USA TODAY International Edition
We unravel the mysteries of ‘ Nope’
Spoiler alert! This post discusses important plot points from Jordan Peele’s “Nope.” Beware if you haven’t seen it yet.
Jordan Peele’s new summer hit “Nope” has fans running to theaters and then sprinting to Google for answers, explanations and theories.
“Nope,” much like Peele’s previous films “Get Out” and “Us,” is packed with thrills and monsters, but not the ones audiences could expect.
For those who are still scratching their heads about Gordy the chimpanzee, the movie’s hidden message or what exactly the UFO was, here’s our attempt at answering five burning questions we all have after watching “Nope.”
Why is it called ‘ Nope’?
The movie’s title is best encapsulated in the scene where Daniel Kaluuya’s character, O. J. Haywood, believes he’s encountered aliens. As the creatures walk toward him, his reaction is a stern and solid “Nope.”
The title is meant to represent our reaction as an audience to things that frighten us.
“I love titles that reflect what the audience is thinking and feeling in the theater,” Peele said at CinemaCon. “Especially Black audiences: We love horror, but there’s a skepticism, like, ‘ You’re not gonna scare me, right?’ I’m personally going to thrive on the times I hear ‘ Nope!’ in our theater.”
Before the film’s release, some fans theorized the title could be an acronym for “Not Our Planet Earth” or “Not of Planet Earth,” given the movie’s sci- fi underpinning.
Who is Gordy the chimpanzee?
Viewers who expect to see a UFO movie may be surprised that the opening scene of “Nope” is the aftermath of an animal attack.
The carnage occurs on the set of fictitious sitcom “Gordy’s Home,” starring Gordy the chimpanzee.
Gordy could have been inspired by real animal actor attacks, such as Travis the chimpanzee’s mauling of Charla Nash in 2009. Travis, who appeared in Coca- Cola commercials and on TV programs such as “The Maury Povich Show,” tore Nash’s nose, lips, eyelids and hands before being shot and killed by authorities.
Similarly, in the movie, Gordy leaves Mary Jo Elliott ( played by Sophia Coto) with severe facial injuries, which she covers with a veil as an adult.
What’s the connection between Gordy and the UFO?
The thread tying Gordy to the UFO is Steven Yeun’s character, Ricky “Jupe” Park.
A younger version of Ricky ( Jacob Kim) is part of the cast of “Gordy’s Home” and hides under a table during the attack. Audiences see the aftermath through Ricky’s limited scope of vision, including his fixation on an upright shoe with a single drop of blood on it.
Ricky processes the traumatic event by selling access to “Gordy’s Home” memorabilia in a secret room of Jupiter’s Claim, his Western- themed amusement park. Ricky’s impression is that audiences pay to see twisted spectacles, and he creates an attraction that will capitalize on the UFO’s presence.
Ultimately, Ricky underestimates his ability to control the UFO for profit, much like the creators of “Gordy’s Home” failed to realize that Gordy was still an animal capable of killing.
What type of monster is in ‘ Nope’?
The main antagonist is the flying saucer- turned- people- eating monstrosity that hides in a cloud. Similar to other earthly beasts, you should not directly look at the UFO unless you want to provoke its rage.
The UFO’s origins aren’t directly spelled out, but it appears it has been in the area for about six months and is carnivorous.
John Dabiri, a Caltech aeronautics and mechanical engineering professor who helped Peele create the concept of the UFO, took inspiration from marine life species such as squid and jellyfish, according to Thrillist.
Filmmakers shot a scene for the origin story of the flying saucer, nicknamed Jean Jacket in the movie, though it did not make it to the final cut.
“I won’t spoil that, if it comes out later,” Dabiri told Thrillist. “That also could play into trying to understand where it came from, how it functions.”
What is the message of ‘ Nope’?
The film’s overarching themes touch on our addiction to overconsuming tragedy and our belief that we can tame predators, exploiting them for entertainment.
“I wanted to make a spectacle, something that would promote my favorite art form and my favorite way of watching that art form: the theatrical experience,” Peele told Empire. “As I started writing the script, I started to dig into the nature of spectacle, our addiction to spectacle, and the insidious nature of attention.”