Incredible analysis and completely agree! I find it very interesting the way you tackle the religious component and it is something I hadn't even thought about yet. I feel that Nope deserves more recognition because it has shocked me not only with it's new way of conveying horror (the gordy's home incident and the digestion scene are executed masterfully) but also the underlying themes of the movie. It truly is a movie that does something different from others whilst simultaneously telling in important story which, in my opinion, makes it a masterpiece
Thank you so much for the praise! The religious stuff actually took me a while to catch on to but once I started looking at it I knew I just had to add something about it in the video. And NOPE definitely deserves more recognition in my opinion, it’s such a great movie and somehow has extremely fun parts combined effortlessly with some of the scariest scenes of the decade so far (Gordy’s Home & digestion scenes).
Both of those scenes are masterful... but I see them as a detriment to the movie overall. I love Peele's films and television projects, but Nope really missed the mark for me, and every scene that wasn't part of the two you mentioned feels way too generic and bland. That's not on the actors, of course, because they were all fantastic.
after reading all the good reviews this movie was infuriating to watch, there's just blank screens with different animals' names on them being shown periodically throughout the movie as if the audience doesn't understand the UFO is just another animal; despite this being a fact being repeated literally verbatim by characters in the film. You can actually physically feel Peele's pretentiousness leaking through the film, and it's revolting. There's zero reason to get attached to any of the characters in the story and no, the movie's title doesn't mean anything other than the word being repeated by different characters throughout. This movie makes you think, isn't Peele right to be this pretentious? As shown by this movie and all the youtube vids made about it he really can put out any garbage he wants and it will automatically be praised and given a decent rating just from the color of his skin. It's sad that this is the state of modern cinema today. I enjoyed Get Out and Us but Peele needs to understand that just because a concept has never been explored before doesn't mean it should be; an excellent example being this dumpster fire of a movie. He has no imagination either. Peele really jumped into this concept with both feet and didn't even explore what happens to the people that were eaten; are they just digested? Sent to another dimension? Reanimated and digested again? Tortured? Like c'mon Peele it's a horror movie and it literally didn't even get a reaction out of my 11 yr old brother. Must be nice being born with Peele's skin color; no talent needed for success
@@SuryaGupta-te7fq I agree with you on a lot of the points you made, but I disagree about Peele not having any imagination. That's what is so infuriating to me about this one movie... I feel like he could have done so much better. I've seen better from him.
@@shanewalker8607 Get Out set my expectations really high for Peele, then Us tempered those expectations. But after Nope I now have zero expectations for Peele's career; I'll actually be surprised if he makes a good movie after Nope
You mentioned Angel had a surprising amount of characterization--and I agree! I've been thinking a lot lately about how Angel is initially seen as the weirdo tech guy obsessed with aliens, but as we get to know him, we see that he's actually a very thoughtful and caring person. My mind always goes to him frantically checking in with OJ and Em to talk to him over the walkies while they try to get Jean Jacket on film. He was also the first one to shoot down Antlers' idea of feeding a horse to JJ to lure it out on OJ and Em's behalf, which was a really nice character moment.
i always think of the scene where he was the *only* person to consider the impact of killing JJ on people--like, they'd save *so* many lives. it was extremely considerate of him. everyone else's motives were kind of selfish--antlers was looking for self-fulfillment, of sorts, and em and OJ were looking for the money shot. angel was just looking to save some people 😭
Angel ends up filling the gap that Otis Sr. left in OJ and Em’s life. He couldn’t be more different of a man, but impossibly, he fits perfectly into that negative space and helps bridge the gap between the two just by being his awkward, unfiltered self. And where Otis Sr seemed to unintentionally drive a wedge between the two by showing preference to OJ, Angel is less biased and takes Em’s side on many occasions. His presence reminds me of a new puppy being introduced to a pair of cats; at first they just don’t like him and don’t want him around, then they’re annoyed but accept his presence, and finally they’re not only used to him but value his presence. it’s such a cute dynamic and i love this core trio, i’d watch them hunt cryptids for a full 10 movies tbh
@@chexfan2000 "a new puppy being introduced to a pair of cats" THAT'S SO CUTE???? You're absolutely right tho, one of the things that makes Angel's dynamic with OJ and Em so satisfying to me is that they do NOT like his ass at first, but he goes out of his way to help them. The little camaraderie between Angel and Em after the blood rain is so sweet to me
I think that was kind of the point. At first you don't like the characters but then you start to appreciate them more and more. Probably the idea was that you should not cling to the spectacle, you should cling to the real people around you and learn to love them.
That’s because Angel was supposed to be a one off character. The actor who played Angel argued against it however, and Peele made Angel an actual character.
Great video, but you missed an important example that was inspired from a real life incident of spectacle. When the Gordy incident happened in the film, one of the child actresses, Mary Jo Elliott, is mauled by the chimp. She survived (she wasn’t killed like what was implied from this video), and later on, her face is shown covered by a veil as she’s introduced to Jupe’s crowd as an adult. There’s a brief second where when Jean Jacket arrives in this scene, you see the wind lifting up the veil and you can see a bit of the damage that Gordy did to her face and hands. This was clearly a reference to the real-life incident of Charla Nash in 2009, where her neighbor’s pet chimp Travis (who was also in the entertainment industry) attacked her and mauled her face and hands. She went on the Oprah Winfrey show that same year under a veil (very similar to the one worn by Mary Jo Elliott) and revealed her face on camera. There were several parallels with the Gordy incident that Jordan Peele used to highlight/critique what happened to Charla as an example of spectacle: in the film, they kept referring to getting the “Oprah shot”. Well, that shot of the wind lifting the veil from Mary Jo’s face was a very clear reference to when Charla lifted the veil from her face on the Oprah Winfrey show. In other words, that shot of the wind lifting the veil from Mary Jo’s face WAS the “Oprah shot”. That was probably the best reference to exploitation/spectacle in the entertainment industry, imo. Jordan Peele is a genius!
Late to the party but thank you! I was in college mock trial when we did a case heavily based on Travis and Charla and I caught this too but you worded it way better than I could have!
I love the little metaphors and double meanings in so many parts of this film, but my favorite is the damn shoe. Not because what kind of bad miracle it represents, but because that whole time, Jupe was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
I've always thought about that shoe as an example of a bad miracle but it still felt like I was missing something. I think I found that something in this comment. I have pondered ever since I saw the movie: why a shoe? Why not anything else on the set? The idea of waiting for the other shoe to drop has finally answered my question. Thanks for scratching that brain itch for me haha
I definitely got the hint of OJ being Neuro Divergent. His behavior also mirrors the feeling of discomfort that these animals undergo with the attention, poking, & prodding.
When Em shows up at the commercial shoot and says “Sorry about the uhhh… tardiness…” she very subtly gestures in OJ’s direction 😂 i don’t thing she was just talking about being late 😂
You mentioning that OJ may be neurodivergent makes so much sense! I’m autistic myself but never once thought that OJ may be like me, because in media (the spectacle), the characters rarely are. Having Jean Jacket resemble an eye is such a smart idea, and it makes sense that OJ would know not to look at it, cause for most neurodivergent folks eye contact feels so uncomfortable. It feels as if you are being viewed entirely, like someone is looking through you, and they can see it all. It feels invasive, as if your body is a box that they opened up, and can see all its contents. The film crew surrounding Lucky and ignoring OJ’s instructions, which leads to a physical explosion is something I experience in everyday life. OJ has felt what Lucky is feeling, which is why he understands Lucky along with Jean Jacket. People like to think that humans are so very far from animals, but we aren’t! If you put your autistic mind in the body and experience of Jean Jacket, how they’re feeling and how treat them becomes crystal clear. Nope is an excellent movie, and Jordan Peele did an amazing job!
i love the way the movie deals with grief. the need of the siblings to blame someone/something for taking their father away, they had to make something pay for their suffering. and seeing jean jacket as some metaphorical god makes it even more interesting
I watch this movie over and over again. It speaks volumes in so many ways. But as a biologist, the way Jordan addresses animal behavior with the subtleties and nuance that even my peers and professors fail to understand is so impressive to me, especially considering he's a filmmaker not a scientist.
@@shoesncheese lol when any personality trait is just a mental disorder. I got adhd but act like OJ and have met autistic people like emerald. So nah y’all just wanna be something for some reason and become labeled. Fine by me cuz i don’t use my mental things to be part out who i am.
I’m not a person of colour but I massively relate to how autism is portrayed with OJ. Like just how I’m seen as a 6 foot 2ish guy who is cripplingly socially awkward
I feel like neurodivergent folks catched this IMMEDIATELY. I relate a lot with avoiding eye contact and when I told my friends they were like 'Really? arent you reaching?' NO, he's 100% neurodivergent
My two biggest details i loved where that the audience that all got eaten could probably easily escaped if they just stopped looking and tried to escape, much like OJ did when he was attacked at the same place. Number 2, when the sitcom disfigured sister is watching JeanJacket come down, the veil that covers her face is lifted and she is killed (where as she may have been safe if it didn’t, much like with the chimp) and how it further cements he didn’t survive by some higher power, but luck (like lucky the horse) that the veil stopped eye contact
What really disturbed me about her was that, even after losing so much to the entertainment world, she had nothing else, and so there she was, still participating as an audience member. Her body language as she waved was utterly acquiescent. It said, "the show must go on." The film has a lot to say about eye contact. For OJ, his default state is looking away, because eye contact takes a lot of personal energy for him. So when he looks Emerald in the eye in those key moments, it's never done lightly. It takes a lot. I think the subtext of this is that, when he looks into another person's eyes, he's really seeing them, and that takes a huge effort. Looking away is self-protection, so making eye contact is vulnerable. When he does it with her, he's saying, "I'm giving myself to you." It's a surrender of his defenses. OJ can't just look without seeing. That, I think, is what most people are doing here. They're only seeing what they want to see, ignoring everything else. Jupe had that horrific experience, but only took away his own importance and luck. Emerald looked at all the events leading up to the UFO appearance, and only saw an opportunity to get rich. She didn't see the whole story. But OJ didn't edit out the grim truths. He saw the bad miracle for what it was. And he knew that staring at it was giving himself to it. Spectacle wants confrontation. It wants to dazzle and hypnotize you till you can't move. That's how it eats you. One might say that grim spectacle is eating the world right now. We stare at it non-stop, through endless, biased news stories pumped out in our phones. Doom-scrolling, they call it. I think the film is trying to tell us that we can be aware of it without succumbing to the lure of gazing into it. Because the longer we gaze, the more helpless it makes us feel. I think that's exactly what you're getting at with the way the audience stared instead of running.
I have to wonder though, JeanJacket is sucking up with enormous strength even if a few of the audience members looked down it wouldn’t change much right?
@@GuineaPigEveryday Right. They could have run away, but looking away wouldn't have done much at that point. Presumably, according to the logic of the story, all it would have taken was a few pairs of eyes. But here, you're finding where the meaning of the movie butts up against the logic. The general rule for storytelling is that meaning tends to trump logic. There's nothing less interesting than a movie that all makes sense, but doesn't have much to say. That's usually why, when fans come up with alternative endings to films that "make more sense," they always suck. Like for example, some brainfart out there probably thinks "Back to the Future" is stupid because there's no way George McFly could knock out Biff with one punch, especially if he's never punched anyone in his life. It's not logical. But that doesn't matter. Logic isn't the point.
@@rottensquid I recognize that this is barely relevant and borderline splitting hairs, but anyone who would argue that Marty couldn't OHKO Biff would be wrong anyway. Knocking someone out isn't _easy,_ but any punch can do it. There's even plenty of examples of boxers and mixed martial artists unexpectedly knocking someone out because a punch landed _just right._ Most famous of these is Mohammed Ali's "Phantom Punch" that KO'd Sonny Liston - even Ali thought Liston had taken a dive and screamed at him to get up. You don't need to be a boxer either, especially since in BTTF it was a sucker punch that only put him down for a second.
I don't know if anyone caught this in the movie, but the 5 chapters in the movie actually represent the 5 mysteries of the rosary. In the 5 mysteries, there are at least 5 significant words that foreshadow the plot of the story. Chapter 1: Ghost-Annunciation (When OJ sees Jean Jacket for the first time), Chapter 2: Clover-Visitation (When Jupe's sons arrive to prank OJ and Jean Jacket arrives with OJ seeing them for the first time), Chapter 3: Gordy-Birth (When Gordy's Home massacre occurs and leaving Jupe the only survivor of the incident where he falsely believes that he can tame animals, sparking the birth of the "spectacle"), Chapter 4: Lucky-Presentation (Where Jupe tries to present Jean Jacket to the audience, but it later goes wrong with JJ eating him and the crowd), and Chapter 5: Jean Jacket-Finding (Where the group tries to get the footage of Jean Jacket to claim their "find"). Also, in every mystery there is an important line and advice that always says; "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.", which is something the characters, besides OJ, should do when encountering Jean Jacket. In order to survive, you have to not give in to the temptation by not looking at JJ and you will live. And the "deliver us from evil" line is actually representing the evil in trying to get "the perfect shot", where you will go to any lengths to get the frame, even if it costs your life, and how it's not worth it.
For what it's worth, there are multiple mysteries, the ones you have listed are the joyful mysteries. The groups are the Glorious Mysteries, Joyful Mysteries, Sorrowful Mysteries, and the Luminous Mysteries, each said on different days of the week. If this is true, and it seems accurate, then it's interesting that the joyful mysteries would be the ones chosen. The only one I'd say is a bit of a stretch is the fifth, which is the finding of Jesus in the temple, where Mary and Joseph lose Jesus, who is said to be 12 at the time, while on a journey to Jerusalem and find him in the temple three days later, in a discussion with priests as if nothing has happened. While the word find is used I'm not sure it lines up well. Another note: "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil" is actually from the Our Father, the Lord's Prayer, which is said every decade of the rosary but also quite often outside of the rosary, among all christians, not just catholics. If this correlation is intentional I wonder what the implications of using a prayer would be, especially such a long prayer that is intended to ask for intercession, asking Mary to pray for us to Jesus. I think I may be digging too deep into this though.
Something that I think should also be mentioned is the missing hikers that are briefly announced by radio news reporters at the beginning of the movie (while OJ is tending to the horses before going to talk with his dad), and that they're hinted to be eaten by Jean Jacket and were the original owners of the nickel that ends up unintentionally killing OJ's dad. After rewatching the movie and catching that detail after my third watch, it's pretty much one of the most underrated haunting moments of the movie imo. Out of a majority of the characters, the hikers never were part of a spectacle and never intentionally did anything to provoke Jean Jacket - they may have just been innocents devoured at the wrong place and at the wrong time. Also imo, the missing hikers could tie into the theme of spectacle in the sense that spectacles are known to draw our attention away from more important issues that can get overlooked, as well as a representation of things like minorities and POC having a history of going missing/murdered and their cases being ignored or looked over in priority of other missing/murdered people that provide more of a spectacle. The hikers being one of the many victims of Jean Jacket never get mentioned again throughout the movie, and it's creepy to me how little their disappearance leaves an impact on the MCs and (possibly) their community... 0_0
Absolutely love this interpretation! Definitely not something I thought of, I had just assumed the hikers probably looked at JJ and were eaten for it. Definitely one of the creepier unseen moments of the film.
I am so glad you made this video!!!!!! I loved NOPE! We analyzed, researched, debated, laughed, and watched NOPE for at couple of months straight in this household! I believe it is Jordan's best film and indeed is a masterpiece. All of the points you made were spot on. It's nice to hear other people talk about NOPE intelligently. Listening to so many people say, "it doesn't make sense" and "what was the point of the monkey" made me feel like I was tripping or something...
Right? One of my cousins watched it with her boyfriend and both said it was the worst//most boring movie they'd ever seen. In my opinion it's a masterpiece so I was a bit shocked
I hate it when people just don't get it and come out with the lame logic. It's like when a friends gf watched American History X and said that'd make me go back to Nazi. I'm like "Did you even watch the movie? Did you get the point???" One of my friends saw Once Upon A Time in Hollywood and did not get the point. I asked her, you know about Charles Manson and Sharon Tate right? Nope. She didn't even know the context of the film she had just seen.
When I heard the phrase ‘bad miracle’ my first thought was that it was a reference to ‘signs’, another alien movie with religious tones. The two films feel kind of similar in their rural, isolated setting and a down-on-their-luck family trying to move forward after an unlucky, coincidental tragedy. I loved them both!
There's a funny online video I saw years ago, a homemade clip by a bunch of black teens in a ghost-story scenario, where they're getting more and more spooked but glimpses of a ghost in the house, until one finds the ghost standing right next to him. But instead of freezing in helpless terror, he instinctively throws a punch, knocking the ghost out, and he and his friend start kicking it. It was hilarious to see this scene recreated in Nope, when OJ punches the kid in the alien costume. Recognized it instantly. I think this was a continuation of what Jordan Peele was doing with Get Out, having a character stand in for the black audience of a horror film, shouting at the white characters for doing dumb things when in danger. "Get Out" is a standard line, shouted at every film like it's the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Same with "Nope."
One scene in Nope that illiterates this is. How every white audience member that was Staring at Jean Jacket could've "survived". What I mean is instead of just GAWKING and STARING at a giant ass monster they could've "ran" away. But with OJ the monster was RIGHT above him and he decided to go,"Nope" and slam the car door protecting him. What I'm trying to say is. In the movie, they pretty much showed how every white person would either go towards or interact with the unknown. While Black people are more cautious about it.
@@sclarinet9088 I went back and looked up the video, and it turns out it was a bunch of white frat-ish dudes. It was still funny tho. But I think you make a great point about the different degrees of caution among black vs white people that Jordan Peele was getting at. In that crowd, there's a general sense of dissociation from potential risk, and a greed for spectacle, that ultimately condemned them. But with the one girl from the old sitcom was also victimized, even after her previous experience where the simple act of eye contact with a deadly spectacle left her permanently scarred. What are we to think of her, and what the movie was saying about her? Of course, there's also the strong suggestion that OJ was a little neuro-spicy, and his reluctance to make eye contact in general had at lot to do with his refusal to look Jean Jacket "in the eye," as it were. In fact, OJ's eye contact was touched on throughout the film. As ever with Peele, there's a lot to unpack there.
This whole time I was so busy thinking jean jacket looked like a UFO, that them looking like an “eye” never once crossed my mind. Now I can’t unsee it.
@@zenaforest Funnily enough in the movie poster. The Cowboy guy who wanted to control Jean Jacket. Has a cowboy hat on that looks similar to Jean Jacket.
Was recommended this video and I admit - it’s gotta be one of the best analyses of Nope I’ve seen. It’s a shame the channel doesn’t get more views. Don’t give up and keep up the good work!
the one thing i thought of when you went into detail about the whole idea of spectacle, and how jean jacket herself is the embodiment of it, i also feel as if her ability to mess with electronics in the movie could also be commentary on our use of cameras, phones, etc to record spectacle. our natural instinct is to record, and upload/release a spectacle for the world to see, so i feel like that ability is a way of saying "look at me, for what i am" if that makes any sense
That one scene with the TMZ guy. He was asking why Oj wasn't recording when he went to help. If you remember the TMZ guy never wanted help he JUST wanted his Camera. He doesn't care about his life only if he's able to get the "money shot". Same with the Documentary Guy, "Holt"(I don't remember his name". He was scene taking pills, its never said why he takes them but its assumed he's dealing with some sort of medical issue. But i digress in his final moments. He caught video proof of the Alien but chose to Sacrifice himself to get an even better shot.
I mean, it works when you see the movie poster, and you begin to wonder if June is actually wearing a cowboy hat, or if its Jean Jacket hovering over him, ready to devour him
I’m really glad you talked about the shoe being a false herring. It was actually obnoxious how so many people wanted to find a deeper meaning for it, instead of just understanding that the Gordy scene is about exploitation and respecting predators. Nothing more nothing less. Great analysis!
There’s also a lot drawn from the 1988 movie Akira which heavily influenced many big works in Hollywood and introduced anime and Japanese culture to the west. The more obvious tribute is the bike slide Emerald does at the very end (which has been recreated time and time again by countless films, shows, commercials, etc) but also the scenes of suffocation when Jean Jacket eats the people up. It’s extremely similar to a scene near the end of the movie where the characters are enveloped by an alien-like creature and being suffocated/squished to death.
When I watched Nope I thought people would praise it as an Oscar contender, or at least rave about it, much more than EEAAO tbf. But I was so astounded to see the mixed, to even negative response to it, apparently people found it pretentious that Peele made the audience piece things together rather than explain it to them. I mean the best screenwriter advice says that you have to ‘make the audience work for their food’ but apparently to ppl it came off as pretentious here. I really like this film and I thought it was a fantastic step for Peele in diversifying his films, and doing new sort of subjects and interesting ideas and not being typecasted as a director. But apparently this film was a flop and its a damn shame. Still kind of frustrated that Nope got so much shit and EEAAO was unanimously praised over everything.
I think this makes the message of the film so much stronger. People expect more spectacle and like you said, things handed directly to them. It’s a shame that most audiences don’t seem to use their brain too much to really be invested in the movie. People just want simple “ahh spooky stuff” and gore fests, and I like how US and Nope go deeper than that. I really want to see more horror movies have deeper meanings like these. Granted I don’t watch horror movies in general, so there probably is some like that. Just really bummed out that this movie didn’t get enough praise :((.
I've only ever seen praise for it, it didn't get super popular but I definitely haven't seen many negative reviews. It's gotten more of a cult following.
oh this is PERFECT. you're incredible. thank you for putting my all-time favorite Peele film into the words I've been trying to find since it came out. so glad I got recommended this, I'm so excited to watch literally anything & everything else you put out.
When I watched Nope, I had mixed feeling about it. But this is a well-crafted essay. I especially like your point about the eye contact between Emerald and OJ, and how it's an example of seeing people as more than spectacle. I never thought about it in that way. Also, if you don't mind my saying so, I like your speaking voice. It's a nice mix of academic and professional, and soft and comforting. I noticed it immediately.
@@makingmediamatter not only the visuals but rather the sound design is what made the theater experience so incredible. Especially those nighttime scenes with Jean jacket flying around through the clouds. It really got under my skin and made it feel like you were there experiencing it with OJ
I’d say apart of Nope is the sound design , specifically when jean jacket flys over after eating the people, it can be confusing whether it’s screams of pain and horror or like if they were on a rollercoaster
Actually eye contact is critical for horses. They have a movement-based “language” that includes a lot of different forms of eye contact (head up for looking far or going fast, head down for looking close or trusting you to lead, and they really do look into your eyes a lot when they like you [or hate you]). So it’s not surprising that he doesn’t have the same issue looking into her eyes that Juke would, because it’s not as intimidating for horses as moderately hierarchical herd animals as it would be for chimpanzees as strict hierarchical ones.
1.) No clue Emerald was a lesbian (absolutely love little facts like this though) Maybe it was so subtle because usually gay characters in shows/media are exploited or just there to fake diversity and inclusivity. 2.) I loved your analysis! Absolutely loved the effort and thought. 3.) I never thought about religion playing into the movie much besides the quote and JJ’s final form. I understand miracles are usually synonymous with religion but I never would’ve picked up on the religious undertones of “this has to be for a higher purpose” or being chosen. Even jupe muttering “you’re chosen” to himself before performing!!
I completely missed #1 too. I do remember explicit mention of men she slept with and children she bore though. I'm not sure what details I'm missing to resolve this.
incredible video!! when you talk about jean jackets mouth sort of representing a camera, it made me realize that in the opening credit roll, they are showing the monsters mouth and i do believe it might be jordans way of "capturing" us as the spectacle as the movie starts!!
Another thing when you mentioned the reporter and film guy being robotic and wearing all black makes it neat how most of the main characters are dressed in very bright and distinct colors, often bordering on neon with the orange hoodie, green jersey, and red markings on Angels uniform
okay separate from my octopus comment THIS ANALYSIS IS INCREDIBLE!! you did an amazing job deconstructing all of the underlying themes this film and its characters bring to the screen! i've seen all these interpretations separately in their own smaller analyses here on TH-cam, but you masterfully compile them into one place and summarize each in a way that's really easy to see and understand! when i first watched this movie, i knew there was an entire world of spectacle and its consequences underlying the unparalleled atmosphere of this film. you've done a great job putting a lens to that world and articulating the themes Peele masterfully incorporated into this once-in-a-lifetime story!
@Making Media Matter Absolutely! It's definitely going to save me some time and allow me to dig deeper on specific course-related stuff. I was getting worried about how much space I needed to take explaining how the different plotlines all deal with spectacle and exploitation/capture, and the liminality of human relations to the super/natural! I'm relieved to be able to cite you and instead focus on the colonial gaze of the camera (and Peele's subversion of that), and examining spectacle-seeking and -sharing through the lens of religion
What did you discuss in your course regarding religion in this film? Jean Jacket’s amorphous, shifting, beautiful form is so similar/familiar to those “what angels actually looked like according to the Bible” type videos on TH-cam. I’m so curious how this movie could be analyzed under that religious lens.
i honestly appreciate how kind and thoughtful the comment section is. This analysis was very interesting . You definitely brought up topics I didnt think of. glad i came across your channel .
In your segment about exploitation, you describe the negative consequences of being a spectacle/ participating in the spectacl-ization of others and the quote that I totally forgot was apart of the film. Immediately as you describe the importance of the quote and what being a spectacle can take from us and how humanity plays a part, I thought of probably the most popular example of a spectacle in horror: Stephen King’s Carrie. The way she’s just continually humiliated was something that really stuck with me and your words reminded me of the scene where I believe her classmates cover her in pig blood to basically dehumanize her as prom queen. I just wanted to say I enjoyed your explanation and it’s refreshing to hear another female perspective in cinema ❤
It really is an absolute masterpiece. I was not a fan of "get out", "us" was incredible, but this movie is just beyond impeccable. I also think that this movie is such a perfect metaphor that it exceeds the initial ideas of spectacle etc.
@@katherinecrutchfield1064 its just my opinion, but I thought it was kinda too simple and formulaic. I liked it, but for me it didn't live up to the hype. Maybe if before I saw it it hadn't been proclaimed the best horror movie of all time, I would have liked it more. Besides, it's too concentrated on the racial agenda. I understand it, but I'm not from the US so I couldnt relate to it that much.
Right dude? Get out was a slightly more well made skeleton key with 0 nuance. Us was more interesting but needed a 2nd draft. Nope is just a masterpiece
Amazing video! I just saw this movie last evening with a few friends and one quote someone immediately pointed out was from Antlers: “We don't deserve the impossible." Then right after he decides to sacrifice himself to get it regardless, like how many people in real life died to document important things, but also like those who needlessly died for spectacle.
I'm a bit late (and high 🍃.) But I have a theory on the color combination used towards the end of the film with Emerald and Otis. I personally believed that the reason why Em and OG are wearing GREEN and ORANGE? Is to signify an entire abstract picture of A green screen(Em) , Tracking markers (OJ), and of course Jean Jacket signifying a camera towards the end of the film. Em has always wants to be seen and appreciated. And whilst she doesn't feel like most folks are ACTUALLY appreciating let alone SEE her? We the audience have our eyes on her the ENTIRE time she's on screen. She literally draw attention to herself so much -- and -- In a way much like a greenscreen; gives us something to look at. OJ I feel acts as the tracking markers to her greenscreen; as although he isn't as forefront as his sister whom draws attention to herself quite a lot and very well? He's the man BEHIND the scenes, often the first to ride off or make plans for what was to come next in their grand operation. Together, both Em and OJ stand before Jean-Jacket; the grand camera 'recording' it all. And together, they do make an 'spectacle' towards the end of the movie.
The way I was trying to figure out what was going on outside the diner in that scene and thought it’d develop, the way you explained it what so clever and makes so much sense.
phenomenal breakdown. was actually watching the movie for the first time today and pointed out the similarities to trauma and spectacle to my mom. it first hit me with the gordy scene what the true meaning of the film was and this breakdown is very well said. awesome and you’ve just earned a new subscriber!
this is my favorite Nope analysis I came across. Very articulate, such a great job of explaining complicated and intertwined themes in a clearly layered and eloquent manner. And your calm voice goes perfectly with the content. Thanks and congrats!
This was so good, there is stuff you brought up in this video I have seen no other person talking on this film even consider. People tend to get caught in their own interpretations of a film, but I like that you were willing to not only explore in depth what you thought the movie was trying to do, but also your interpretation of the art and other interpretations outside those, and how all three perspectives on it could go hand in hand. I subscribed based off of just this one video, and I think this channel deserves so much attention already. I can't wait to get the chance to look back at everything else you've made and see what you have yet to make. Glad to have found this video.
“The spectacle is the nightmare of imprisoned modern society which ultimately expresses nothing more than its desire to sleep. The spectacle is the guardian of sleep.” ― Guy Debord, The Society of the Spectacle
I did see NOPE and I never have felt more terrified of a film in the theater and I was gripping my seat. I really appreciate your analysis on this. You totally need to do more horror movie analysis videos. Your channel deserves more recognition.
Great great analysis I'm super obssessed with this movie and I hadn't seen anyone really delve into the religious stuff and you kinda blew my mind, there really is something in there about people using religion to justify the horrors of our existence and fit them into a grander narrative, neat stuff!
You brought up so so so many things about this spectacular film that I hadn’t even thought of!! I’m amazed with your in-depth analysis and how concise you were with what you shared. Loved loved loved
A small addendum; OJ is neurodivergent as Emerald calls him dyslexic in the film. I love the line that we made life into a spectacule. Upon first viewing, my interpretation was more in cosmic horror sense showing a universe's apathy towards the values and whims of a species with maxed out main character symdrome that regularly assumes that they are at the top of the food chain. Hands down the best nope video essay out there thus far. Bravo ❤
such an elaborate and sophisticated analysis of this incredible movie!! your commentary is so eloquent and easy to understand even though you're talking about all the complex nuances of this movie!!!!!!! the best analysis of this movie I've heard, was super surprised to see that this video has under 25k views right now
The most shocking part of this video is the outro were you reveal that your channel isn't monotized yet. Fantastic video and hope your channel will grow to match your talent.
I respect Jordan sm as a director, he makes beautiful works not a lot of people can, we're so used to certain directors styles that when we branch out with new creations people are weirded out and don't like it, but I'm glad there are people who can see the work as art and masterpieces and not just "every other movie coming out so the director can make a quick buck" type thing
"For spectacle is entirely hollow without a deeper human connection there to make it worth something." Amen to that! Puts to precise words why I felt so little when I watched a mediocre action movie earlier. It was all flashy fight and nothing else.
Absolutely awesome essay. So much stuff I picked up on and then literally whiffed the Emerald in green, OJ in orange bit! Glad I found this channel just now via my love of Nope. Looking forward to more insightful pieces.
Glad the algorithm picked this video up and rewarded you for all this work! An interesting real world, meta aspect is how this film, which is undoubtedly a masterpiece in many respects and arguably Peele's best work thus far was utterly shut-out and snubbed at the Oscars. Regardless of whether or not a person puts stock into the Academy Awards or not, a film that so sharply criticizes the consumptive nature of Hollywood was essentially banished feels like a message in itself.
I couldn’t agree more, the lack of Oscar nominations for this film is really surprising and definitely says something about the industry. It reminds me of the Grammys a few years ago where The Weeknd was snubbed due to a petty dispute despite having one of the most successful albums of the year. Just goes to show how fairly awards shows really operate.
I can’t believe how few subscribers you have!! This is one of the best video essays I’ve seen surrounding Nope and Jordan Peele’s filmography as a whole! Please keep going and I look forward to more content from you!!
this video certified rocked my socks to say the least i hope you get monetization soon!!! and the comment section too, really lovely to revisit this film w you guys
The algorithm is weird but I’m so glad it brought me and 65k other people here! By far the most thorough, compelling, and enjoyably explained analysis of Nope I’ve seen
I hadn't realized the connection between colors in their outfits and names at the climax at the film until you pointed it out! (It was literally there!!) Wonderful essay!!
Great video, I think you captured a lot of the film. As a 80's science fiction comic book geek, I really very deeply appreciated the director's social commentary on spectacle. Which I think is abundantly obvious in the modern pop culture entertainment industry... I also appreciated how the director handled racial ethnicity without it becoming spectacle itself. The obvious one is "OJ" ( OJ Simpson - who wears an orange Scorpion King hoodie). For another example, as a former mainstream music/film/etc stagehand "that happens to be Caucasian" I really indentified with the character of Angel, and being exploited to chase the fame, fortune, and spectacle of others (Mexico). (p.s. minor complaint, don't speak into the microphone, as it will reduce the microphone "popping".)
This video is excellent. you have a new subscriber. Please do more film videos. Also Aliens is a deconstruction of the Vietnam war, so I see what you mean. And as far as the angel bit, I said in the beginning that the alien was an angel via the rapture, so thank you for brining that up.
I’m just tuning in - I LOVE this movie! I was captivated by it the first time, and have rewatched a couple of times since. Yes, Spectacle, and our addiction to it, is the central theme, though I’m not sure that the main point is about the ‘harm’ that comes to animals when humans ‘use’ them for this purpose. I really feel the main commentary is how the animals are personified/anthropomorphized and then not recognized as the Animals (read: potential natural predators) they are, and conversely, humans lose their Humanity (ie Survival Insticts and respect for life, including their own) when singularly focused on spectacle. Looking forward to seeing where you take this.
Great breakdown! I went straight to reddit discussions after watching this movie and I'm glad to get that level of in-depth breakdown via this video that serendipitously showed up on my algorithm dump. Also 6:46 that 'applause' sign turning on after Gordy decimated the set is something I didn't notice while I was watching the movie first time PROBABLY coz I Was focused on the spectacle in the foreground. 24:08 - 24:11 was masterful. Great breakdown, again. If you haven't seen The Endless please do. A breakdown of that would be WONDERFUL
OH MY GOD WHEN I SAW JEAN JACKET I THOUGHT "oh hey that reminds me of Evangelion" AND THEN ONLY TO BE CORRECT WAS SO COOL Though I have to say Neon Genesis Evangelion primarily used biblical imagery because they liked it. They're symbolic in other ways so hate to break that news. But anyways super neat. Though this is not to say Jean Jacket isn't biblical, I'm just saying that Neon Genesis is often misinterpreted as biblical rather than a personal introspective and as for self spectalization that would work really well in turn with Asuka so I can definetly see a TON of Evangelion influence here beyond Jean Jacket. so so so cool
What an amazing and insightful video. I was surprised to see you only have 1200 subscribers. I have no doubt that will change very soon. I look forward to taking some time soon to watch your other videos. Thank you for sharing this with us.
while you touched on a lot of ideas I've heard from other people due to looking for so many opinions about Nope, I still apreciated the video! Especially for enlightening me on the role of Angel. I found him to be the character I least understood for his inclusion in the film. plus your elaboration on the potential religious themes of the film was also new to me.
I don't normally comment on videos, but I came here to say how lovely your speaking voice is. I'll be watching more of your content. Your analysis of NOPE brought out things I have not heard in any other commentaries. I'm in love with all of Peele's movies to date.
He did such a great job with the film. Rewatched it last night, makes me appreciate the film more. It’s such a great spectacle. Get out Nope US He nails all three.
Excellent video. You really did an amazing job breaking down this incredible movie. I can't believe how well Jordan Peele tells stories and all the levels that you can watch his movies on.
2 things: 1. I love how in depth this video in and how much you have highlighted all the obvious themes as well as themes that are very deep. Great work 2. I would not recommend anyone playing a drinking game to this video… most notable to the word “spectacle”.
Thank you so much, and I have to absolutely agree. I tried so hard to use some different words but the film really is about spectacle and at a point I just had to give up and use that word a bunch.
@@makingmediamatter it’s an excellent video, I’m not being negative at all btw. I totally agree, if you have to use a certain word then use the word, especially to drive the point home. Great video 😊
Great video!! I had a couple friends that struggled to understand why I like Nope so much, and you were able to succinctly and very eloquently describe what makes this movie so good! I’ll send this to them immediately
not only is this an incredible analysis, it shows how someone interested in writing movies can get people in seats whilst leaving them without the hollow feeling at the end.
Movies and shows that commentate on spectacle are fascinating to me because a lot of the time, they can be heavily applied to our relationship of art/media and how people view and treat their peers, loved ones, and our communities. Definitely recommend people look up movies like The Truman Show, White: Melody of Death, and Perfect Blue* as well as shows like Paranoia Agent*, Oshi No Ko, and Bojack Horseman. They're all different movies/shows, but all have a running theme of commentating on entertainment industries and in a way, also commentating on spectacle too. I also agree that, in an age when the entertainment industries and social media exist right on our finger-tips, movies and shows that commentate on spectacle and exploitation should now be more important than ever to talk about! 0_0
I love how they make several references to the Travis chimp incident with Gordie because that was a real life example of animal exploitation and then the spectacle when the animal inevitably did what a abused wild animal(Don't let anyone tell you that Travis was just a beloved~ pet that went crazy for no reason they were feeding him wine and pills they might not have been outright malicious but they should not have been handling an animal like this) does breaking and attacking. It became a spectacle where people cared more about looking at a woman's disfigured face on Oprah then the implications of keeping wild animals for entertainment ( yes Travis was bought originally from an animal entertainment company that had a history of champs attacking people( Travis's own mother was killed when attacking a man and his dog) Travis himself starred in several commercials before he got too big to handle)
I am genuinely wondering: what did you enjoy about this movie? Can you explain what about it blew you away? I found this movie so painfully boring I almost left before it was over. I hate this movie more than any other I’ve ever seen.
@@philmccracken2534 I can’t speak for OP, but I also think Nope is one of my favorite horror movies. I found it to be tense, it’s a subtle horror that doesn’t play it’s hand too soon. I know a lot of folks don’t like that, most horror movies aren’t slow burns because people sometimes find them boring. Nope is a film you need to be fully engaged with, which is rare in modern movies. I loved watching it with my BF, analyzing as we went and bouncing theories off of each other about where the story might be going. I found that Nope tackles it’s themes really well, and has some powerful points to make. The acting was also really good, the characters were realistic and fun to watch. I think OJ is my favorite, mostly because I’m autistic and related to a lot of his behaviors and character quirks. Also Jean Jacket’s behavior is really interesting, it’s clear Jordan Peele put a lot of thought into how it behaves and why. It really feels like a wild animal, with behaviors that can be understood.
@@gremlinfriend6956 My bf and I were the opposite watching it. We both kept looking over at each other like “when is the movie going to start to get good?!” It’s subtle yes, but it never makes its point. And it’s point is kind of stupid imo. Like obviously I’m going to a movie to be entertained by the “spectacle.” Spectacle doesn’t always have to be a bad thing. I love being engaged in a film and I don’t mind a slow burn, but this movie never even lit the match for me. I love most of the actors aside from this but their performances were not enough to get me to enjoy this movie.
@@philmccracken2534 everyone’s got their own opinions about the movies they watch. I feel like not everyone is going to really relate to Nope, I enjoy the message because I’ve experienced the unpleasant aspects of being made into a spectacle for people to gawk at. It definitely makes a point, that point just won’t hit home for everyone. And that’s alright, not everyone has to enjoy or relate to every movie.
yo real quick, with the horse freaking out once it sees its reflection, that thing he's holding is for the camera, to get lighting information for CGI and crap. so less of the horse being "poked and prodded" and more of they weren't listening and they accidentally freaked out the horse. just thought I might clarify that one part
Even aside from all the literary devices and deeper looks into the film...I really loved the original take on aliens. I know it's very simple minded to say, but I just enjoyed how so much thought went into every detail, including the alien itself.
Incredible analysis and completely agree! I find it very interesting the way you tackle the religious component and it is something I hadn't even thought about yet. I feel that Nope deserves more recognition because it has shocked me not only with it's new way of conveying horror (the gordy's home incident and the digestion scene are executed masterfully) but also the underlying themes of the movie. It truly is a movie that does something different from others whilst simultaneously telling in important story which, in my opinion, makes it a masterpiece
Thank you so much for the praise! The religious stuff actually took me a while to catch on to but once I started looking at it I knew I just had to add something about it in the video.
And NOPE definitely deserves more recognition in my opinion, it’s such a great movie and somehow has extremely fun parts combined effortlessly with some of the scariest scenes of the decade so far (Gordy’s Home & digestion scenes).
Both of those scenes are masterful... but I see them as a detriment to the movie overall. I love Peele's films and television projects, but Nope really missed the mark for me, and every scene that wasn't part of the two you mentioned feels way too generic and bland. That's not on the actors, of course, because they were all fantastic.
after reading all the good reviews this movie was infuriating to watch, there's just blank screens with different animals' names on them being shown periodically throughout the movie as if the audience doesn't understand the UFO is just another animal; despite this being a fact being repeated literally verbatim by characters in the film. You can actually physically feel Peele's pretentiousness leaking through the film, and it's revolting. There's zero reason to get attached to any of the characters in the story and no, the movie's title doesn't mean anything other than the word being repeated by different characters throughout.
This movie makes you think, isn't Peele right to be this pretentious? As shown by this movie and all the youtube vids made about it he really can put out any garbage he wants and it will automatically be praised and given a decent rating just from the color of his skin. It's sad that this is the state of modern cinema today. I enjoyed Get Out and Us but Peele needs to understand that just because a concept has never been explored before doesn't mean it should be; an excellent example being this dumpster fire of a movie.
He has no imagination either. Peele really jumped into this concept with both feet and didn't even explore what happens to the people that were eaten; are they just digested? Sent to another dimension? Reanimated and digested again? Tortured? Like c'mon Peele it's a horror movie and it literally didn't even get a reaction out of my 11 yr old brother. Must be nice being born with Peele's skin color; no talent needed for success
@@SuryaGupta-te7fq I agree with you on a lot of the points you made, but I disagree about Peele not having any imagination. That's what is so infuriating to me about this one movie... I feel like he could have done so much better. I've seen better from him.
@@shanewalker8607 Get Out set my expectations really high for Peele, then Us tempered those expectations. But after Nope I now have zero expectations for Peele's career; I'll actually be surprised if he makes a good movie after Nope
You mentioned Angel had a surprising amount of characterization--and I agree! I've been thinking a lot lately about how Angel is initially seen as the weirdo tech guy obsessed with aliens, but as we get to know him, we see that he's actually a very thoughtful and caring person. My mind always goes to him frantically checking in with OJ and Em to talk to him over the walkies while they try to get Jean Jacket on film. He was also the first one to shoot down Antlers' idea of feeding a horse to JJ to lure it out on OJ and Em's behalf, which was a really nice character moment.
i always think of the scene where he was the *only* person to consider the impact of killing JJ on people--like, they'd save *so* many lives. it was extremely considerate of him. everyone else's motives were kind of selfish--antlers was looking for self-fulfillment, of sorts, and em and OJ were looking for the money shot. angel was just looking to save some people 😭
Angel ends up filling the gap that Otis Sr. left in OJ and Em’s life. He couldn’t be more different of a man, but impossibly, he fits perfectly into that negative space and helps bridge the gap between the two just by being his awkward, unfiltered self. And where Otis Sr seemed to unintentionally drive a wedge between the two by showing preference to OJ, Angel is less biased and takes Em’s side on many occasions. His presence reminds me of a new puppy being introduced to a pair of cats; at first they just don’t like him and don’t want him around, then they’re annoyed but accept his presence, and finally they’re not only used to him but value his presence.
it’s such a cute dynamic and i love this core trio, i’d watch them hunt cryptids for a full 10 movies tbh
@@chexfan2000 "a new puppy being introduced to a pair of cats" THAT'S SO CUTE???? You're absolutely right tho, one of the things that makes Angel's dynamic with OJ and Em so satisfying to me is that they do NOT like his ass at first, but he goes out of his way to help them. The little camaraderie between Angel and Em after the blood rain is so sweet to me
I think that was kind of the point. At first you don't like the characters but then you start to appreciate them more and more. Probably the idea was that you should not cling to the spectacle, you should cling to the real people around you and learn to love them.
That’s because Angel was supposed to be a one off character. The actor who played Angel argued against it however, and Peele made Angel an actual character.
Great video, but you missed an important example that was inspired from a real life incident of spectacle. When the Gordy incident happened in the film, one of the child actresses, Mary Jo Elliott, is mauled by the chimp. She survived (she wasn’t killed like what was implied from this video), and later on, her face is shown covered by a veil as she’s introduced to Jupe’s crowd as an adult. There’s a brief second where when Jean Jacket arrives in this scene, you see the wind lifting up the veil and you can see a bit of the damage that Gordy did to her face and hands. This was clearly a reference to the real-life incident of Charla Nash in 2009, where her neighbor’s pet chimp Travis (who was also in the entertainment industry) attacked her and mauled her face and hands. She went on the Oprah Winfrey show that same year under a veil (very similar to the one worn by Mary Jo Elliott) and revealed her face on camera. There were several parallels with the Gordy incident that Jordan Peele used to highlight/critique what happened to Charla as an example of spectacle: in the film, they kept referring to getting the “Oprah shot”. Well, that shot of the wind lifting the veil from Mary Jo’s face was a very clear reference to when Charla lifted the veil from her face on the Oprah Winfrey show. In other words, that shot of the wind lifting the veil from Mary Jo’s face WAS the “Oprah shot”. That was probably the best reference to exploitation/spectacle in the entertainment industry, imo. Jordan Peele is a genius!
Wow. What a brilliant observation and succinctly put
@@Creativemnds Thank you!
Late to the party but thank you! I was in college mock trial when we did a case heavily based on Travis and Charla and I caught this too but you worded it way better than I could have!
I immediately thought of this too! That scene was clearly calling back to Charla Nash, I think you put it really well.
That is SUCH a great call !
I love the little metaphors and double meanings in so many parts of this film, but my favorite is the damn shoe. Not because what kind of bad miracle it represents, but because that whole time, Jupe was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Ooooooooo!!! That hit me!
I've always thought about that shoe as an example of a bad miracle but it still felt like I was missing something. I think I found that something in this comment. I have pondered ever since I saw the movie: why a shoe? Why not anything else on the set? The idea of waiting for the other shoe to drop has finally answered my question. Thanks for scratching that brain itch for me haha
I definitely got the hint of OJ being Neuro Divergent. His behavior also mirrors the feeling of discomfort that these animals undergo with the attention, poking, & prodding.
When Em shows up at the commercial shoot and says “Sorry about the uhhh… tardiness…” she very subtly gestures in OJ’s direction 😂 i don’t thing she was just talking about being late 😂
I originally thought he was just 'built different' and i am right in a way.
Maybe I easily recognise that or something.
You mentioning that OJ may be neurodivergent makes so much sense! I’m autistic myself but never once thought that OJ may be like me, because in media (the spectacle), the characters rarely are. Having Jean Jacket resemble an eye is such a smart idea, and it makes sense that OJ would know not to look at it, cause for most neurodivergent folks eye contact feels so uncomfortable. It feels as if you are being viewed entirely, like someone is looking through you, and they can see it all. It feels invasive, as if your body is a box that they opened up, and can see all its contents. The film crew surrounding Lucky and ignoring OJ’s instructions, which leads to a physical explosion is something I experience in everyday life. OJ has felt what Lucky is feeling, which is why he understands Lucky along with Jean Jacket. People like to think that humans are so very far from animals, but we aren’t! If you put your autistic mind in the body and experience of Jean Jacket, how they’re feeling and how treat them becomes crystal clear. Nope is an excellent movie, and Jordan Peele did an amazing job!
i love the way the movie deals with grief. the need of the siblings to blame someone/something for taking their father away, they had to make something pay for their suffering. and seeing jean jacket as some metaphorical god makes it even more interesting
I watch this movie over and over again. It speaks volumes in so many ways. But as a biologist, the way Jordan addresses animal behavior with the subtleties and nuance that even my peers and professors fail to understand is so impressive to me, especially considering he's a filmmaker not a scientist.
You’re the first TH-camr I’ve seen even mention OJ’s neurodivergent traits- bravo!
I felt like OJ was on the spectrum and Emerald had ADHD. They were definitely coded that way.
@@shoesncheese lol when any personality trait is just a mental disorder. I got adhd but act like OJ and have met autistic people like emerald. So nah y’all just wanna be something for some reason and become labeled. Fine by me cuz i don’t use my mental things to be part out who i am.
I heard Dead Meat discuss that horror fans seemed to talk about this and once they mentioned it, it clicked. Especially cuz OJ feels so damn relatable
I’m not a person of colour but I massively relate to how autism is portrayed with OJ.
Like just how I’m seen as a 6 foot 2ish guy who is cripplingly socially awkward
I feel like neurodivergent folks catched this IMMEDIATELY.
I relate a lot with avoiding eye contact and when I told my friends they were like 'Really? arent you reaching?' NO, he's 100% neurodivergent
My two biggest details i loved where that the audience that all got eaten could probably easily escaped if they just stopped looking and tried to escape, much like OJ did when he was attacked at the same place. Number 2, when the sitcom disfigured sister is watching JeanJacket come down, the veil that covers her face is lifted and she is killed (where as she may have been safe if it didn’t, much like with the chimp) and how it further cements he didn’t survive by some higher power, but luck (like lucky the horse) that the veil stopped eye contact
What really disturbed me about her was that, even after losing so much to the entertainment world, she had nothing else, and so there she was, still participating as an audience member. Her body language as she waved was utterly acquiescent. It said, "the show must go on."
The film has a lot to say about eye contact. For OJ, his default state is looking away, because eye contact takes a lot of personal energy for him. So when he looks Emerald in the eye in those key moments, it's never done lightly. It takes a lot. I think the subtext of this is that, when he looks into another person's eyes, he's really seeing them, and that takes a huge effort. Looking away is self-protection, so making eye contact is vulnerable. When he does it with her, he's saying, "I'm giving myself to you." It's a surrender of his defenses.
OJ can't just look without seeing. That, I think, is what most people are doing here. They're only seeing what they want to see, ignoring everything else. Jupe had that horrific experience, but only took away his own importance and luck. Emerald looked at all the events leading up to the UFO appearance, and only saw an opportunity to get rich. She didn't see the whole story. But OJ didn't edit out the grim truths. He saw the bad miracle for what it was. And he knew that staring at it was giving himself to it. Spectacle wants confrontation. It wants to dazzle and hypnotize you till you can't move. That's how it eats you.
One might say that grim spectacle is eating the world right now. We stare at it non-stop, through endless, biased news stories pumped out in our phones. Doom-scrolling, they call it. I think the film is trying to tell us that we can be aware of it without succumbing to the lure of gazing into it. Because the longer we gaze, the more helpless it makes us feel. I think that's exactly what you're getting at with the way the audience stared instead of running.
That’s a good take.
I have to wonder though, JeanJacket is sucking up with enormous strength even if a few of the audience members looked down it wouldn’t change much right?
@@GuineaPigEveryday Right. They could have run away, but looking away wouldn't have done much at that point. Presumably, according to the logic of the story, all it would have taken was a few pairs of eyes.
But here, you're finding where the meaning of the movie butts up against the logic. The general rule for storytelling is that meaning tends to trump logic. There's nothing less interesting than a movie that all makes sense, but doesn't have much to say. That's usually why, when fans come up with alternative endings to films that "make more sense," they always suck.
Like for example, some brainfart out there probably thinks "Back to the Future" is stupid because there's no way George McFly could knock out Biff with one punch, especially if he's never punched anyone in his life. It's not logical. But that doesn't matter. Logic isn't the point.
@@rottensquid I recognize that this is barely relevant and borderline splitting hairs, but anyone who would argue that Marty couldn't OHKO Biff would be wrong anyway. Knocking someone out isn't _easy,_ but any punch can do it. There's even plenty of examples of boxers and mixed martial artists unexpectedly knocking someone out because a punch landed _just right._ Most famous of these is Mohammed Ali's "Phantom Punch" that KO'd Sonny Liston - even Ali thought Liston had taken a dive and screamed at him to get up. You don't need to be a boxer either, especially since in BTTF it was a sucker punch that only put him down for a second.
I don't know if anyone caught this in the movie, but the 5 chapters in the movie actually represent the 5 mysteries of the rosary. In the 5 mysteries, there are at least 5 significant words that foreshadow the plot of the story. Chapter 1: Ghost-Annunciation (When OJ sees Jean Jacket for the first time), Chapter 2: Clover-Visitation (When Jupe's sons arrive to prank OJ and Jean Jacket arrives with OJ seeing them for the first time), Chapter 3: Gordy-Birth (When Gordy's Home massacre occurs and leaving Jupe the only survivor of the incident where he falsely believes that he can tame animals, sparking the birth of the "spectacle"), Chapter 4: Lucky-Presentation (Where Jupe tries to present Jean Jacket to the audience, but it later goes wrong with JJ eating him and the crowd), and Chapter 5: Jean Jacket-Finding (Where the group tries to get the footage of Jean Jacket to claim their "find"). Also, in every mystery there is an important line and advice that always says; "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.", which is something the characters, besides OJ, should do when encountering Jean Jacket. In order to survive, you have to not give in to the temptation by not looking at JJ and you will live. And the "deliver us from evil" line is actually representing the evil in trying to get "the perfect shot", where you will go to any lengths to get the frame, even if it costs your life, and how it's not worth it.
For what it's worth, there are multiple mysteries, the ones you have listed are the joyful mysteries. The groups are the Glorious Mysteries, Joyful Mysteries, Sorrowful Mysteries, and the Luminous Mysteries, each said on different days of the week. If this is true, and it seems accurate, then it's interesting that the joyful mysteries would be the ones chosen. The only one I'd say is a bit of a stretch is the fifth, which is the finding of Jesus in the temple, where Mary and Joseph lose Jesus, who is said to be 12 at the time, while on a journey to Jerusalem and find him in the temple three days later, in a discussion with priests as if nothing has happened. While the word find is used I'm not sure it lines up well. Another note: "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil" is actually from the Our Father, the Lord's Prayer, which is said every decade of the rosary but also quite often outside of the rosary, among all christians, not just catholics. If this correlation is intentional I wonder what the implications of using a prayer would be, especially such a long prayer that is intended to ask for intercession, asking Mary to pray for us to Jesus. I think I may be digging too deep into this though.
Something that I think should also be mentioned is the missing hikers that are briefly announced by radio news reporters at the beginning of the movie (while OJ is tending to the horses before going to talk with his dad), and that they're hinted to be eaten by Jean Jacket and were the original owners of the nickel that ends up unintentionally killing OJ's dad. After rewatching the movie and catching that detail after my third watch, it's pretty much one of the most underrated haunting moments of the movie imo. Out of a majority of the characters, the hikers never were part of a spectacle and never intentionally did anything to provoke Jean Jacket - they may have just been innocents devoured at the wrong place and at the wrong time.
Also imo, the missing hikers could tie into the theme of spectacle in the sense that spectacles are known to draw our attention away from more important issues that can get overlooked, as well as a representation of things like minorities and POC having a history of going missing/murdered and their cases being ignored or looked over in priority of other missing/murdered people that provide more of a spectacle. The hikers being one of the many victims of Jean Jacket never get mentioned again throughout the movie, and it's creepy to me how little their disappearance leaves an impact on the MCs and (possibly) their community... 0_0
Absolutely love this interpretation! Definitely not something I thought of, I had just assumed the hikers probably looked at JJ and were eaten for it. Definitely one of the creepier unseen moments of the film.
I am so glad you made this video!!!!!! I loved NOPE! We analyzed, researched, debated, laughed, and watched NOPE for at couple of months straight in this household! I believe it is Jordan's best film and indeed is a masterpiece. All of the points you made were spot on. It's nice to hear other people talk about NOPE intelligently. Listening to so many people say, "it doesn't make sense" and "what was the point of the monkey" made me feel like I was tripping or something...
So happy you enjoyed the video and thought I brought something interesting to the conversation!
Right? One of my cousins watched it with her boyfriend and both said it was the worst//most boring movie they'd ever seen. In my opinion it's a masterpiece so I was a bit shocked
While I agree with you, the monkey though 😅
I hate it when people just don't get it and come out with the lame logic. It's like when a friends gf watched American History X and said that'd make me go back to Nazi. I'm like "Did you even watch the movie? Did you get the point???" One of my friends saw Once Upon A Time in Hollywood and did not get the point. I asked her, you know about Charles Manson and Sharon Tate right? Nope. She didn't even know the context of the film she had just seen.
When I heard the phrase ‘bad miracle’ my first thought was that it was a reference to ‘signs’, another alien movie with religious tones. The two films feel kind of similar in their rural, isolated setting and a down-on-their-luck family trying to move forward after an unlucky, coincidental tragedy. I loved them both!
Not to mention, the dinner table scene before the final act had to be a direct reference to Signs!
There's a funny online video I saw years ago, a homemade clip by a bunch of black teens in a ghost-story scenario, where they're getting more and more spooked but glimpses of a ghost in the house, until one finds the ghost standing right next to him. But instead of freezing in helpless terror, he instinctively throws a punch, knocking the ghost out, and he and his friend start kicking it. It was hilarious to see this scene recreated in Nope, when OJ punches the kid in the alien costume. Recognized it instantly.
I think this was a continuation of what Jordan Peele was doing with Get Out, having a character stand in for the black audience of a horror film, shouting at the white characters for doing dumb things when in danger. "Get Out" is a standard line, shouted at every film like it's the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Same with "Nope."
One scene in Nope that illiterates this is. How every white audience member that was Staring at Jean Jacket could've "survived". What I mean is instead of just GAWKING and STARING at a giant ass monster they could've "ran" away. But with OJ the monster was RIGHT above him and he decided to go,"Nope" and slam the car door protecting him. What I'm trying to say is. In the movie, they pretty much showed how every white person would either go towards or interact with the unknown. While Black people are more cautious about it.
@@sclarinet9088 I went back and looked up the video, and it turns out it was a bunch of white frat-ish dudes. It was still funny tho.
But I think you make a great point about the different degrees of caution among black vs white people that Jordan Peele was getting at. In that crowd, there's a general sense of dissociation from potential risk, and a greed for spectacle, that ultimately condemned them. But with the one girl from the old sitcom was also victimized, even after her previous experience where the simple act of eye contact with a deadly spectacle left her permanently scarred. What are we to think of her, and what the movie was saying about her?
Of course, there's also the strong suggestion that OJ was a little neuro-spicy, and his reluctance to make eye contact in general had at lot to do with his refusal to look Jean Jacket "in the eye," as it were. In fact, OJ's eye contact was touched on throughout the film. As ever with Peele, there's a lot to unpack there.
This whole time I was so busy thinking jean jacket looked like a UFO, that them looking like an “eye” never once crossed my mind. Now I can’t unsee it.
It makes sense, if you stare directly up at it, it gets aggressive and eats you. I actually rlly liked it’s design. It’s pretty yet terrifying. :)
at first I thought it was a giant cowboy hat lmao
@@zenaforest Funnily enough in the movie poster. The Cowboy guy who wanted to control Jean Jacket. Has a cowboy hat on that looks similar to Jean Jacket.
I know it's not a perfect fit, but whenever the term "Bad Miracle" is said, the word "Omen" comes to mind.
It's not even remotely a good fit. An omen is a sign of things to come. A miracle is a thing the happened that defies logic and explanation.
I thought the exact same thing when they said the line in the movie, that was immediately the first word that came to mind
I always thought of a bad miracle as a "freak accident"
Was recommended this video and I admit - it’s gotta be one of the best analyses of Nope I’ve seen. It’s a shame the channel doesn’t get more views. Don’t give up and keep up the good work!
So happy to hear you enjoyed the video so much, hoping to get more views going forward!
the one thing i thought of when you went into detail about the whole idea of spectacle, and how jean jacket herself is the embodiment of it, i also feel as if her ability to mess with electronics in the movie could also be commentary on our use of cameras, phones, etc to record spectacle. our natural instinct is to record, and upload/release a spectacle for the world to see, so i feel like that ability is a way of saying "look at me, for what i am" if that makes any sense
I totally see that, that’s a wonderful interpretation and I think it definitely makes sense.
IT'S A GIRL?????? IT HAS NO WEE WEE??????
That one scene with the TMZ guy. He was asking why Oj wasn't recording when he went to help. If you remember the TMZ guy never wanted help he JUST wanted his Camera. He doesn't care about his life only if he's able to get the "money shot". Same with the Documentary Guy, "Holt"(I don't remember his name". He was scene taking pills, its never said why he takes them but its assumed he's dealing with some sort of medical issue. But i digress in his final moments. He caught video proof of the Alien but chose to Sacrifice himself to get an even better shot.
I always thought that Jean Jacket looked like the bottom of a cowboy hat… idk what to make of that but there’s definitely some resonance there
I mean, it works when you see the movie poster, and you begin to wonder if June is actually wearing a cowboy hat, or if its Jean Jacket hovering over him, ready to devour him
I’m really glad you talked about the shoe being a false herring. It was actually obnoxious how so many people wanted to find a deeper meaning for it, instead of just understanding that the Gordy scene is about exploitation and respecting predators. Nothing more nothing less. Great analysis!
There’s also a lot drawn from the 1988 movie Akira which heavily influenced many big works in Hollywood and introduced anime and Japanese culture to the west. The more obvious tribute is the bike slide Emerald does at the very end (which has been recreated time and time again by countless films, shows, commercials, etc) but also the scenes of suffocation when Jean Jacket eats the people up. It’s extremely similar to a scene near the end of the movie where the characters are enveloped by an alien-like creature and being suffocated/squished to death.
When I watched Nope I thought people would praise it as an Oscar contender, or at least rave about it, much more than EEAAO tbf. But I was so astounded to see the mixed, to even negative response to it, apparently people found it pretentious that Peele made the audience piece things together rather than explain it to them. I mean the best screenwriter advice says that you have to ‘make the audience work for their food’ but apparently to ppl it came off as pretentious here. I really like this film and I thought it was a fantastic step for Peele in diversifying his films, and doing new sort of subjects and interesting ideas and not being typecasted as a director. But apparently this film was a flop and its a damn shame. Still kind of frustrated that Nope got so much shit and EEAAO was unanimously praised over everything.
I think this makes the message of the film so much stronger. People expect more spectacle and like you said, things handed directly to them. It’s a shame that most audiences don’t seem to use their brain too much to really be invested in the movie. People just want simple “ahh spooky stuff” and gore fests, and I like how US and Nope go deeper than that. I really want to see more horror movies have deeper meanings like these. Granted I don’t watch horror movies in general, so there probably is some like that.
Just really bummed out that this movie didn’t get enough praise :((.
I've only ever seen praise for it, it didn't get super popular but I definitely haven't seen many negative reviews. It's gotten more of a cult following.
oh this is PERFECT. you're incredible. thank you for putting my all-time favorite Peele film into the words I've been trying to find since it came out. so glad I got recommended this, I'm so excited to watch literally anything & everything else you put out.
Thank you! I have so much stuff in the works that I’m excited to share.
When I watched Nope, I had mixed feeling about it. But this is a well-crafted essay. I especially like your point about the eye contact between Emerald and OJ, and how it's an example of seeing people as more than spectacle. I never thought about it in that way.
Also, if you don't mind my saying so, I like your speaking voice. It's a nice mix of academic and professional, and soft and comforting. I noticed it immediately.
The speaking voice was far and away my least favorite part of the video.
I still think about this movie. Seeing it in imax in the theater is something I’ll never get to experience again
Hopefully they re-release it in theaters someday, I only got to see it on Blu-Ray but I can only imagine it looked great in IMAX.
@@makingmediamatter not only the visuals but rather the sound design is what made the theater experience so incredible. Especially those nighttime scenes with Jean jacket flying around through the clouds. It really got under my skin and made it feel like you were there experiencing it with OJ
I’d say apart of Nope is the sound design , specifically when jean jacket flys over after eating the people, it can be confusing whether it’s screams of pain and horror or like if they were on a rollercoaster
Actually eye contact is critical for horses. They have a movement-based “language” that includes a lot of different forms of eye contact (head up for looking far or going fast, head down for looking close or trusting you to lead, and they really do look into your eyes a lot when they like you [or hate you]). So it’s not surprising that he doesn’t have the same issue looking into her eyes that Juke would, because it’s not as intimidating for horses as moderately hierarchical herd animals as it would be for chimpanzees as strict hierarchical ones.
1.) No clue Emerald was a lesbian (absolutely love little facts like this though) Maybe it was so subtle because usually gay characters in shows/media are exploited or just there to fake diversity and inclusivity.
2.) I loved your analysis! Absolutely loved the effort and thought.
3.) I never thought about religion playing into the movie much besides the quote and JJ’s final form. I understand miracles are usually synonymous with religion but I never would’ve picked up on the religious undertones of “this has to be for a higher purpose” or being chosen. Even jupe muttering “you’re chosen” to himself before performing!!
I completely missed #1 too. I do remember explicit mention of men she slept with and children she bore though. I'm not sure what details I'm missing to resolve this.
@@Kowzorz no she explicitly was talking about a woman she was hooking up with and we see her flirting with women in the store
@@lionlickers6058 Strange how I misheard that. Could've sworn I heard it being a guy. Guess that's another reason to watch the movie again!
incredible video!! when you talk about jean jackets mouth sort of representing a camera, it made me realize that in the opening credit roll, they are showing the monsters mouth and i do believe it might be jordans way of "capturing" us as the spectacle as the movie starts!!
Another thing when you mentioned the reporter and film guy being robotic and wearing all black makes it neat how most of the main characters are dressed in very bright and distinct colors, often bordering on neon with the orange hoodie, green jersey, and red markings on Angels uniform
okay separate from my octopus comment THIS ANALYSIS IS INCREDIBLE!! you did an amazing job deconstructing all of the underlying themes this film and its characters bring to the screen! i've seen all these interpretations separately in their own smaller analyses here on TH-cam, but you masterfully compile them into one place and summarize each in a way that's really easy to see and understand! when i first watched this movie, i knew there was an entire world of spectacle and its consequences underlying the unparalleled atmosphere of this film. you've done a great job putting a lens to that world and articulating the themes Peele masterfully incorporated into this once-in-a-lifetime story!
Thank you for the praise, I'm really happy to hear you enjoyed the video!
I'm in the middle of writing an essay about Nope for a Religions in Film course, and I just want to thank you for making this!
Of course! I hope this video could provide some useful insight for your essay.
@Making Media Matter Absolutely! It's definitely going to save me some time and allow me to dig deeper on specific course-related stuff. I was getting worried about how much space I needed to take explaining how the different plotlines all deal with spectacle and exploitation/capture, and the liminality of human relations to the super/natural! I'm relieved to be able to cite you and instead focus on the colonial gaze of the camera (and Peele's subversion of that), and examining spectacle-seeking and -sharing through the lens of religion
What did you discuss in your course regarding religion in this film? Jean Jacket’s amorphous, shifting, beautiful form is so similar/familiar to those “what angels actually looked like according to the Bible” type videos on TH-cam. I’m so curious how this movie could be analyzed under that religious lens.
This is such a beautifully crafted video essay, I am so glad I came across this channel
Thank you so much!
i honestly appreciate how kind and thoughtful the comment section is. This analysis was very interesting . You definitely brought up topics I didnt think of. glad i came across your channel .
In your segment about exploitation, you describe the negative consequences of being a spectacle/ participating in the spectacl-ization of others and the quote that I totally forgot was apart of the film. Immediately as you describe the importance of the quote and what being a spectacle can take from us and how humanity plays a part, I thought of probably the most popular example of a spectacle in horror: Stephen King’s Carrie. The way she’s just continually humiliated was something that really stuck with me and your words reminded me of the scene where I believe her classmates cover her in pig blood to basically dehumanize her as prom queen. I just wanted to say I enjoyed your explanation and it’s refreshing to hear another female perspective in cinema ❤
Omg that’s so kind of you to say, thank you for the praise and I’m really happy you could get something out of my video!
It really is an absolute masterpiece. I was not a fan of "get out", "us" was incredible, but this movie is just beyond impeccable. I also think that this movie is such a perfect metaphor that it exceeds the initial ideas of spectacle etc.
can i just ask, what didn’t you like about get out??
@@katherinecrutchfield1064 its just my opinion, but I thought it was kinda too simple and formulaic. I liked it, but for me it didn't live up to the hype. Maybe if before I saw it it hadn't been proclaimed the best horror movie of all time, I would have liked it more. Besides, it's too concentrated on the racial agenda. I understand it, but I'm not from the US so I couldnt relate to it that much.
Right dude? Get out was a slightly more well made skeleton key with 0 nuance. Us was more interesting but needed a 2nd draft. Nope is just a masterpiece
@@Aventsdor completely agree. Especially about the 2nd draft for Us:)
@@regretto i think the movie appealed more to a black american audience but i guess that’s fair
Amazing video! I just saw this movie last evening with a few friends and one quote someone immediately pointed out was from Antlers: “We don't deserve the impossible."
Then right after he decides to sacrifice himself to get it regardless, like how many people in real life died to document important things, but also like those who needlessly died for spectacle.
I'm a bit late (and high 🍃.) But I have a theory on the color combination used towards the end of the film with Emerald and Otis.
I personally believed that the reason why Em and OG are wearing GREEN and ORANGE? Is to signify an entire abstract picture of A green screen(Em) , Tracking markers (OJ), and of course Jean Jacket signifying a camera towards the end of the film.
Em has always wants to be seen and appreciated. And whilst she doesn't feel like most folks are ACTUALLY appreciating let alone SEE her? We the audience have our eyes on her the ENTIRE time she's on screen. She literally draw attention to herself so much -- and -- In a way much like a greenscreen; gives us something to look at.
OJ I feel acts as the tracking markers to her greenscreen; as although he isn't as forefront as his sister whom draws attention to herself quite a lot and very well? He's the man BEHIND the scenes, often the first to ride off or make plans for what was to come next in their grand operation.
Together, both Em and OJ stand before Jean-Jacket; the grand camera 'recording' it all. And together, they do make an 'spectacle' towards the end of the movie.
Love this interpretation, definitely adds another layer to the film that I can appreciate it through!!!
The way I was trying to figure out what was going on outside the diner in that scene and thought it’d develop, the way you explained it what so clever and makes so much sense.
phenomenal breakdown. was actually watching the movie for the first time today and pointed out the similarities to trauma and spectacle to my mom. it first hit me with the gordy scene what the true meaning of the film was and this breakdown is very well said. awesome and you’ve just earned a new subscriber!
Loved this movie and your review. I feel a lot of people mostly focus on the animals but I liked how you talked about race, disability, etc… :)
this is my favorite Nope analysis I came across. Very articulate, such a great job of explaining complicated and intertwined themes in a clearly layered and eloquent manner. And your calm voice goes perfectly with the content. Thanks and congrats!
Thank you so much for the praise! I really appreciate it and I’m so happy you enjoyed the video.
I love this movie, a wonderful movie and the best of Jordan Peele.
I couldn’t agree more!
INCREDIBLE VIDEO! I really appreciated your delivery of your essay, very comforting and calming to watch!
This was so good, there is stuff you brought up in this video I have seen no other person talking on this film even consider. People tend to get caught in their own interpretations of a film, but I like that you were willing to not only explore in depth what you thought the movie was trying to do, but also your interpretation of the art and other interpretations outside those, and how all three perspectives on it could go hand in hand. I subscribed based off of just this one video, and I think this channel deserves so much attention already. I can't wait to get the chance to look back at everything else you've made and see what you have yet to make. Glad to have found this video.
Thank you, your words mean a lot and I’m happy my video could bring something valuable to the conversation about this movie!
“The spectacle is the nightmare of imprisoned modern society which ultimately expresses nothing more than its desire to sleep. The spectacle is the guardian of sleep.”
― Guy Debord, The Society of the Spectacle
I did see NOPE and I never have felt more terrified of a film in the theater and I was gripping my seat. I really appreciate your analysis on this. You totally need to do more horror movie analysis videos. Your channel deserves more recognition.
Great great analysis I'm super obssessed with this movie and I hadn't seen anyone really delve into the religious stuff and you kinda blew my mind, there really is something in there about people using religion to justify the horrors of our existence and fit them into a grander narrative, neat stuff!
You brought up so so so many things about this spectacular film that I hadn’t even thought of!! I’m amazed with your in-depth analysis and how concise you were with what you shared. Loved loved loved
A small addendum; OJ is neurodivergent as Emerald calls him dyslexic in the film. I love the line that we made life into a spectacule. Upon first viewing, my interpretation was more in cosmic horror sense showing a universe's apathy towards the values and whims of a species with maxed out main character symdrome that regularly assumes that they are at the top of the food chain. Hands down the best nope video essay out there thus far. Bravo ❤
such an elaborate and sophisticated analysis of this incredible movie!! your commentary is so eloquent and easy to understand even though you're talking about all the complex nuances of this movie!!!!!!! the best analysis of this movie I've heard, was super surprised to see that this video has under 25k views right now
The most shocking part of this video is the outro were you reveal that your channel isn't monotized yet. Fantastic video and hope your channel will grow to match your talent.
I respect Jordan sm as a director, he makes beautiful works not a lot of people can, we're so used to certain directors styles that when we branch out with new creations people are weirded out and don't like it, but I'm glad there are people who can see the work as art and masterpieces and not just "every other movie coming out so the director can make a quick buck" type thing
Absolute masterclass in video essays. I’ve been waiting for this since Nope came out and i’m so happy the algorithm brought you into my feed
That’s so kind of you to say! I hope to provide this same type of analysis to other films and media going forward.
"For spectacle is entirely hollow without a deeper human connection there to make it worth something."
Amen to that! Puts to precise words why I felt so little when I watched a mediocre action movie earlier. It was all flashy fight and nothing else.
OJ's showdown with Jeanjacket is very western.
That's one of the most profound analysis i've ever seen. You just got yourself a new subscriber!
I’ve been watching a lot of these breakdowns of nope and you within 7 mins have already made a much better examination imo
Absolutely awesome essay. So much stuff I picked up on and then literally whiffed the Emerald in green, OJ in orange bit! Glad I found this channel just now via my love of Nope. Looking forward to more insightful pieces.
Glad the algorithm picked this video up and rewarded you for all this work!
An interesting real world, meta aspect is how this film, which is undoubtedly a masterpiece in many respects and arguably Peele's best work thus far was utterly shut-out and snubbed at the Oscars. Regardless of whether or not a person puts stock into the Academy Awards or not, a film that so sharply criticizes the consumptive nature of Hollywood was essentially banished feels like a message in itself.
I couldn’t agree more, the lack of Oscar nominations for this film is really surprising and definitely says something about the industry.
It reminds me of the Grammys a few years ago where The Weeknd was snubbed due to a petty dispute despite having one of the most successful albums of the year. Just goes to show how fairly awards shows really operate.
I can’t believe how few subscribers you have!! This is one of the best video essays I’ve seen surrounding Nope and Jordan Peele’s filmography as a whole! Please keep going and I look forward to more content from you!!
this video certified rocked my socks to say the least i hope you get monetization soon!!! and the comment section too, really lovely to revisit this film w you guys
The algorithm is weird but I’m so glad it brought me and 65k other people here! By far the most thorough, compelling, and enjoyably explained analysis of Nope I’ve seen
I can’t believe this doesn’t have any more likes or views…I’ve seen other analysis’ but this is the best one I’ve seen thus far.
I hadn't realized the connection between colors in their outfits and names at the climax at the film until you pointed it out! (It was literally there!!) Wonderful essay!!
Great video, I think you captured a lot of the film.
As a 80's science fiction comic book geek, I really very deeply appreciated the director's social commentary on spectacle. Which I think is abundantly obvious in the modern pop culture entertainment industry...
I also appreciated how the director handled racial ethnicity without it becoming spectacle itself. The obvious one is "OJ" ( OJ Simpson - who wears an orange Scorpion King hoodie). For another example, as a former mainstream music/film/etc stagehand "that happens to be Caucasian" I really indentified with the character of Angel, and being exploited to chase the fame, fortune, and spectacle of others (Mexico).
(p.s. minor complaint, don't speak into the microphone, as it will reduce the microphone "popping".)
Glad you enjoyed the video!
On the subject of the microphone, I fixed the issues for my next video so there won't be any more "popping" sounds.
This video is excellent. you have a new subscriber. Please do more film videos. Also Aliens is a deconstruction of the Vietnam war, so I see what you mean. And as far as the angel bit, I said in the beginning that the alien was an angel via the rapture, so thank you for brining that up.
Omg thank you! My next video will be a film project so I’m very happy to hear you’ve subscribed
Jean jacket feels like the reason I closed my eyes when I prayed as a kid
I’m just tuning in - I LOVE this movie!
I was captivated by it the first time, and have rewatched a couple of times since. Yes, Spectacle, and our addiction to it, is the central theme, though I’m not sure that the main point is about the ‘harm’ that comes to animals when humans ‘use’ them for this purpose. I really feel the main commentary is how the animals are personified/anthropomorphized and then not recognized as the Animals (read: potential natural predators) they are, and conversely, humans lose their Humanity (ie Survival Insticts and respect for life, including their own) when singularly focused on spectacle. Looking forward to seeing where you take this.
I predict that we'll be talking about Nope in the future like we talk about A Clockwork Orange and 2001 today. It's incredible.
I think this is my favorite video essay on Nope, so eloquent and well thought out. Bravo I’m subscribed now
Omg, thank you so much! That’s incredibly meaningful to hear as a content creator and I hope my next video is even bigger and better!
Great breakdown! I went straight to reddit discussions after watching this movie and I'm glad to get that level of in-depth breakdown via this video that serendipitously showed up on my algorithm dump. Also 6:46 that 'applause' sign turning on after Gordy decimated the set is something I didn't notice while I was watching the movie first time PROBABLY coz I Was focused on the spectacle in the foreground. 24:08 - 24:11 was masterful. Great breakdown, again.
If you haven't seen The Endless please do. A breakdown of that would be WONDERFUL
Superb analysis, thanks for this. I am near obsessed by this film, teaching it this semester and this picks up some great detail. Loved it.
OH MY GOD WHEN I SAW JEAN JACKET I THOUGHT "oh hey that reminds me of Evangelion" AND THEN ONLY TO BE CORRECT WAS SO COOL
Though I have to say Neon Genesis Evangelion primarily used biblical imagery because they liked it. They're symbolic in other ways so hate to break that news. But anyways super neat. Though this is not to say Jean Jacket isn't biblical, I'm just saying that Neon Genesis is often misinterpreted as biblical rather than a personal introspective and as for self spectalization that would work really well in turn with Asuka so I can definetly see a TON of Evangelion influence here beyond Jean Jacket. so so so cool
What an amazing and insightful video. I was surprised to see you only have 1200 subscribers. I have no doubt that will change very soon. I look forward to taking some time soon to watch your other videos. Thank you for sharing this with us.
Thank you for giving this kinda attention to the film. Love this movie and this was an amazing breakdown!
Of course! Happy I could bring something to the conversation about this amazing film.
while you touched on a lot of ideas I've heard from other people due to looking for so many opinions about Nope, I still apreciated the video! Especially for enlightening me on the role of Angel. I found him to be the character I least understood for his inclusion in the film. plus your elaboration on the potential religious themes of the film was also new to me.
Really happy you enjoyed the video and I could add something new to the conversation around the movie!
Very relaxing and informational video.
This is an amazing analysis. You’re killing it!🤩
I don't normally comment on videos, but I came here to say how lovely your speaking voice is. I'll be watching more of your content. Your analysis of NOPE brought out things I have not heard in any other commentaries. I'm in love with all of Peele's movies to date.
This is really fucking fantastic. I have a feeling your channel is going to blow up soon. You have a new fan in me.
So happy to hear that! I can only hope to see more success in the future, thank you for the kind words.
@@makingmediamatter of course. Do you mind if i share this around?
@@Meromorphic Of course not! One of my main goals with my channel is to get my content shared, I would actually appreciate that so much!
He did such a great job with the film. Rewatched it last night, makes me appreciate the film more. It’s such a great spectacle.
Get out
Nope
US
He nails all three.
Great points. I couldn't pay attention to any though because of your giant microphone.
Excellent video. You really did an amazing job breaking down this incredible movie. I can't believe how well Jordan Peele tells stories and all the levels that you can watch his movies on.
2 things:
1. I love how in depth this video in and how much you have highlighted all the obvious themes as well as themes that are very deep. Great work
2. I would not recommend anyone playing a drinking game to this video… most notable to the word “spectacle”.
Thank you so much, and I have to absolutely agree.
I tried so hard to use some different words but the film really is about spectacle and at a point I just had to give up and use that word a bunch.
@@makingmediamatter it’s an excellent video, I’m not being negative at all btw. I totally agree, if you have to use a certain word then use the word, especially to drive the point home. Great video 😊
Great video!! I had a couple friends that struggled to understand why I like Nope so much, and you were able to succinctly and very eloquently describe what makes this movie so good! I’ll send this to them immediately
not only is this an incredible analysis, it shows how someone interested in writing movies can get people in seats whilst leaving them without the hollow feeling at the end.
Can’t wait to see what’s next from Peele. Great analysis
Movies and shows that commentate on spectacle are fascinating to me because a lot of the time, they can be heavily applied to our relationship of art/media and how people view and treat their peers, loved ones, and our communities. Definitely recommend people look up movies like The Truman Show, White: Melody of Death, and Perfect Blue* as well as shows like Paranoia Agent*, Oshi No Ko, and Bojack Horseman. They're all different movies/shows, but all have a running theme of commentating on entertainment industries and in a way, also commentating on spectacle too.
I also agree that, in an age when the entertainment industries and social media exist right on our finger-tips, movies and shows that commentate on spectacle and exploitation should now be more important than ever to talk about! 0_0
I very much appreciated your perspective and it helped to deepen my love of this film.
I love how they make several references to the Travis chimp incident with Gordie because that was a real life example of animal exploitation and then the spectacle when the animal inevitably did what a abused wild animal(Don't let anyone tell you that Travis was just a beloved~ pet that went crazy for no reason they were feeding him wine and pills they might not have been outright malicious but they should not have been handling an animal like this) does breaking and attacking. It became a spectacle where people cared more about looking at a woman's disfigured face on Oprah then the implications of keeping wild animals for entertainment ( yes Travis was bought originally from an animal entertainment company that had a history of champs attacking people( Travis's own mother was killed when attacking a man and his dog) Travis himself starred in several commercials before he got too big to handle)
Great work here! Didn't know I needed a nope analysis til I saw it!
Thank you! Happy you gained something valuable from my breakdown here!
The best video on this I've seen. I love this film so much, yet still learn new things about it
I legit was blown away by this movie. I think it’s my favorite horror movie.
I am genuinely wondering: what did you enjoy about this movie? Can you explain what about it blew you away? I found this movie so painfully boring I almost left before it was over. I hate this movie more than any other I’ve ever seen.
@@philmccracken2534 I can’t speak for OP, but I also think Nope is one of my favorite horror movies. I found it to be tense, it’s a subtle horror that doesn’t play it’s hand too soon. I know a lot of folks don’t like that, most horror movies aren’t slow burns because people sometimes find them boring. Nope is a film you need to be fully engaged with, which is rare in modern movies.
I loved watching it with my BF, analyzing as we went and bouncing theories off of each other about where the story might be going. I found that Nope tackles it’s themes really well, and has some powerful points to make. The acting was also really good, the characters were realistic and fun to watch. I think OJ is my favorite, mostly because I’m autistic and related to a lot of his behaviors and character quirks.
Also Jean Jacket’s behavior is really interesting, it’s clear Jordan Peele put a lot of thought into how it behaves and why. It really feels like a wild animal, with behaviors that can be understood.
@@gremlinfriend6956 My bf and I were the opposite watching it. We both kept looking over at each other like “when is the movie going to start to get good?!” It’s subtle yes, but it never makes its point. And it’s point is kind of stupid imo. Like obviously I’m going to a movie to be entertained by the “spectacle.” Spectacle doesn’t always have to be a bad thing. I love being engaged in a film and I don’t mind a slow burn, but this movie never even lit the match for me. I love most of the actors aside from this but their performances were not enough to get me to enjoy this movie.
@@philmccracken2534 everyone’s got their own opinions about the movies they watch. I feel like not everyone is going to really relate to Nope, I enjoy the message because I’ve experienced the unpleasant aspects of being made into a spectacle for people to gawk at. It definitely makes a point, that point just won’t hit home for everyone. And that’s alright, not everyone has to enjoy or relate to every movie.
yo real quick, with the horse freaking out once it sees its reflection, that thing he's holding is for the camera, to get lighting information for CGI and crap.
so less of the horse being "poked and prodded" and more of they weren't listening and they accidentally freaked out the horse.
just thought I might clarify that one part
Agreed. I've only respected his previous work, whilst completely getting why many loved them, but NOPE I absolutely loved through and through.
I love this breakdown and your format. Looking forward to more vids
Even aside from all the literary devices and deeper looks into the film...I really loved the original take on aliens. I know it's very simple minded to say, but I just enjoyed how so much thought went into every detail, including the alien itself.
Excellent video essay!!!