Review of Nope (2022) by Jamess — 27 Jul 2022

I think in it's way, Nope is Jordan Peele' s most personal film. Dealing, in one aspect, with African-American's history and legacy in the film industry. The main characters are descendants of the first person captured on film, a black jockey riding a horse.

That person is a forgotten piece of film history, and never given their due. OJ and Em operate a horse ranch catering to film production, carrying on the tradition (and legacy) of their late father, portrayed by John Carpenter favorite Keith David (The Thing, They Live).

There is a poster in their home of the early seventies film Buck and the Preacher, made at a time when "blacksploitation" films were made crossing many genres, from crime to horror to westerns.

The business is going through tough times as real live animals are being replaced by much more manageable CGI. Because as the Gordy subplot reveals, it's near impossible for man to control nature, especially for entertainment and spectacle.

And flesh and blood being replaced by machine. That's just one aspect. When ex child actor Jupe, recalls the incident where a chimpanzee attacks during the taping of a sitcom, he references an SNL sketch and a Mad magazine cover is shown.

Tragedy is turned to parody (for our entertainment), and, of course, Peele appeared early in his career on Mad Tv, which ran opposite SNL. And Jupe tries to capitalize off that notoriety and exploit nature for his own profit, which does not go well.

Peele references everything from Jaws, to Close Encounters (in Spielberg' s film objects electrically spring to life in the presence of the aliens, here, just the opposite), to even Akira. But he uses these references as loving nods.

It's in no way a perfect movie, but it is a movie made by a man who LOVES movies, and it shows.