least how I saw it, was just mostly an intimidation tactic because OJ was probably the first person to ever put up a real fight against it.
That move at the end when Em slides and jumps off the motorcycle is a direct reference to Akira, which John Peele was attached to direct at one point and is a movie he’s a big fan of
Something the sound designers did which I think is genius is when they got the actors to all make the screams of horror when you hear it in the sky and digestion scene, they had them do two versions of it. One where they’re screaming in horror, and another where they are screaming like they’re on a rollercoaster in excitement. It’s why sometimes it sounds like happy screaming which only adds to the horror of those scenes.
Me too. "Day for night" has always looked like crap on film, but they invented new techniques specifically for this production. I think it came out great.
@@Johnny_SockoHoly shit for real! I’ve always thought I had a good eye for filmmaking tricks like that and could easily tell when the technique is used. But I totally missed it here.
28:28 is my favorite sequence of the film. I remember the theater just had this energy when O.J was running from the creature. I would love to experience that again on the big screen.
I love how when you're introduced to the cinematographer he's watching footage of predators and close ups of their eyes. The alien was scared of the parachute becaues the metal horse that gave it indigestion also had those colorful flags.
One thing I've yet to see anyone point out is that Jean Jacket's eye (or whatever that green ribbon thing is that pops out) looks just like the gate of a camera or a projector. It's weird and alien looking, but it's also symbolic considering the metaphor of people giving their life chasing fame and glory (the film industry).
Fun fact, the "screams" you hear when Jean Jacket is flying overhead are actually screams from rollercoaster riders. That's why it's so unsettling because the screams are happy joyful screams
I seriously doubt there were multiple people standing up cheering for an Akira reference, a reference that's been used countless times over the past few decades.
Saw this last year and became one of my favourite movies. Wasn't really a "fan" of Jordan or didn't really care too much about his stuff until I saw this. I just love the feel of the atmosphere and the setting out in the middle of nowhere in a secluded valley was perfect. It's the perfect hiding place for something THAT big to snoop around in broad daylight. Also the design of Jean Jacket itself was incredible, especially the way it unfolds at the end. I agree it doesn't look scary but holy shit does it look cool as hell. Like a beautiful, gigantic aquatic creature.
This movie is def peele's magnum opus. While I agree the third half falls off horror wise. I would say that peele balancing three themes and huge ideas constantly makes this one of the most layered films I've ever seen. It really is incredible. The death of the black cowboy, the need for spectacle, and I forgot the third one lol. Every little detail is full of subtilty and interconnected with everything else that its really impressive from a writing standpoint.
Starting on the clip of Gordy, having obviously just killed somebody, staring down at the camera/child is such a great way to set the tension high at the beginning. It’s really a genius move, it sets you on edge and you mostly stay in that heightened state for the rest of the movie, until the release at the very end with the characters.
the leg tapping is a common nonverbal command for getting trained animals to come closer, and oj is shown multiple times to treat (specifically angel but) people similarly to how he treats his horses. he clicks at angel to get him to tilt a camera up, he calms him the same way he would a horse. it's also one of the reasons he's so calm all the time, you can't get jumpy around animals or they get jumpy at you.
This is one of those movies where it warants another watch. The more you watch it, the more you start to understand. There is so much stuff in the beginning that ends up being important later on in the movie.
The cinematographer is Michael Wincott, one of Hollywood's best bad guys. He played iconic villains in The Crow, Alien Resurrection, The Three Musketeers, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and many others. His gravelly voice is so perfect
How come no one has mentioned that the UFO's eye and innards are just like a camera's (which we see at the opening credits, but a lot of people seem to miss)?
Definitely my favourite of his films so far. There's just such a great combo of sci-fi, horror, comedy, themes etc and it's a fun movie. Very re-watchable.
Was high af watching this the first time and I didn't know anything about (thought it was a spiritual horror thing like something demon or whatever, if anything). Movie blew me away, every twist I got to avoid getting spoiled... But the part that messed me up is when the monkey looks at the camera. I legit hit rewind to watch again and fire up another bowl cus I was not chill when that little violent gaze rests on the watcher (me) lol. Jordan just gets it. He doesn't think "What looks cool, what looks scary" he focuses on how to make you FEEL that way... then works backwards from that somehow, or so it seems. He kinda knows we want less than we claim we do and nails that subversion flawlessly. (wow, when you watch this again and realize what you were seeing the whole time is pretty wild like the opening credits and the noises lol)
Saw this at the universal citywalk imax in full 1.43, really wish y'all could see that footage at home. Unreal how little the camera moves for those super tall tracking shots, but its all shakey for the widescreen streaming version
I think a key to this movie is taking the feelings of exploitation and dismissiveness from that first commercial shoot and applying that to every other thing. Everything with Gordy, Jupe thinking the aliens "trust" him, him telling the crowd to remember his kids' names, the TMZ guy looking to sell anything and everything, etc. Or just the lack of care and caution because everyone is competing to be on top (there's no communication between them and Jupe because they are competing to profit off Jean Jacket). I think there's a lot about wanting to be the center of attention and expecting others - human and animal - to just be tools or obstacles to doing that, and the destructive magical thinking that can come with having your focus always being upwards.
the biggest underlying theme of the movie is SPECTACLE, and our obsession with it. We see it manifested in different forms with different characters, most notably Jupe who has turned even his own childhood trauma into a spectacle for others.
A detail I LOVE in this movie is at the beginning, emerald missing a great in her speech just seems like a throw away joke, until you realize later that she has been watching videos of her dad giving the same pitch on a loop while mourning him, and memorized the speech based on what he had said. That little throw away joke ties into the lack of closeness between emerald and her dad and how that manifested in her processing her grief.
This is another story that hits so hard on the terror. I loved, loved, loved that the bulk of the movie is in the daytime. Incredible movie - and it's just as scary the second time around!!
When the creature was 'peacocking' there are plenty of animals who do that, as a sort of challenge base. "Back down or fight me" levels. Gorillas do that with beating their chest etc etc
This is my favorite of Jordan Peele’s films- it’s different- but it’s got so much to say. And I think each story is very much needed. Especially Jupe- so you see the difference between someone who thinks they are special, and can tame the impossible. And those like OJ- who excel at connecting with the impossible. There’s so many subtle details to pickup on rewatches too- the way OJ talks to other people, he talks to them like horses. The effects of the trauma Jupe went through as a kid being represented all through his work life. Emerald adding an extra “great” because she just learned her dad’s speech and he only said “great, great grandfather”.
I think the point is Gordy not killing Jupe and offering a hand fist traumatized him but also made him think he was “chosen”. Like he was the only one that Gordy didn’t hurt and he can tame beasts sort of deal. But also the fact Gordy offering him a hand shake might be deeper in the sense that both Jupe and Gordy were “pets” for a show and Gordy had this kindred spirit with Jupe that’s why Gordy didn’t kill him. Jupe never realizes this or maybe represses it by becoming the person that shows off beasts and attractions. In the end trying to obtain his very own Gordy and finally dying and becoming part of the show that attracted all the camera to come to Jupe’s park.
I believe the movie has a theme of bad miracles. Jupe being saved by the tablecloth obscuring full eye contact with Gordy and surviving was a miracle, but Jupe grows up and believes he can have a similar connection with Jean Jacket, leading to the alien human-buffet. Bad miracle.
Fry's in Burbank was a really fun and popular, sci-fi themed electronics store. They closed a while back but its in the movie as a nod to a lost but beloved LA business
I recommend watching Blind Wave’s reaction and review to this film. Eric, one of the commentators, grew up on a farm and offered really good insight in how the animals are treated in this story
Yes!!! I was watching this reaction & immediately realized all of Peele’s movies make for a good rewatch. When I originally watched it, I also was confused about the inclusion of Gordy but the film did sit with me. When I rewatched, I picked up much more on the spectacle aspect & realized Gordy’s story complimented the main one so well. I couldn’t see the film without it.
Something made me think you had already seen this, happy for the ride along. This movie was insane in the theater. It’s crazy how Jordan does a different kind of horror
I think it's just a movie with a lot of subtext that blew up with a general audience who weren't expecting that. Personally, I think it's one of the best movies of 2022.
People don’t love this movie? My wife and I walked out of the theater with a crowd of people all talking about how it was the best thing they’d seen all year. Every critic I read thought it was fantastic.
@@spiraljumper74 I think it's just a vocal minority making a bit of a stink about the film, most people I've spoken to have said they loved it, and most of the online conversation about it seems to be broadly positive
I mean, Nat was disappointed. Some people just wanted the movie to be a plain old scary movie but this movie is really about something and that just doesn't resonate with everyone.
@@spiraljumper74 It was pretty mixed with audiences, It just didn't find that same love Get Out did. I think the fact that it underperformed at the Box Office hurt it's overall perception as well. It was expected to be his biggest film but was far from it.
36:55 "the tense moments for me were when I didn’t really understand what the creature was" Precisely, which I think is because this is also an homage to Spielberg, both to Close Encounters and Jaws. In basically all Spielberg’s movies, the fantastic elements have to be understood at an earlier point because the film is about the people and their relationships and feelings-usually anxieties about being a dad, thinking particularly of Close Encounters and Jurassic Park. Or in this case, about supporting your sibling even if you're very different. I also think this movie has some sly homages to HP Lovecraft. Specifically, I connect Antlers and Angel to Barzai the Wise and Atal, from the story "The Other Gods," about a priest who scales a cloud-wrapped mountain to look upon Earth’s gods. Barzai... doesn’t come back, but Atal stays behind and thus tells the tale. I also couldn’t help but pick up some biblical flavors in Kieth David’s death. Specifically, he died the way he did because he looked up (unknowingly trying to look upon the divine, or otherworldly) and got a classical punishment for it: getting shot in the eye. OJ survives, in several situations, because he doesn’t look up, at least not without understanding what he’s doing.
No joke, I looked through the library, maybe a week or so ago, wanting to see this exact reaction. Was disappointed that I didn't see it. I'm interested to see this one.
NOPE is my favorite Jordan Peele film. I think marketing failed NOPE because it was advertised as a straight up horror film, but it's actually an analysis of how humans deal with spectacle, wrapped in the history of film and exploitation, that had some horrific elements to it. People look for reason in horrific events, and when they focus on the wrong aspects of it, they try to exploit it for the spectacle of the thing. Using a form of divine assignment to thrill audiences leads to forms of exploitation of nature (humans also being part of nature) causing unintended harm and destruction.
The Gordy scenes came across to me as showing people trying to exploit animals for profit and thinking that they can tame them. They thought they could tame Gordy to use him for a TV show, then Jupe thought he could profit off of Jean jacket by doing his show, and also still profiting off of Gordy through his weird collectable room. The Hayward family profited off of training horses for movies, and OJ and Emerald tried to profit off of Jean jacket with the photos for Oprah. This movie came out in the summertime and it was very reminiscent of the 80s and 90s Steven Spielberg summer blockbuster hits like Jaws or close encounters.
One thing about this movie i love is the relationship between OJ and Emerald. A brother and sister relationship i really believe in because it reminds me of mine and my sisters. Made me real emotional when OJ was sacrificing himself.
The real thing that I am scared of is the project that Jordan Peele and Hideo Kojima are working on together. Whether it's a game or a show or a movie, I might shit my pants.
Jupe thought he was special cause Gordy liked him, but he was just lucky to not look him directly in the eyes because of the tablecloth
Great observation. Although I did think that Gordy clearly knew it was Jupe under the table, because he went in for the fist bump. It's not clear whether he really would have harmed Jupe, but either way Jupe must have thought he was untouchable after that.
@@Johnny_Sockohe didn’t try to ‘fist bump’ Jupe, he was actually slowly lifting the table cloth to see Jupe’s eyes. If he would have seen his eyes, he would have killed him on the spot.
@@TheJerbol Jupe thought he had something special with Gordy and mistook Gordy’s action with the table cloth for a fist bump. You can see Gordy look into Jupes eyes as soon as he was (shot?)
It’s just a theory tho
@@liamurr.No it's a fist bump. Jupe describes the set as the site of the world's "first exploding fist bump". Gordy always did it with Jupe and he knew it was Jupe under the table (smell, can kind of see him, etc.) but the tablecloth blurred the eye contact so Gordy didn't freak out. OJ understood what Jupe didn't, is that you need to respect the wild nature of animals, so just because you didn't get attacked doesn't mean there is some deep meaning behind it. OJ always treats the animals like they could cause harm, and he's consistently proven right.
Isn’t it funny that a flying space shape has any recognition that eyes exist, and have the same challenge response as animals with faces and eyes, and that a hungry space aliens only eats food if it looks it in the… Mouth? It’s not like it had eyes to look into.
Like how a lion running after a gazelle, clawing it to the ground to eat will first overtake to look it in the eye before deciding if they’re allowed to eat it… No, wait, the opposite of that.
For me, I’ve always felt that Gordy, the training horse at the beginning and Jean Jacket (alien) were all linked: Animals who were threatened by humans and reacted violently as a result. OJ was the only character who took the time to understand the animals
Yeah, like a theme was about humans relationships with other animals.
This is the correct connection. Like OJ says, "Jupe got caught up trying to tame a predator.: Another similarity is Jupe focusing on the wrong things. He was focused on that shoe and how it stood up (the miracle), not the horror of the situation. In the present, he was focused on fame he would get from the alien, not the implication of what such a creature means to humanity.
I think you’re slightly off.
OJ didn’t understand the alien, what he understood was that he didn’t understand the alien.
Jupe & others make an unreasonable assumption that they can connect with wild animals or that because wild animals “behave” sometimes that they are therefore predictably reliable.
They aren’t. Maybe sometimes, maybe most of the time, but all it takes is one time to be the end.
When was jean jacket threatened by humans? The connection is spectacle. That's why jean jacket looks like an eye. Making Media Matter has a brilliant video essay on this movie
@adrianr87 I mean, it was fed a plastic horse, which obviously did some damage to it and led to it acting unpredictable. I think it's less about threat and more about the idea that animals are still animals no matter how much you try to train them with the horse lashing out with the reflective ball and gordy with the ballon it's the same idea with the plastic horse and jean jacket
Quick explanation of why Jean Jacket spread out:
By the logic of the movie, the alien is an animal, so it follows certain behaviour patterns based on instinct; reacts violently when people look at its eye, establishes a territory, and it is somewhat sentient. But like and animal, it can feel frustration, and fear.
The Alien has amazing eyesight, being able to see the eye of its prey from hundreds of miles up in the sky, so it knew OJ. It came across him multiple times, and couldn’t get him.
And in the final act, in taunted OJ, got scared of the raimbow parachute (it associated it with pain, like the wooden horse’s color that failed to digest) and when it almost ate Angel, it got hurt with the barb wire.
So Jean Jacket got scared, and threatened. So it unfolded itself to appear larger, a thing thst animals like peacooks, owls and bears do when threatened. And then it stood in front of OJ, in a standoff, without moving, cause it sense OJ as a threat. But when the sister run, she behaved like prey, so it chase after her.
Is a really goog characterization of the Alien, it gives it personality and a great use of show don’t tell
damn, couldn't have explained it better!
Yeah I wasn't sure but that was how i interpreted it too, like it already felt threatened by people coming onto its territory and looking at it, but the barbed wire actually injured it and made it feel pain, so it felt afraid and was trying to intimidate them
A number of comments are saying the underlying theme is about abuse of spectacle, but don't forget it's also about abuse of animals/nature in film and in general. We treat them like predictable, disposable objects.
A lotta people say Peele makes films for filmmakers, and I agree.
100% agree. The animals being exploited for entertainment. The TMZ guy also reinforces this theme as well.
The abuse of animals/nature falls under spectacle, and the lengths people will go to capture spectacle, even if it means causing harm; whether it be using nervous horses on film, training a monkey for a tv show, or summoning a ufo for an audience.
Tiny detail I loved: Emerald get's the number of "great"'s in her speech wrong because she is just saying the speech the same way their father would, she was only wrong because she forgot it needed updating now that it was one more generation down.
The opening epitaph literally explains the whole point of the movie... It's probably one of the best uses of an epitaph I've seen, ever.
Can you explain it a bit for me? Is it commentary on show business?
@@brysonius Basically yes. In the opening we see Jean Jacket's mouth, and pushing in on it we see the clip of the horse, the first "motion picture." Peele is effectively saying cinema, that "spectacle" can be a thing that devours people. That was the point of the call between Emerald and Antlers. She's seeking fame partly for the money, but also for notoriety. He's calling fame the nightmare you don't wake up from, since that attention can be both addicting and destructive.
"Spectacle" as "exploitation." Not a hard conclusion to come to as a black man in Hollywood.
@@ceremus thank you very much for elaborating! 🙏🏽
@@brysonius No problem! Once you catch the meaning of spectacle that Peele is trying to convey you can't help but see it all over the movie. Jupe is clearly traumatized by his experience as a child star with Gordy, but he can't escape making spectacle of himself. And he tries to make spectacle of Jean Jacket in kind, which is what kills him. Even Mary Jo Elliot who was gruesomely mauled by Gordy can't escape shobiz's spectacle, she shows up to Jupe's show wearing a shirt with her face on it.
@@brysonius basically about exploitation blowing up in your face. Exploitation of animals in media, exploitation and discarding the old ways (replacing the real horse with the green screen one on the film set and as ceremus said people basically destroying themselves to be famous.
Gordy gave Jupe (also exploited as the 'token' sitcom Asian kid) the idea that he was special and had power over dangerous beasts which makes him think he can tame Jean Jacket for fame. OJ knows from his heritage and family experience when you can and can't look at animals in the eye, the difference between a predator and prey animal and he's about respect as opposed to exploitation.
Gordy reaching toward Jupe in the studio was their "signature fist bump," a bit they did on the show. Because of that, Jupe thought he had a "bond" with Gordy that spared him from being killed/attacked. In actuality, the only thing protecting him was the lack of direct eye contact. Jupe thought he had a similar "bond" with Jean Jacket ... but, there was no table cloth to shield his eyes this time.
Jordan Peele's thematic horror trilogy, Get Out, Us, and Nope each pull from one side of the classic literary theme triangle. Man vs man (Get Out), man vs himself (Us), and man vs nature (Nope)
Simplistic themes elevated to high horror art.
I think Jordan is a modern master.
Don't forget NOPE was also a commentary on people's fascination with spectacle, and the price paid as a result. It essentially turned Spielberg's theme of wonder (prevalent in CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND and ET) onto it's head. This is actually my favorite Jordan Peele movie for this very reason.
Now we just need man vs god and man vs the writer
Next time: Man vs Food
Anyone know any other movie like those?
It's actually a square, not a triangle. The 4th side of the square is "man vs society"
One of the coolest parts to me was finding out that Jupe was stuck in his own trauma even with his new show. The kids' alien outfits were reminiscent of the camera reels, his staff's outfits were Gordy's, etc. It was super cool to see trauma represented in such a subtle way
His trauma is the part that registered for me. His childhood experience was formative - and violently interrupted. Whatever was happening between himself and Gordy didn't have any resolution.
@@douglasbaker9663The other shoe never dropped.
"We are being watched by an alien species I call the viewers", probably how Jupe (and Jordan Peele) feel to an extent.
For anyone who didn't catch it. He added another "Great" because she memorized her father's introduction/ safety brief.
😂😂😂😂 I never caught that…
the detail 🤌🏼
OHHH
I still maintain that this was deserving of Oscar nominations, especially for Sound and Cinematography. I think it would have been a worthy Best Director nominee as well.
100
sound sure, director hell no
@@LeapingRat I respectfully disagree. I believe this utilized visual storytelling very well, blending multiple themes in one go, and using visuals to convey that effectively. Granted, I wouldn’t have voted him as the winner (my pick would’ve been Steven Spielberg for THE FABELMANS that year), but he deserved to be a nominee in my view.
@@axr7149I mildly enjoyed this movie but it felt like a film that was telling me that it was visually communicating things to me without any real substance behind it. It just fell flat in a lot of places
@@axr7149it did a lot of things well, but the pacing slowed down and moments felt underwhelming
As an animal person I LOVED this movie. It captures the gritty gross reality of taking care of animals well and also the mentality of knowing ur their only caretaker. OJ saying they have to go back for the horses, lucky needed water! Was stuck in a trailer!! That rly sold me on this one. That part resonated so loudly with me. You GOTTA go back. You can’t just leave them. Even if it’s scary.
"Can't we use the horses as bait?"
"Horse people" [this won't fly with OJ]
awesome human perspective. Mouths to feed.
I keep trying to get my mother to watch this because she’s a horse person, and I bet she'll pick up on a lot of stuff really fast.
The one scene that legitimately caused my skin to crawl is when the screams were silenced shortly after Jean Jacket decided to finish its meal. You arent alone when you said the sound design team was evil.
What I did like about this film:
- Making the UFO a creature instead of a vessel. Very original as sci-fi.
- The previous twist also changed the genre of the film, from horror to adventure.
- I love the characters and Daniel Kaluuya's subtle acting. How they high-fived each other felt very honest and lived in.
- The movie doesn't play dumb: "Aliens? what are those?"
Nope is about legacy, history, exploitation, cinema, hubris, and so much more. The themes aren't as obvious as Get Out so a lot of people write it off as not as "deep," but there are tons of explainers, interviews, and deep dives that everyone should seek out if they're remotely interested
Honestly that's one of the reasons why its so great, because it blends into the film so well and doesn't just stand out like in many other films. Its kind of like CGI, people say CGI is bad but they don't realize the best CGI is when you don't notice there's CGI.
Things that are amazing about this film that it took a second watch to get(or watching it with full context makes it cooler):
The radio thats on before the key drops onto Haywood Sr. states there were some hikers missing for two days. That means that Jean Jacket(who I'll refer to as JJ in this)had still been digesting them.
The shot in the opening credits is the reflection in JJ's eye the whole time and the wind whipping past. I love that it transitions into the shot of the running horse as well(just a personal enjoyment).
6:26 Otis's father was probably the one who used to do the speeches, so Emerald did need to add another "great".
Jupe is clearly still traumatized by his experience on the set of "Gordy's Home"and he treats it as a joke to try to cover for it. However, his whole office and work is in reference to his past experience(his wifes office is like the display cases in his private room, the masks for the alien "viewers"that his kids dress as are like the reels for the film on the set(17:15) and he kept the shoe that he saw as something impossible in the moment(I'll go into that in a moment). Gordies rampage might have been because the studio audience were also making eye contact with him, with the balloon popping being what set him off finally.
OJ doesn't get attacked by JJ early on because he's always wearing his hat, meaning that he never directly makes eye contact with it.
Jupe hypes himself up by telling himself he's "chosen". However, Jupe made a mistake because of his past. He believed he and Gordie had a connection because Gordie didn't kill him. However, a few factors were why he didn't get killed. One, he was distracted by the shoe and didn't make direct eye contact. Two, he was crouched down and in a submissive posture. Three, his eyes, when Gordie came in close, were covered by the tablecloth. However, he made a mistake and he believed he did the same thing again when JJ entered his life, believing he was spared because he had connected with the "viewers." However, as OJ said at one point, the event was a bad miracle.
Lucky really WAS lucky.
JJ came early, I think, because the horse statue lodged in his throat made him angry and he tried to dislodge it by eating a lot. However, when that didn't work, he contracted his body like a squid or a jellyfish and spat out everything inorganic.
They also had a Jupiters Claim website.
Both JJ and Gordie die because of a popped balloon.
What does the popped balloon symbolize?
@@MasonOfLife More like what DOESN'T it symbolize?
(Moreso that in the search for spectacle("Gordie's Home"using a chimpanzee as its main star and the Haywood kids trying to get images of JJ, both animals die thanks to a popped balloon(Gordie because he went wild after the "birthday"balloons popped and he was already on edge and JJ because it tried to destroy what it thought was another predator or threat in the sky).
@@MasonOfLifeA balloon popping, or a bubble bursting, is synonymous with the end of something. Something returning to reality, an end of dreaming.
It scares even the most brave and fearless creatures. It is loud and almost always sudden.
@@KIager thank you
This was a blast to watch in IMAX. So rare to have a “horror/thriller” take place during the day for most of it
Have you watched Mydsommar?!
*all of it. They never filmed at night due to the clouds not being caught on camera at night, but in the day time and applied special effects and filters to make it look like night...
So yeah... dude a GENIUS lol
@@dontcareisaiditI mean they said “take place at” not talking about how it was filmed. But that is a really cool fact yeah
Really love the idea of an extra terrestrial being not being some sort of advanced intelligence or technological wizard but just a eldritch animal from beyond the stars.
It's probably not even extraterrestrial. Check out the "Atmospheric Beasts" theory of UAPs.
Man I Agree, I Loved The Way Peele Dismissed The Common Idea Of Aliens & Made Somethin Completely Unique
It's not extraterrestrial tho
It's pretty clearly just an animal we've never documented
@@jesusramirezromo2037 so the idea that the title NOPE stands for Not Of Planet Earth is wrong.
@@w1975bIt’s always up to interpretation. I just like the title because it would be my exact reaction to something completely FUBAR, just like OJ when Jupe’s kids were getting him back, and when he was taking in the scale JJ.
This movie is absolutely about the predatory nature of Hollywood and the cruelly symbiotic nature of us as viewers - we say we hate the abuse and the exploitation of the people that entertain us but as a society we desire and crave more and more and more and the duality of it all is kind of staggering when you think about it. OJ, a black man that ends up on a white bronco, being the protagonist is telling. The fact that he and his sister are the only ones that seem to inherently understand that you can't look a predator in the eyes is also telling, but to me the biggest tell on it is in the very beginning when he's on the movie set - notice he never looks anyone in the eyes there - you shouldn't look a predator in the eyes and he absolutely knows who the predators are in that moment.
Jean Jacket is meant to be spectacle, an awful horror that's also a terrible miracle and we shouldn't engage and we shouldn't look but we can't help it. Jupe couldn't help it either, he thought he was special because he survived a bad miracle and thought it was because he was special and that he could contain and wrangle a predator when nature doesn't work that way. Predators aren't to be contained or controlled and the hubris it takes to believe you can is something we're all often guilty of.
I am huge fan of lovecraftian/cosmic horror and this is one of the coolest lovecraftian monster design lately. That alone makes the movie fun for me.
The movie is about the allure and the consequences of fame and the silver screen. It chews people up and spits them out, it ruins peoples visage permanently, it kills people. People behind the camera hit a point where they’re already famous but nothing is good enough. The director is willing to get eaten because he’s like “there’s nothing left, I will give everything for that last shot. And it might be for nobody else except me.” Steven Yuen thought he was special because he was a child star, but also survived the chimp attack. The secret there is the same as the monster: there was a tablecloth protecting his eyes so the chimp couldn’t see it, and he was spared. Then he thought he was so special and it drove him to become this washed up adult who thought his specialness carried over to the point that he could “whisper to animals” and “tame the aliens.” The alien was just a giant predator. He got lucky one too many times. It chewed him up and spit him out too.
The one guy who is impervious to the wiles of fame is the farmer. The quiet dude who doesn’t want to be noticed, who understands animals, who wants to be left alone and isn’t playing any games. And even then, his brushes with it are nearly lethal. Funny how the TMZ reporter is the exact other end of the spectrum, and can’t help but be in the very wrongest place at the wrongest time. Dude can’t help himself at ALL. Wears a friggin mirror. Wants a piece of the pie, like the parasite he is. Adds nothing but a crunchy appetizer to the story. Almost like…those people add nothing to society, and leech off of others’ fame?
Also, notice how the director was watching the octopus hunting when they called? He had been waiting for that shot his whole life. “Jean Jacket” was basically a lighter-than-air sea predator. It’s got the smooth movement, it sucks its food up, and it even has a last resort frilly distraction tactic: LOOK AT ME. LOOK AT ME. Tries to distract you, MAKE you look at it, which is obviously the last thing you want to do.
Which…happens to look reminiscent of some of the first moving films, that sorta square tunnel that you’re drawn to. Harkening back to the very first film of a black man riding a horse. Tying it all together. The family that started it all is still a part of this, but they survived by the skin of their teeth, and it’s because they DIDNT get the fame and recognition.
There’s layers to it, and I’m missing some of it I’m sure. But this is like a really really heady film, and it’s wrapped in the facade of an “alien” film, and then packed and shipped with the template of Jaws. If nothing else, I thought it was a fun suspenseful movie.
Excellent review. Thank you.
There is quite a lot to unpack
This is my personal favorite of the Peele Trilogy, the scene of JeanJacket over the house was insane & you can tell he truly has a passion for the genre! ALSO, I have a lot of Black Vultures in my neighborhood & when you watch them hunting for food they fly just like JeanJacket, long strides with quick turns and before you know it they're directly above you!
That scene with them hearing the screaming from inside the house is just perfect.
Jean Jacket's 2 forms are meant to consolidate flying saucers and biblical angels. That is to say, Jean Jacket is not an alien, but an Earth animal that has remained elusive for thousands of years, and has been previously misidentified as an angel and an alien saucer. Jean Jacket generates an electric field that allows it to fly, and it is merely a coincidence that this electrical field also disables electronic devices. The green square is Jean Jacket's eye, and the flapping green strips are effectively its iris tissue.
I definitely thought it was effectively a camera. The ancients always referred to cameras as soul stealers.
@@blakeharris58Hollywood and the obsession with spectacles in a nutshell.
This movie went from "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" to an episode of "Neon Genesis Evangelion"
Literally. Jordan Peele said that Jean Jacket's design was inspired by the tenth angel, Sahaquiel.
Not to mention the akira bike slide
Final kaiju fight between big Jupe and Jean Jacket 💥
And then it went all the way back to Natural Geographic
I saw a comment elsewhere saying "You thought you were watching War of the Worlds but Nope: it's Jaws."
This is so interesting hearing you analize this movie from an entertainment industry perspective. I work in animal care/ animal training, and I was praising this movie to all my friends about the character of OJ, and how he is EXACTLY like someone experienced working in animal care. Many movies get animal care wrong but this movie shows it perfectly. Thanks for the react!
5:01 So wild that the opening credits of this movie is showing what’s it’s showing and we never even knew. So good.
So there is a connection between Gordy and Jean Jacket. The Gordy Incident made Jupe feel like he made a special connection with Gordy, which saved him from the rampage. Jupe thought he could do the same with Jean Jacket.
And as we saw, that wasn't the case. The Gordy Incident was dumb luck or Gordy just remembering the "fist bump" training prompt. Either way, Jupe got cocky with Jean Jacket.
Gordy didn't attack Jupe because his eyes were covered by the table blanket or cover.
@@arrgggod4656 Oh, good catch! I never noticed that (for some reason). Or maybe I thought Gordy could see through the cloth, like Jupe was? I dunno how my brain works sometimes...
@@TwingrimI was always under the impression they could see each other.
Also im pretty sure the monkey signed for "what happened?"
Like it blacked out and doesn't remember anything that transpired.
The fact that this film got no Oscar nominations, not even for sound, is absolutely criminal
Hi Nat, regarding Jupe, the reason why he was included was because Jordan Peele was making a commentary on spectacle and how people are eager to chase it regardless of the costs. I think what it showed that he learned the wrong lessons from the incident involving him in childhood, and he felt that he could use the alien to make himself famous again, but paid a heavy price as a result. Jordan Peele himself confirmed that the movie was a commentary on spectacle itself at a Hollywood Reporter roundtable.
It is this layer that makes this my favorite Jordan Peele film IMO
I love that Keke Palmer got to do “the Akira slide”
The digestion scene in the movie theatre was one of the most horrifying scenes I've seen in recent years. I'm a horror buff and it made me uncomfortable to the point I had to look away and breathe slowly to compose myself.
It was so horrifying that I wanted to get up and leave the theater, but I literally felt like I couldn't move.
Makes my stomach turn just thinking about it.
Me 100% I love the movie, but skip that scene every time.
Me too, an uncomfortably disturbing moment, reminded me a lot of the finale in the movie Akira.
Super fucked up scene. I’m not claustrophobic but goddamn. And you know there’s a bunch of kids in there too.
One of the classic tropes of horror is that characters have to “transgress” somehow to “deserve” death in the script. It’s all over the place, so we can enjoy seeing the cast get dramatically whittled down over the course of the movie. Jupe transgressed with his hubris, but everyone else there? Yeesh.
The Gordy scene was tying into the main theme of the film, which is how we turn everything into a spectacle.
My favorite scene in this movie is the barn scene. Not only because it was a huge nail-biting moment, showcasing Jordan Peele's talent in suspense, but it served as foreshadowing for the rest of the movie. You think it's aliens coming to invade, but then you learn that it's another issue entirely. Also, it's the scene where people shout "Nope" the most.
Genuinely the most unsettling part of the movie for me. It was _viscerally_ disconcerting.
Jordan Peele’s best work so far, without any doubt. Every choice, every frame, every performance is so intentional and on point. I can’t think of a single thing I did not like in this movie.
The movie is unbelievably great. One of my all time favs
Jordan Peele himself said that a lot of this film is about the idea of spectacle, even in moments of horror or tragedy. The Gordy show was a hit because Gordy is a freaking Chimp on tv. That’s cool as hell. In the Gordy incident the spectacle for Jupe wasn’t the death and gore, it was the shoe standing up in an obscure way. Jean Jacket is an extraterrestrial spectacle that people are constantly trying to capture, both through entertainment (Jupe’s show) or through film, leading to their comeuppance.
The scene with the kids in the alien masks in the stable... The theater was dead silent. You could literally see people start to tense up. It was incredible
You saying that you buy Daniel as a rancher really speaks to the details he adds to the performance. Even the way OJ interacts with other people includes brilliant little touches (like him tapping his leg to encourage people to run, or the little sounds he makes to communicate).
OJ signaling for Angel to raise the camera up by clicking will never not make me laugh 😆
Definitely liked how Jean Jacket looks like a “biblically accurate angel”
Also adds the idea if aliens that look like that exist in their world. Then the angels and gods in that world's bible/mythology could be aliens
Jupe didn't learn his lesson the first time with Gordy. He had a front row seat to see how thinking you can own and use a wild animal for your profit without taking the time to understand it can get you killed. He did the exact same thing with the predator and paid the price. I LOVE the inclusion of the Gordy scenes. LOVE what Jordan Peele has to say with this movie about animals in entertainment
Animals in entertainment but animals in general too.
People are so brainwashed by Disney & their pets they forget how dangerous wild animals are.
Jupe himself, ironically, was made a bit of a spectacle himself(given he was the only Asian character among a white cast on "Gordie's Home".)
@@phousefilms ooooo good catch
Good read. He’s repeating what worked for him.
I love how this movie tip toes the line of Horror, Suspense, & Cosmic Horror. There's so many themes that can be interpreted, In my opinion spectacle is the most prevalent.
Once I realized that this film is essentially just a country-fied version of Jaws, that's all I can see in it now lol and its expansion at the end of the film, at least how I saw it, was just mostly an intimidation tactic because OJ was probably the first person to ever put up a real fight against it.
That move at the end when Em slides and jumps off the motorcycle is a direct reference to Akira, which John Peele was attached to direct at one point and is a movie he’s a big fan of
Who is John Peele?
Something the sound designers did which I think is genius is when they got the actors to all make the screams of horror when you hear it in the sky and digestion scene, they had them do two versions of it.
One where they’re screaming in horror, and another where they are screaming like they’re on a rollercoaster in excitement. It’s why sometimes it sounds like happy screaming which only adds to the horror of those scenes.
personally i was shocked when i heard the night scenes were actually shot in day they just edited the colors
Me too. "Day for night" has always looked like crap on film, but they invented new techniques specifically for this production. I think it came out great.
I think the other great use of "day for night" was in Mad Max:Fury Road which did a similar blue-tint adjustment, but Nope stepped it way up!
@@Johnny_SockoHoly shit for real! I’ve always thought I had a good eye for filmmaking tricks like that and could easily tell when the technique is used. But I totally missed it here.
@@spiraljumper74 I read a really interesting article recently about how they did it, but I can't remember where. That's really going to bug me now...
Some behind the scenes and more info about the whole process, very cool stuff
ua-cam.com/video/1ctQIIl1PxY/v-deo.htmlsi=vBPVjsbdTPYfBa4I
Such a layered movie for a fun horror blockbuster. Tons of themes woven in that really reward multiple watches. Peele's best by far.
28:28 is my favorite sequence of the film. I remember the theater just had this energy when O.J was running from the creature. I would love to experience that again on the big screen.
I love how when you're introduced to the cinematographer he's watching footage of predators and close ups of their eyes.
The alien was scared of the parachute becaues the metal horse that gave it indigestion also had those colorful flags.
One thing I've yet to see anyone point out is that Jean Jacket's eye (or whatever that green ribbon thing is that pops out) looks just like the gate of a camera or a projector. It's weird and alien looking, but it's also symbolic considering the metaphor of people giving their life chasing fame and glory (the film industry).
Fun fact, the "screams" you hear when Jean Jacket is flying overhead are actually screams from rollercoaster riders. That's why it's so unsettling because the screams are happy joyful screams
The digestion scene in my opinion is one of the most terrifying scenes I’ve ever seen in any sci-fi horror film
The Akira slide at 31:57 !
I seriously doubt there were multiple people standing up cheering for an Akira reference, a reference that's been used countless times over the past few decades.
You're free to doubt it. Just saying what happened :) @@Eidlones
Saw this last year and became one of my favourite movies. Wasn't really a "fan" of Jordan or didn't really care too much about his stuff until I saw this. I just love the feel of the atmosphere and the setting out in the middle of nowhere in a secluded valley was perfect. It's the perfect hiding place for something THAT big to snoop around in broad daylight. Also the design of Jean Jacket itself was incredible, especially the way it unfolds at the end. I agree it doesn't look scary but holy shit does it look cool as hell. Like a beautiful, gigantic aquatic creature.
This was such fun to watch, your reaction to the sound design is so spot on
I will always respect Daniel Kaluuya for choosing to star in this film over Wakanda Forever because his performance in this movie is outstanding
This movie is def peele's magnum opus. While I agree the third half falls off horror wise. I would say that peele balancing three themes and huge ideas constantly makes this one of the most layered films I've ever seen. It really is incredible. The death of the black cowboy, the need for spectacle, and I forgot the third one lol. Every little detail is full of subtilty and interconnected with everything else that its really impressive from a writing standpoint.
Lmao, the THIRD half?
@@TheDrag0nSlayer blah blah blah, the last third
Starting on the clip of Gordy, having obviously just killed somebody, staring down at the camera/child is such a great way to set the tension high at the beginning. It’s really a genius move, it sets you on edge and you mostly stay in that heightened state for the rest of the movie, until the release at the very end with the characters.
A lot of anime references also. The bike slide from “Akira”. The angel designs from “Neon genesis Evangelion” also based on biblical angels.
the leg tapping is a common nonverbal command for getting trained animals to come closer, and oj is shown multiple times to treat (specifically angel but) people similarly to how he treats his horses. he clicks at angel to get him to tilt a camera up, he calms him the same way he would a horse. it's also one of the reasons he's so calm all the time, you can't get jumpy around animals or they get jumpy at you.
This is one of those movies where it warants another watch. The more you watch it, the more you start to understand.
There is so much stuff in the beginning that ends up being important later on in the movie.
The cinematographer is Michael Wincott, one of Hollywood's best bad guys. He played iconic villains in The Crow, Alien Resurrection, The Three Musketeers, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and many others. His gravelly voice is so perfect
I RAN over here because I LOVE this film and I LOVE your reactions!!! WOOOOO
How come no one has mentioned that the UFO's eye and innards are just like a camera's (which we see at the opening credits, but a lot of people seem to miss)?
I pointed that out the first time I saw it😊
Definitely my favourite of his films so far. There's just such a great combo of sci-fi, horror, comedy, themes etc and it's a fun movie. Very re-watchable.
The sound production for this movie definitely should've been nominated for both Oscars. Absolutely phenomenal.
Was high af watching this the first time and I didn't know anything about (thought it was a spiritual horror thing like something demon or whatever, if anything). Movie blew me away, every twist I got to avoid getting spoiled...
But the part that messed me up is when the monkey looks at the camera. I legit hit rewind to watch again and fire up another bowl cus I was not chill when that little violent gaze rests on the watcher (me) lol.
Jordan just gets it. He doesn't think "What looks cool, what looks scary" he focuses on how to make you FEEL that way... then works backwards from that somehow, or so it seems. He kinda knows we want less than we claim we do and nails that subversion flawlessly.
(wow, when you watch this again and realize what you were seeing the whole time is pretty wild like the opening credits and the noises lol)
I love the intro credits music so much
Saw this at the universal citywalk imax in full 1.43, really wish y'all could see that footage at home. Unreal how little the camera moves for those super tall tracking shots, but its all shakey for the widescreen streaming version
I think a key to this movie is taking the feelings of exploitation and dismissiveness from that first commercial shoot and applying that to every other thing. Everything with Gordy, Jupe thinking the aliens "trust" him, him telling the crowd to remember his kids' names, the TMZ guy looking to sell anything and everything, etc. Or just the lack of care and caution because everyone is competing to be on top (there's no communication between them and Jupe because they are competing to profit off Jean Jacket). I think there's a lot about wanting to be the center of attention and expecting others - human and animal - to just be tools or obstacles to doing that, and the destructive magical thinking that can come with having your focus always being upwards.
I like how even oj doesn’t give any of the crew eye contact at the start during his speech
the biggest underlying theme of the movie is SPECTACLE, and our obsession with it. We see it manifested in different forms with different characters, most notably Jupe who has turned even his own childhood trauma into a spectacle for others.
A detail I LOVE in this movie is at the beginning, emerald missing a great in her speech just seems like a throw away joke, until you realize later that she has been watching videos of her dad giving the same pitch on a loop while mourning him, and memorized the speech based on what he had said. That little throw away joke ties into the lack of closeness between emerald and her dad and how that manifested in her processing her grief.
Just now coming back to this as I finally watched the movie! The moment where OJ locks the door is the most relatable thing ever.
So happy when you post!
Best detail for me is Jupe’s design for the aliens looks like the cameras at the Gordy set. Plus he called the aliens “Watchers” as in audience.
This is another story that hits so hard on the terror. I loved, loved, loved that the bulk of the movie is in the daytime. Incredible movie - and it's just as scary the second time around!!
When the creature was 'peacocking' there are plenty of animals who do that, as a sort of challenge base. "Back down or fight me" levels. Gorillas do that with beating their chest etc etc
This is my favorite of Jordan Peele’s films- it’s different- but it’s got so much to say. And I think each story is very much needed. Especially Jupe- so you see the difference between someone who thinks they are special, and can tame the impossible. And those like OJ- who excel at connecting with the impossible. There’s so many subtle details to pickup on rewatches too- the way OJ talks to other people, he talks to them like horses. The effects of the trauma Jupe went through as a kid being represented all through his work life. Emerald adding an extra “great” because she just learned her dad’s speech and he only said “great, great grandfather”.
I think the point is Gordy not killing Jupe and offering a hand fist traumatized him but also made him think he was “chosen”. Like he was the only one that Gordy didn’t hurt and he can tame beasts sort of deal.
But also the fact Gordy offering him a hand shake might be deeper in the sense that both Jupe and Gordy were “pets” for a show and Gordy had this kindred spirit with Jupe that’s why Gordy didn’t kill him. Jupe never realizes this or maybe represses it by becoming the person that shows off beasts and attractions. In the end trying to obtain his very own Gordy and finally dying and becoming part of the show that attracted all the camera to come to Jupe’s park.
I believe the movie has a theme of bad miracles. Jupe being saved by the tablecloth obscuring full eye contact with Gordy and surviving was a miracle, but Jupe grows up and believes he can have a similar connection with Jean Jacket, leading to the alien human-buffet. Bad miracle.
Fry's in Burbank was a really fun and popular, sci-fi themed electronics store. They closed a while back but its in the movie as a nod to a lost but beloved LA business
I recommend watching Blind Wave’s reaction and review to this film. Eric, one of the commentators, grew up on a farm and offered really good insight in how the animals are treated in this story
Michael Wincott has such a disctinct voice, I remember first hearing it in The Crow.
I just downloaded The Crow in 4K and I like that JP put him in this movie. He is a great suppporting actor.
It's Peele's best film imo. It's absolutely one of those movies that benefits from a rewatch.
Yes!!! I was watching this reaction & immediately realized all of Peele’s movies make for a good rewatch. When I originally watched it, I also was confused about the inclusion of Gordy but the film did sit with me. When I rewatched, I picked up much more on the spectacle aspect & realized Gordy’s story complimented the main one so well. I couldn’t see the film without it.
I find myself looking at you more than the movie every time I watch one of your videos. I think I love you.😂
😬
Something made me think you had already seen this, happy for the ride along. This movie was insane in the theater. It’s crazy how Jordan does a different kind of horror
4:48 13:22 32:28 the obligatory “I’m not gonna lie” that pops up in almost every video. Take a shot!
Not sure why so many people hated on this. I mean I’m not saying it’s one of the greatest movies of all time but it’s actually pretty good
I think it's just a movie with a lot of subtext that blew up with a general audience who weren't expecting that. Personally, I think it's one of the best movies of 2022.
People don’t love this movie? My wife and I walked out of the theater with a crowd of people all talking about how it was the best thing they’d seen all year. Every critic I read thought it was fantastic.
@@spiraljumper74 I think it's just a vocal minority making a bit of a stink about the film, most people I've spoken to have said they loved it, and most of the online conversation about it seems to be broadly positive
I mean, Nat was disappointed. Some people just wanted the movie to be a plain old scary movie but this movie is really about something and that just doesn't resonate with everyone.
@@spiraljumper74 It was pretty mixed with audiences, It just didn't find that same love Get Out did. I think the fact that it underperformed at the Box Office hurt it's overall perception as well. It was expected to be his biggest film but was far from it.
I loved this movie for what it was. Feel like the people who hated on it were expecting/ flat out wanting it to be something else.
They wanted "Get Out 2"
36:55 "the tense moments for me were when I didn’t really understand what the creature was"
Precisely, which I think is because this is also an homage to Spielberg, both to Close Encounters and Jaws. In basically all Spielberg’s movies, the fantastic elements have to be understood at an earlier point because the film is about the people and their relationships and feelings-usually anxieties about being a dad, thinking particularly of Close Encounters and Jurassic Park. Or in this case, about supporting your sibling even if you're very different.
I also think this movie has some sly homages to HP Lovecraft. Specifically, I connect Antlers and Angel to Barzai the Wise and Atal, from the story "The Other Gods," about a priest who scales a cloud-wrapped mountain to look upon Earth’s gods. Barzai... doesn’t come back, but Atal stays behind and thus tells the tale.
I also couldn’t help but pick up some biblical flavors in Kieth David’s death. Specifically, he died the way he did because he looked up (unknowingly trying to look upon the divine, or otherworldly) and got a classical punishment for it: getting shot in the eye. OJ survives, in several situations, because he doesn’t look up, at least not without understanding what he’s doing.
No joke, I looked through the library, maybe a week or so ago, wanting to see this exact reaction. Was disappointed that I didn't see it. I'm interested to see this one.
Steven Yeun's characters has been going through different kind of shits
the creepiest thing for me about the monkey scenes was the shoe just staying up the whole time
Bad miracle.
Could’ve been just something Jupe imagined to take him away from the trauma of the moment. A spectacle if you will.
loved the Akira bike slide homage lol, Nat should check that one out sometime btw!
Agreed
There is a connection between both stories. They both tried to control animals for fame but these animals couldn’t be tamed. Like the horses
18:32 I think the connection is just trying to explain animal behavior how they react to being look eye to eye and how they’re territorial and stuff
I appreciate you and thank you for making content.
3:08 - “oh god not again” GIRL THAT TOOK ME OUT 😂
SAME
NOPE is my favorite Jordan Peele film. I think marketing failed NOPE because it was advertised as a straight up horror film, but it's actually an analysis of how humans deal with spectacle, wrapped in the history of film and exploitation, that had some horrific elements to it. People look for reason in horrific events, and when they focus on the wrong aspects of it, they try to exploit it for the spectacle of the thing. Using a form of divine assignment to thrill audiences leads to forms of exploitation of nature (humans also being part of nature) causing unintended harm and destruction.
The Gordy scenes came across to me as showing people trying to exploit animals for profit and thinking that they can tame them. They thought they could tame Gordy to use him for a TV show, then Jupe thought he could profit off of Jean jacket by doing his show, and also still profiting off of Gordy through his weird collectable room. The Hayward family profited off of training horses for movies, and OJ and Emerald tried to profit off of Jean jacket with the photos for Oprah.
This movie came out in the summertime and it was very reminiscent of the 80s and 90s Steven Spielberg summer blockbuster hits like Jaws or close encounters.
One thing about this movie i love is the relationship between OJ and Emerald. A brother and sister relationship i really believe in because it reminds me of mine and my sisters. Made me real emotional when OJ was sacrificing himself.
The real thing that I am scared of is the project that Jordan Peele and Hideo Kojima are working on together. Whether it's a game or a show or a movie, I might shit my pants.