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Nope Early Buzz: Jordan Peele's Latest Is Bold, Ambitious, And Not What You Expect

Nope Universal Pictures
By Jeremy Mathai

Up until last night, the vast majority of movie fans have remained completely in the dark as to what Jordan Peele's upcoming "Nope" is actually about (we do know what it's not about, at least!) and whether it could possibly measure up to the high expectations that the acclaimed director has established for himself only two movies into his filmmaking career.

Upon release, "Get Out" was hailed as an instant classic and as confident a debut as we've ever seen before. 2019's "Us" took a darker tone and a more disturbing approach, leading to (relatively) more divisive reactions for his undeniably ambitious follow-up. Would "Nope" come out of the gate swinging and solidify this three-movie stretch as one of the most impressive runs of any filmmaker's oeuvre?

Now that early reactions are finally trickling in, the dam is beginning to burst and social media is rapidly filling up with hot takes on Peele's latest. Does "Nope" live up to the hype? Read on to find out!

Nope early buzz

Nope Universal Pictures

From our very first glimpse of "Nope," the film has come with an "event movie" air attached to itself, featuring some shrewd marketing that has held back even while seeming to give away the whole game. But if there's one thing we should know about Jordan Peele movies at this point, it's to expect the unexpected. Thanks to a welcome bit of familiarity (through leading man Daniel Kaluuya) along with a brand-new genre for the director to tackle (sci-fi), "Nope" has had a lot going for it ... but what do the critics think? The early consensus seems clear: Peele has done it again.

Shannon McGrew of Nightmarish Conjuring reports that "Nope" is "otherworldly yet indescribable," boasting the horror we've come to expect from Peele mixed with moments of heartfelt emotion.

Erik Davis of Fandango goes even further, crowning it as "one of the best films" of the year and "unlike any UFO movie you've ever seen."

Collider's Steven Weintraub steers clear of even any hints of spoilers, instead drawing attention to cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema's use of IMAX cameras and confirming that "Nope" needs to be seen on the biggest screen possible.

Many of the other glowing reactions heap praise on Peele's latest effort, with praise ranging from Keke Palmer and Daniel Kaluuya's performances to comparisons to classics such as "Jaws," "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," and "The Exorcist."

That's not to say that everyone is in full agreement, however. A couple of lackluster reactions paint the film as an "ambitious yet poorly executed swing taken" with a "contrived and confounding script."

The rest of us will get to find out where "Nope" ranks among Peele's previous movies when it arrives in theaters on July 22, 2022.

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