Jordan Peele's storytelling and filmmaking style, as well as his personal vision, consist of not only bending traditional and established genres but also reinventing them. From reinventing the social thriller to using horror as a sub-genre, and most recently, taking on science fiction head-on, it is clear that Peele's work should not be taken at face value. In fact, the way in which his films can and should be understood is through genre subversion, symbolism, foreshadowing, layered dialogue, themes, allegory, as well as his stylised use of cinematography and mise en scène, which ultimately relate to a social, political, economic, or industrial commentary. Peele's third collaboration with Universal Pictures, Nope (2022), was met with shattered expectations from casual moviegoers and critics, as a result of what they thought they were going to witness on screen. Maybe the disappointment materialised because the story and themes did not "live up to" Peele's directorial debut film, Get Out (2017). Maybe the film’s pace did not align with the attention span belonging to the masses of audiences anticipating surface-level spectacle for 130 minutes, or it could be that audiences found the marketing deceiving. Nevertheless, it is fundamentally because Peele set out to subvert the expectations of audiences lining up to see what is behind the curtain of his latest trick.
Throughout the fundamental studio filmmaking periods of the 40s, 50s, and 80s, and especially in the current climate of Hollywood filmmaking, audiences have been exposed to recycled commercial products and continue to rely on them for entertainment. Going to the movies is viewed as an activity for the masses, and it has been for many generations. It's an investment. Audiences spend their own money and lend their own time to experience an event on screen. So, why did Jordan Peele decide to provide an experience to worldwide audiences that they didn’t sign up for? Firstly, films can have different agendas. They can enrich your understanding of social, political, industrial, and historical issues occurring within a multitude of cultures and organisations worldwide.
Secondly, the economic system in Hollywood sets out to produce genre films to create a sense of familiarity for audiences. Familiarity, in this case, is in the form of narrative conventions, themes, characterizations, locations, costumes, and scores. Major Hollywood studios aim to create recycled and commercialised products based on audience spectatorship and expectations to generate box office revenue and profit, ultimately continuing the commercial and formulaic movie-making cycle. Therefore, if audiences continue to engage with the same formulaic genre movies, they will be disappointed when a film that isn't formulaic ultimately deceives them.
So, if we go back to Nope's marketing approach, it is clear that the trailer paints a picture of an alien invasion/UFO film with a horror undertone. At this point, audience expectations surrounding the film's premise and intention have been set. These particular expectations, however, lie within the psychological implications of what audiences have witnessed throughout Hollywood studio filmmaking and have, in turn, become accustomed to. Now, figuratively speaking, what the trailer entails is what audiences were ultimately provided with, just not in the way they were expecting. The deceptive trailer is a marketing tool to allow the film’s message and twist to become effective and to subvert expectations. These expectations are in the form of a belief that the filmmaker is conforming to the narrative and thematic structures of Hollywood UFO pictures such as Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982). What Nope does, however, is highlight traditional science fiction genre tropes—instilled within the previous films mentioned—to draw the audience in while simultaneously informing them of the issues surrounding spectacle consumption, on and off the screen. Therefore, the social and industrial commentaries on spectacle and Hollywood exploitation are placed at the epicentre of the films' intention.
There are three fundamental storytelling techniques within this picture that are of high importance for successfully commentating on societal and industrialised issues: symbolism, allegory, and foreshadowing. Firstly, the symbolic representation of spectacle and Hollywood exploitation stems from OJ Haywood (played by Daniel Kaluuya) and Emerald Haywood (played by Keke Palmer) discovering a 'UFO' situated in the clouds above their family-owned Haywood Hollywood Ranch. The UFO has two major connotations. It functions as a symbolic representation of the spectacle that has consumed past and present cultures, as well as the desire and obsession to capture spectacle, however large the scale may be.
The second storytelling technique belonging to the UFO is Hollywood exploitation, falling under allegorical representation. The UFO is allegorical for the Hollywood film industry's obsession with spectacle; the UFO's purpose is to suck people in, chew them up, and spit them out—not unlike the system of Hollywood filmmaking. This reaffirms that the film has multiple thematic and storytelling layers that audiences overlooked, as they wanted their own spectacle experience. The film comments on cultural and industrial integrity and greed, relating to how cultures and organisations sacrifice their values and ideologies for endless spectacle. This can be seen in how people defy logic to create, showcase, or promote spectacle, whether or not it is important, disastrous, or morally wrong.
The third storytelling technique is foreshadowing, a technique masterfully utilised by Jordan Peele throughout his three films—a technique that sets him apart from several other screenwriters in contemporary cinema. This is demonstrated in a sequence involving OJ and his father, Otis Haywood Sr. (played by Keith David), working on the ranch, with foreshadowing embedded in their layered dialogue. Otis Sr. begins to discuss their family's next source of business with his son—loaning one of their trained horses out to a major Hollywood studio, as Otis Sr. exclaims, "Got to keep our heads up out of the clouds on this one." This foreshadows that OJ will continuously look up at the clouds and observe the UFO throughout the picture. Otis Sr. continues by stating, "Now, we land this... yeah. Like six guns. I mean, we really put on a show; well, you know they're going to bring us back for the sequel." This highlights Peele’s commentary on Hollywood exploitation and the theme of greed that surrounds major studios' desire to want more and create sequels after the fundamental success of a commercial product. In addition, it also pertains to the idea of putting on a show for spectacle, the same way the UFO is putting on a show for its audience - those of which are attempting to capture footage of the UFO: OJ, Emerald, Angel (portrayed by Brandon Perea), and Antlers Holst (played by Michael Wincott), as well as Ricky "Jupe" Park (portrayed by Steven Yeun) putting on a show for his audience at Jupiter's Claim.
Peele's concern with spectacle is commented on through the use of horses within the film. Horses are a prime example of how Hollywood film studios have mistreated animals throughout their film productions. Historically, major studios have been renowned for using horses as objects for entertainment, particularly in Western films. Peele, therefore, connects this with Hollywood exploitation, as the UFO is determined to abduct the horses to suck them up to the sky, symbolising the Hollywood film industry taking what they want for their own benefit. As well as the commentary on horses within the film, Peele comments on the mistreatment of other animals, such as Gordy, the chimpanzee, in the situation comedy Gordy's Home! The chimp is used for spectacle on the television show, as Gordy is utilised to heighten the comedy beats and punchlines and to put on a show for an audience, in more ways than one. However, Peele informs us that animals cannot always be controlled or tamed for spectacle in a sequence involving the Chimp becoming startled by the noise of a balloon popping, as Gordy senses a threat, leading him to attack and massacre members of the cast and crew. Peele references E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial within this sequence as Gordy becomes aware of a frightened young kid, Jupe, hiding underneath a prop table. Jupe attempts to disguise himself effectively to remain alive, but Gordy navigates towards him and unexpectedly extends his paw, which, visually, looks like the hand of E.T., as Peele references the theme of spectacle.
Another key example of spectacle within the film consists of Emerald watching an Oprah Winfrey interview alone in her trailer. Oprah begins the interview by stating, "I'm talking today to women who say they have been abducted by aliens from another planet." Oprah's guest replies, "May I briefly say, I don't know for a fact that they're from another planet?" To which Oprah contends: "Well, you know you weren't in Kansas anymore, Toto"—as she references Victor Fleming's Hollywood spectacle: The Wizard of Oz (1939). The guest then replies, "And I wasn't wearing red shoes that I could click together." The Wizard of Oz is a prime example of showcasing spectacle through its use of Technicolor and by creating a world that audiences have not been exposed to. This highlights Peele's layered dialogue, as it is symbolic of the commentary on spectacle and Hollywood exploitation.
Spectacle is highlighted in many forms throughout the film, another of which involves a fight that occurs outside of a diner that OJ, Emerald, and Angel are situated in. In today's culture, this fight would be the main source of spectacle, catching the attention of everyone around it. However, as the three characters have their minds occupied with capturing a spectacle of their own, they are oblivious to this event taking place, with Peele indicating that it is a less important occurrence in the characters’ minds than capturing footage of a potential UFO. This is symbolic of individuals being distracted by spectacle that serves them, as opposed to helping people in need.
Moreover, the title cards used to introduce the film, as well as the names of each horse, are simplistic and minimalistic. The intention behind using these title cards is to subvert the conventional yet contemporary 3-D-styled title cards used to introduce blockbuster event movies. As title cards are typically spectacular in and of themselves, Peele begins his commentary on spectacle from the onset of the film, drawing attention away from any spectacular excess and ultimately forcing the audience to focus on the commentary on spectacle as opposed to the spectacle that they may desire or expect.
The Alien motif is vigorous within the film, as Peele plays with the audience's experience of witnessing aliens through the medium of cinema and media. Therefore, he does not introduce his audience to any conventional aliens within the film. Instead, he creates a visual motif of aliens through the use of mise en scène. Key examples of this can be seen in the design of the Panavision cameras on the set of Gordy's Home!, which look like alien faces. In addition, the Alien merchandise at Jupiter's Claim is used to make the audience think that the film conforms to the stereotypical visualisation of aliens. Peele also allows us to believe that aliens have broken into the horse stables on the ranch. However, upon investigation, OJ discovers that the supposed alien invasion is an elaborate prank involving Jupe's kids trespassing on their ranch while wearing alien masks. The alien masks and merchandise displayed at Jupiter's Claim run parallel to Peele's commentary on the science fiction genre, as they are commercial products alongside the alien invasion/UFO genre movies that the Hollywood film industry recycles. Both are creating an untruthful, stereotypical idea of what aliens and UFOs look like and what they should be understood as to generate profit based on what audiences believe them to be.
In addition to the Alien Motif, the film possesses a motif surrounding circles. This motif symbolises the stereotypical shape that society believes a UFO is—propaganda that has been fed to multi-cultural societies throughout the history of film, television, and media. Thus, the mise en scène displayed throughout Nope is representative of the UFO. This is highlighted through the introduction of the ranch, when OJ attaches the trained horses to a metal horse exerciser as he walks them around in a circle. Additionally, the circle motif is reaffirmed by the shape and spinning of the vinyl that Emerald is listening to before a power cut occurs, stopping the vinyl from spinning. Not only can this motif be categorised as symbolic for the film itself, but it also functions as a psychological tool to weave its way into the minds of audiences in order for them to subconsciously see circles everywhere they look. Therefore, Peele is utilising the stereotypical UFO that is ingrained in our minds to surprise the audience when the twist occurs in the third act.
The filmic elements displayed in Nope run parallel with its thematic storytelling techniques, as Hoyte van Hoytema's cinematography and Michael Abels' score heighten the sense of realism in the film, with the sky and clouds instantly becoming characters, as these filmic elements convey their importance. Various handheld and wide shots used to capture the sky and clouds—some with the UFO in sight—are referred to as the 'Spielberg gaze'. A cinematic gaze is used in many of Steven Spielberg's pictures, but one film that is particularly relevant to Nope is Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Spielberg's UFO film created a visceral experience through the use of cinematography as the protagonist, Roy Neary (portrayed by Richard Dreyfuss), encounters a spacecraft within close proximity. This occurs within a sequence involving Roy attempting to decipher a map as a UFO hovers behind his car before flying over it. In Nope, Peele used this sequence as inspiration for various encounters that O.J. endured with the UFO.
Additionally, Nope's cinematography, score, and sound design simultaneously work together to create tension when the UFO is lurking in the sky, but we can't always see it. The use of handheld camera techniques also helps to create a visceral experience for the viewer. These elements ultimately help place the viewer within the landscape of the ranch and Jupiter's Claim. The use of IMAX cameras plays into the theme of spectacle as they possess a double meaning within the film. Peele needed to shoot in IMAX, not only to achieve the scope of the picture but also because IMAX, in and of itself, provides a spectacle experience for audiences. Ultimately, IMAX is used as a plot device in a literal and symbolic sense, as an IMAX camera becomes the primary source of capturing the 'Oprah shot' and exposing the UFO.
Before the evidence of the UFO/alien's existence is officially captured and the entity is ultimately defeated, the spacecraft transforms into an alien species. This, however, is unlike the conventional aliens that audiences are used to. The alien is a wingspread, airborne species that transforms from a disc-shaped flying object. This transformation is symbolic of the Hollywood film industry being reconstructed and becoming unconventional, just like the UFO. The defeat of the UFO is symbolic of Hollywood's exploitation becoming obsolete and people taking full control of what is categorised as spectacle, as well as what should contribute to creating spectacle. This is in opposition to business-driven corporations that will do anything or use anything to formulate, create, and showcase spectacle.
N.O.P.E. = Not of Planet Earth