Nope: A Bold Criticism of Jordan Peele’s Latest Film
Grace Atkin (she/her)
(Spoilers!)
As many already know, Jordan Peele’s contributions to the entertainment industry have left a lasting impact. For one, his outstanding comedy show co-starring Keegan-Michael Key was a hit for several seasons. Once it ended, Peele formed his own production company, Monkey Paw, and personally specialized in horror films. Of his own, he’s made “Get Out” (a masterpiece), “Us,” which wasn’t horrible (certainly worse than “Get Out”), and he produced the newest adaptation of “Candyman,” which has crowned itself one of the greatest modern horror movies. All of his work so far has been genius–however, it didn’t quite follow suit in his most recent film: “Nope.” Since his first appearance in the industry, this man has been praised for how hilarious his work is, later adding mind-bending to the list of adjectives. I, too, was a follower, even attending his director’s Q&As in Hollywood. I saw his genius up close; I saw his devotion to the story rather than the money he could potentially earn. Now, I shall remember his past and disregard the present–using one word: nope.
I oddly feel that Jordan Peele forgot the concept of compelling and likable characters. I’m a huge Daniel Kaluuya fan, and it kills me to say he was horrible, but it’s not even his fault. Peele established no unique factor to either of the characters–no emotional pull. Even the sibling dynamic between Kaluuya’s character, OJ Haywood, and his sister (played by Keke Palmer), Emerald Haywood, was confusing. I genuinely couldn’t tell the difference between OJ’s grief for his father, annoyance with his sister, and his fear of the alien–nothing was elaborated on; it was all jumbled together. There was no character development at all. Frankly, I did love Emerald (was it her good writing or me being a queer?), but her motives were unclear. She wanted to capture the creature, then kill it, then run, then just capture it? Then kill it? Also, due to Peele’s poor idea of unforgettable characters, the Fry’s electronics worker, Angel, was just annoying to the point of sheer unlikability. It felt as if his character wasn’t significant enough–the writer's room decided to keep him in for kicks. In simpler words, I couldn’t care if any of these characters lived or died. I’m not even going to talk about Michael Wincott’s random cameraman who just decided to kill himself at the end: there’s no point.
One thing I couldn’t connect to the rest of the story is the chimp's “subplot,” including Steven Yeun’s character, Ricky. It seemed like a pure coincidence that he had business relations with the Haywoods–why did we need to go into his gruesome past with a chimp taking part in a massacre? He was introduced so early in the movie for what? Only to be the one person trying to obey and live with the alien? To serve as a connection between it and the people, feeding it? It can’t be. But what else is there?
What about the soundtrack? Awful. There was ZERO collaboration between music and visuals, which turned me off. Jordan Peele's other movies have had horrifying and mind-bending music to accompany what was happening on screen. “Us” had a terrifying main theme that even bled into trending TikTok audios; what happened? This movie had nothing–it was just “heartwarming” western music. Since when does Disney make horror movies? (Except for “Pearl,” which comes out in September–I recommend it if you’ve seen “X.” It’s a great example of how to clash heartwarming music with creepy visuals to unsettle the viewer.) I practically wanted to fall asleep because I forgot I was watching something supposedly scary–there was no suspense, no thrill, nothing. Some of the visuals alone were fine, to say the least. (Oh my god, look! It’s a bloody house! Where’s the blood coming from? The alien? No way!) I certainly would’ve given this movie a slightly higher rating if any sign of effort was put into it. (An alien made of gray California king sheets? Sheets? That’s the best they could do? Goofy, if you will. Not impressed.) So underwhelming.
Lastly, if there’s one distinct common factor between all of Peele’s movies (whether he wrote/directed or even produced them), it’s how there’s always socio-political commentary. “Get Out” referenced slavery and racism with the crazy white family. “Us” took a slightly different turn and addressed how horrified we are of outsiders and strangers. “Candyman,” the only film tied to Monkey Paw that he didn’t write, took on Black Lives Matter, gentrification, and the struggle for POC to make it in white-dominated industries. All of that has seemingly come to an end. Peele began with something–emphasizing how the first motion picture was of an African American jockey on a horse and that they’re “the only Black-owned horse trainers in Hollywood.” After that, he dropped it, hinting toward something that could’ve happened to OJ and Emerald while they were on the job. There was no other mention of anything related to socio-political issues. That wasn’t the only thing that required more elaboration. Loose ends were never cut off or tied by the movie's end (reference the chimp). As a desperate viewer, hoping to find more beyond what I was given, I was left in the dark, falling asleep with nothing to grasp onto except a massive conglomerate of unfinished ideas.
To be frank, I’ve hated westerns for my entire life. I’ve tried to watch them, even study them, and I simply cannot stand them. I could be biased against this movie, but I simply believe this was awful on its own–regardless of its quirks. I understand that Peele took a risk by combining two vastly different genres; however, he’s created something forbidden–unmentionable–something that other writers should learn from and know that whatever they’re thinking, horror and westerns should never mix. Name one well-rated sci-fi western–I’ll wait.
I acknowledge how difficult it is to come out with genius films consistently–I’ll always love “Get Out.” But I’m sorry, Jordan Peele, but I don’t trust you with great horror anymore. My final rating is 1.5 out of 5 stars (I’m being generous).
