Where can you see the sci-fi horror favorite Nope? Here's what to know and where to watch.
Jordan Peele is the hot topic in the world of horror film, having directed and produced films like Us in 2019 and a remake of Clive Barker’s, Candyman, two years later in 2021. First gaining international acclaim with his psychological thriller, Get Out, in 2017 it seems Peele is going from strength to strength. So when it was leaked that he was working on an original feature-length Neo-Western science fiction horror film with long-time collaborator Daniel Kaluuya in the cast, people were excited.
Although anticipation and excitement had been brewing, Nope still caught people off guard at the unprecedented and unexpected places Peele took it. So what is it all about?
Watch Nope on Amazon Prime Video
What Happens In Nope?
Nope is a mammoth attempt at storytelling where you will discover something new each time you rewatch it. It is dense and nuanced and addresses multiple issues that evolve around humanities' relationship with the spectacle. Peele has discussed this in multiple interviews and for the purpose of keeping this as concise as possible, please allow us to paraphrase.
Nope revolves around two siblings, Emerald (Keke Palmer) and OJ (Daniel Kaluuya), who are investigating the mysterious death of their father who was struck down by a falling coin from the sky. The pair quickly realize that their father’s death was the result of a humongous UFO that is hovering above the family ranch and quickly set out trying to capture the ‘Oprah Shot’ as proof that alien lifeforms exist.
However, being a humoungously devious UFO floating in the sky, the siblings aren’t the only ones to spot it and Ricky (Steven Yeun), who is the owner of a Western-themed attraction, also begins to try and capture the UFO on camera.
It is during one of Ricky’s show the first obvious instance of humanities obsession with the spectacle is suggested. Ricky lures the UFO to one of his shows and although successful in doing so, it ends in complete annihilation. The UFO, which is soon identified as a dangerous predatory alien, obliterates Ricky and the audience, leaving no one alive in its wake. The alien continues a path of bloodshed, killing a reporter in the process, but even considering all of this death, the siblings continue to push on for the money shot.
In the face of something entirely dangerous, every character we meet is obsessed with capturing the money shot. The spectacle is too captivating for us to avert our eyes. Almost like a car crash on the highway, unaffected traffic will slowly drive past without taking their eyes off the devastation. This phenomenon is what partially inspired Peele to create Nope.
Another undercurrent that is made apparent throughout the film is the whitewashing of history. It is revealed that the siblings are the great, great-grandchildren of the black jockey who appeared in the first recorded film in history.
Photographer Eadweard Muybridge filmed a two-second clip in 1877 named, The Horse in Motion, the clip earned Muybridge the title of ‘the forefather of cinema,’ but what of the person who appeared in the clip? The black jockey was lost in history, no one knowing his name. Peele suggested that the jockey was the first film star in history, something that should be known on equal terms with Muybridge.
In the film, OJ and Emerald do not want to be erased from history and make it their aim to be remembered as the people who captured the alien, who was named Jean Jackety, after one of the siblings’ favorite horses.
Where to Watch Nope
You can stream Nope on Amazon Prime.
Nope is available to stream either through renting. The People's Choice nominee is 2 hours and 15 minutes long and sure to provide some unexpected thrills.