After only three films, folks have begun to discuss whether Jordan Peele is the greatest horror director of all time. This may be a bit premature, and Peele has rejected this notion. Nevertheless, the success of Peele’s first three features films – 2017’s Get Out, an exploration of how purportedly progressive individuals can still harbor the seeds of systemic racism, and 2019’s Us, a film that uses savage doppelgängers from hidden underground lairs as a metaphor for this nation’s underrepresented minority groups, and most recently, 2022’s Nope, an alien adventure that explores contemporary society’s obsession with spectacle – is undeniable.

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The recently released Nope continues Jordan Peele’s impressive legacy. The film has been a box office smash hit, as well as being broadly critically acclaimed. On its surface, Nope is an extraterrestrial horror movie. However, though the film’s antagonist differs from the villains that Jordan Peele utilized in previous pictures, Nope is still a Peele project. As such, it carries a morally resonant message, and several of its deeply disturbing story arcs clearly represent broader themes. Nope may not be the best-reviewed of Jordan Peele’s films, but given that it has to compete with the likes of Get Out and Us, that is not surprising. Nope is slightly different from Peele’s previous movies, but those differences may make it even more compelling.

Here’s why Nope might be Jordan Peele’s best film yet and further proves his skill.

Nope’s Perfect Cast and Characters

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Aside from being a demonstrably fantastic director, Jordan Peele has proven himself quite adept at casting films. There were many fantastic actors in Nope, and each character brought a wildly distinct set of traits to the film, making for many hilarious moments and several dramatic conflicts.

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The film stars Daniel Kaluuya (Black Panther, Judas and the Black Messiah) as the strong but silent OJ Haywood, Keke Palmer (Hustlers, Big Mouth) as his hyperactive sister Emerald Haywood, Brandon Perea (The OA, Doom Patrol) as a tech salesman who assists the siblings in their attempts to film the extraterrestrial, and Steven Yeun (The Walking Dead, Mayhem) as Jupe Park, a former child actor. Jupe now owns a theme park near the Haywood Ranch called Jupiter’s Claim.

An Extraterrestrial UFO With a Ravenous Appetite

Very little was known about Jordan Peele’s most recent film prior to its release. Early trailers were incredibly vague, and it wasn’t until one of the final teasers that the film’s primary antagonist, a mysterious UFO of stereotypical ovular extraterrestrial form, was finally revealed.

Like any good monster, the true nature of Nope’s UFO villain is slowly revealed throughout the film. The extraterrestrial is found to be carnivorous, and it only consumes living creatures who stare into the opening at its base. It’s the theoretical eye. It has the ability to whip up windstorms at a moment’s notice to suck up terrified bystanders.

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Additionally, at the end of the film, it is revealed that the classic UFO ovular shape is merely a convenient holding form for the beast, which proves to have the ability to take on any shape when it explodes into a mess of tendrils and teeth.

The Subtle Symbolism of Nope

Of course, it wouldn’t be a Jordan Peele film without strong moral underpinnings and hidden symbolism. The film essentially discusses the nature of spectacle and the problems associated with modern society’s fetishization of attention and fame. However, some of the most important thematic elements of the film can be gleaned from a handful of smaller symbols. OJ and Emerald’s father, Keith David’s OJ Haywood Sr., is killed by a falling nickel spat out by the extraterrestrial. Peele likely chose the nickel because it features the face of Thomas Jefferson, a founding father who, despite his insistence that all men are created equal, owned several slaves and even fathered children with one.

Additionally, horses serve as an interesting metaphor in the film, as the Haywoods claim to be the descendants of a Black jockey who appeared in the first piece of recorded media, fitting into the film’s overall discussion of spectacle. Finally, one of the most prevalent symbols in Nope is Gordy the chimpanzee, the star of an ill-fated sitcom called Gordy’s Home. Triggered by a popping balloon, Gordy goes ballistic and brutally maims several of his human co-stars. This was likely Jordan Peele’s way of suggesting that the modern fixation on spectacle is animalistic in nature.

It will likely be some time before horror film fans get another taste of Jordan Peele’s genius. The director, famously coy about his ideas, is not one to rush into new projects. However, Nope proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that Peele is quickly becoming one of the greatest horror directors of all time, regardless of whether it should be considered the director’s best film. Audiences across the nation are saying “Yup” to Nope, as this horrifying extraterrestrial mystery is among the best films that 2022 has yet to offer.