People Weren't Ready for "Nope" (and Still Aren't!)

According to Logan Paul, “'NOPE' is one of the worst movies I’ve seen in a long time. I love Jordan Peele and Keke Palmer can act her ass off, but this movie is objectively slow and confusing with stretched themes that don’t justify the pace”. 

Even with the public dislike of Logan Paul, many agreed with him on his thoughts about Nope (2023). For many, Nope was the weakest out of Peele's small filmography. And it's understandable to watch a film and not get everything the first time. Hell, the first time I watched Nope, I didn't know what to think of it. I had to sit down at a Texas Roadhouse with my parents following the screening and spent the most of our dinner discussing the film. 

But isn't that what art, specifically visual media in this case, suppose to do? Allow for conversations and interpretation?  And that is what I love most about Nope. There are so many parts in Nope that audiences will never the true intent of. Much like Zach Creggar's recent release, Weapons (2025), Nope puts themes and ideas forward for the audience but doesn't tell the audience what they're suppose to think of it. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Cregger stated, “it’s not really my business what people make of the movie. I have nothing to say about it, because the movies should speak for itself, and if I have to comment on what people should get from it, then I’ve failed as a filmmaker". Which makes sense due to Jordan Peele fighting for rights to produce Weapons and the internet joking that he fired his agent because of it. 

Much like Weapons' floating AK-47, Gordy the Chimp's presence was questioned from all angles. What did it mean? What relevance does it have to the overall story? There can be (and should be) a whole book, examining the possible meanings and focuses in Nope. However, that isn't what all Nope is. Nope is a story of many things but it's what you take from it matters personally to you. Is this a warning of following and creating spectacles? Is it a story of trauma and different ways people process trauma like profiting off it (no wonder Logan Paul didn't like this film). At short, yes.

In addition, my thoughts and feelings towards Nope has constantly changed through my five viewings. And I think that proves the heighten craft and skills of the all angles of the cast and crew of Nope. It showcases the attention of detail and focus. From Emerald rattling off her talents on the film set to those talents being used in the finale to the way Jupe retells the Gordy incident through the SNL skit, mocking it. And there is so many more examples. Every scene is important to the world building and storylines… yes even the scene where children prank the main characters (and i will defend that scene until the end of time). 

On my fifth watch, I sat in the Academy Award Museum theater for a special screening of Nope and I was surrounded by people who appreciated the film like I do. In the introduction to the film, a panel of various film professionals discussed their thoughts. Each of the panelist had their own thoughts and I'm sure the people around me had different depictions also. Rewatching a film is more fun when there are new things you noticed every time. It's a completely different film.