Nope first reactions compare Jordan Peele’s ‘frightening and ferocious’ film to a Steven Spielberg spectacle: ‘An experience that won’t be easy to shake off’

The first reactions to director Jordan Peele’s super-secret new project, Nope, have arrived online, even though it’s still unclear what the film is actually about. The trailers have purposely stayed vague, teasing a plot that may or may not involve an alien abduction. But since this is Peele, even the most basic ideas have layers of socio-political subtext.
Peele hinted as much at the film’s premiere recently, when he told Variety, “We tried to make a big summer blockbuster that you can enjoy whatever you want. You want to go in and just smoke a big blunt and talk with a friend about societal issues, you can do that. If you want to come and just relax and get away from it all and see Keke Palmer in the midst of a UFO, then that’s what we got for you.” Those who’ve seen the film have wisely kept the details to themselves, but the verdict appears to be unanimous. Peele has another winner on his hands.
“NOPE is out of this world. A monster mash with great performances (esp. Kaluuya) and a 50s sci-fi invasion motif. A spectacle about the horrors of spectacles. Jordan Peele has been compared to Hitchcock, but NOPE shows he’s a next-gen Carpenter. Enjoy the show and don’t look up,” CNN’s Frank Pallotta tweeted. Collider’s Steve Weintraub gave the film ‘a big thumbs up’, and recommended that viewers watch it on IMAX.
Nope has been shot in the IMAX format by Christopher Nolan’s regular cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema, who has to his credit Interstellar, Dunkirk and Tenet, as well as the James Bond film Spectre and Spike Jonze’s Her.
Yahoo’s Kevin Polowy tweeted, “The most important thing you need to know about NOPE is it’s crazy different from Get Out & Us. This is Jordan Peele spreading his wings and making big budget Spielberg/esque sci-fi, but with the subtext you’d expect. Enter with an open mind and you’ll be rewarded.” Fandango’s Erik Davis tweeted, “Jordan Peele’s #Nope is one of the best films I’ve watched this year! It’s frightening & ferocious, but also very funny & unlike any UFO movie you’ve ever seen. It is a wholly unique & VERY entertaining horror epic full of wild surprises & an unforgettable Keke Palmer performance.”
Not everyone was happy with the film, though. Hollywood Critics Association member Scott Menzel tweeted, “Nope is Jordan Peele’s most ambitious film but also his weakest. The first act is superb but by the second, it loses its footing and becomes a bad M. Night Shyamalan movie with Spielbergian elements. It lacks a sense of focus with a story that is never fully realized.”
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