'Nope' First Reactions: Jordan Peele's "Most Ambitious Film"
Photo Credit: Universal Pictures
'Nope' First Reactions: Jordan Peele's "Most Ambitious Film"
Nope, Jordan Peele's third feature film, is already receiving favorable praise.
With Nope, Jordan Peele's third feature film, having its official release later this week, a number of critics who got the opportunity to see an advanced screening of the movie have now shared their first reactions on it — and most of them are favorable.
Everyone from Philly magazine Editor-at-Large Ernest Owens to Fandango Managing Editor Erik Davis have extended praise to Nope, with the former saying the movie is excellent and "isn't what you expect and the trailer doesn't give it justice," while the latter said it's "one of the best films I’ve watched this year."
\u201c#NOPEMovie isn't what you expect and the trailer doesn't give it justice. \n\nJordan Peele does the unimaginable -- again. \n\nRUN, DON'T WALK TO SEE IT THIS WEEKEND. \n\nE-X-C-E-L-L-E-N-T-!\n\nGIVE KEKE PALMER ALL THE AWARDS CONSIDERATION THIS YEAR.\u201d— Ernest Owens (@Ernest Owens) 1658202317
\u201cJordan Peele\u2019s #Nope is one of the best films I\u2019ve watched this year! It\u2019s frightening & ferocious, but also very funny & unlike any UFO movie you\u2019ve ever seen. It is a wholly unique & VERY entertaining horror epic full of wild surprises & an unforgettable Keke Palmer performance\u201d— Erik Davis (@Erik Davis) 1658197595
Keke Palmer has also received her own nods in many of these first reactions. Aside from Owens and Davis, entertainment figures like A Black Lady Sketch Show writer Robin Thede have also praised Palmer's performance.
\u201cI\u2019ve said it before and I\u2019ll say it again: @KekePalmer deserves ALL the things. Her performance in #Nope is out of this world.\u201d— Robin Thede (@Robin Thede) 1658235708
A handful of the reviews have also hinted at Nope being in the vein of Steven Spielberg's filmography, specifically Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
\u201cReally liked NOPE. Like a cross between JAWS and CLOSE ENCOUNTERS. Jordan has created a vert unique sci-fi horror epic. Love the Western vibes in the final 20 minutes. See it in @imax. Awesome use of the format.\n#NopeNight #NopeMovie #Nope\u201d— Brandon Norwood (@Brandon Norwood) 1658186229
\u201cJordan Peele\u2019s Nope is his most confident, unfettered, and potentially most divisive vision yet. Swapping the exclamation marks of horror for the question marks of sci-fi, this is less about scares. With hints of Close Encounters, Jaws, and more, #NopeMovie is a real puzzlebox.\u201d— Simon Thompson (@Simon Thompson) 1658197520
\u201cThe most important thing you need to know about NOPE is it\u2019s crazy different from Get Out & Us. This is Jordan Peele spreading his wings and making big budget Spielberg/esque sci-fi, but with the subtext you\u2019d expect. Enter with an open mind and you\u2019ll be rewarded. \n#NopeMovie\u201d— Kevin Polowy (@Kevin Polowy) 1658198021
However, not all first reactions have been full praise. Although Hollywood Critics Association member Scott Menzel called Nope Peele's "most ambitious film" to date, he also said that it's his weakest, too.
"The first act is superb but by the second, it loses its footing and becomes a bad M. Night Shyamalan movie with Spielbergian elements. It lacks a sense of focus with a story that is never fully realized," Menzel tweeted.
\u201cNope is Jordan Peele\u2019s most ambitious film but also his weakest. The first act is superb but by the second, it loses its footing and becomes a bad M. Night Shyamalan movie with Spielbergian elements. It lacks a sense of focus with a story that is never fully realized. #NopeMovie\u201d— Scott Menzel (@Scott Menzel) 1658198416
This lack of focus in its story is also something Critics Choice Association member Sharronda Williams noted in her reaction to the film.
\u201cPeele\u2019s #NopeMovie is the weakest installment of his filmography. #Nope starts out as an intriguing & chilling adventure but quickly becomes a narratively dense mess. I appreciate the ambitious yet poorly executed swing taken but this ultimately left me disappointed & frustrated.\u201d— Sharronda Williams (@Sharronda Williams) 1658200581
With Nope dropping on July 22, we'll all soon be able to offer our own thoughts on it. Until then, if you need a primer on everything that's been released about the film, we've got you covered.
