The first reactions to Jordan Peele's Nope are in and the critics can't get enough of the sci-fi horror.
Following the film's premiere, many reviewers took to social media to share their initial thoughts on the film, with many calling it Peele's strongest movie yet. Fandom's Erik Davis wrote that Nope is one of the best films he's seen in 2022, describing it as "wholly" unique and entertaining while also being "frightening and ferocious." These sentiments were shared by Collider's Steven Weintraub, who simply gave the movie a "big thumbs up" to prevent spoiling any of the major plot points.
Many critics are comparing Nope to some of the horror genre's greats, with entertainment journalist Simon Thompson likening it to Close Encounters and Jaws. CNN's Frank Pallotta had similar thoughts on Peele as a director. "Jordan Peele has been compared to Hitchcock, but Nope shows he’s a next-gen Carpenter. Enjoy the show and don’t look up," Pallotta wrote. Stars Keke Palmer and Daniel Kaluuya were both spotlighted by many reviewers who found the actors to be delivering some of their best and most personal performances yet.
Nope tells the story of OJ (Kaluuya) and Emerald Haywood (Palmer), residents of a lonely ranch in inland California, who begin to experience strange phenomena around their home. While all signs point to some kind of extraterrestrial activity, the pair seek help from those who might actually believe their strange and terrifying story. The film also stars Brandom Perea, Michael Wincott and Steven Yeun.
Speaking about how he hopes audiences will react to Nope, Peele noted that he created the movie to hopefully spur on audible reactions from moviegoers. "Well, you know, I wrote it in a time when we were a little bit worried about the future of cinema," Peele said. "So the first thing I knew is I wanted to create a spectacle. I wanted to create something that the audience would have to come see."
While there's been plenty of speculation around the film's title, with some fans suspecting Nope to be an acronym for "Not Of Planet Earth," Peele clarified that the name was simply meant as a description. "I love a rapt audience, whatever it is. I love an audience that's cringing or cowering or laughing," Peele said. "I like the titles that are in tune with how the audiences are feeling and reflect on what they're thinking and feeling in the theater."
Nope arrives in theaters on July 22.
Source: Twitter