First off I enjoyed the film NOPE which was a bit surprising because I normally am not the biggest fan of horror films. However, I thought that the film did an excellent job of using multiple levels by blending horror, science fiction, and thriller genres to add commentary on contemporary issues, including exploitation, fame, and the mass media. I found the film to do a good job of highlighting how the past and present come together to reveal concerning truths about race through OJ and his family, media manipulation, and the power dynamics that control both.

At the core of the film there is this tension between exploitation and empowerment. OJ and his sister’s pursuit of footage of this unknown phenomenon is a direct commentary on Hollywood’s long history of exploiting marginalized people for spectacle with African Americans being a big part of the mistreated side of Hollywood. Throughout the film they try to obtain footage of the alien but they are almost stripped from this footage multiple times by people that want the glory and fame for themselves and these characters tend to be white males. In the film a famous director agrees to help them but tries to take the footage for himself. Adding on to this we also see an unknown man on a motorcycle who attempts to swoop in and get his open footage before OJ and his sister do. The man on the motorcycle can also teach us how much people sacrifice in today’s society for a little bit of fame. This is because he goes straight into the area where the alien is with essentially no regard for safety. His only goal was to get footage so that he can become famous and ignore any consequences. This carelessness ultimately gets him killed and his last dying words to OJ where to go get his fame and he appeared almost surprised that OJ wasn’t rushing to obtain this footage with zero regards to safety like he was. Which plays into the film’s theme of the mass media and fame which teaches us that in today’s society people will do almost anything for popularity.  

I also was able to notice the complex relationship with genres. Peel, the film’s director, blends elements of horror and sci-fi and adds a unique twist on the Western genre especially through OJ who plays the archetype of a lone, strong, resilient figure which is often seen in Westerns. However, this traditional archetype of a western is normally played by a white man and this film challenges the systemic racist pattern of Hollywood western films which gives us a new dimension in the context of race and historical marginalization. Furthermore, OJ’s family ranch which was once a thriving business is now struggling against forces of both natural and economic crises. This motif of the decaying frontier combined with the urgent need to capture footage of the Alien reflects the collapse of the traditional American dream and that this results in people doing anything they can to obtain fame in the media because the American Dream isn’t a reality anymore. 

The film also grapples with the ethics of filmmaking, particularly the fine line between art and exploitation. The character’s will to document the ufo is almost reminiscent of the way filmmakers historically used marginalized communities as subjects without considering their dignity or consent. The relationship between old and new media is also an important theme in Nope. The film’s opening scene is a Hollywood set and introduces us to the legacy of the film industry’s exploitation of Black people for entertainment. The image of a Black jockey on a horse is  seemingly erased from history and it serves as a powerful reminder of the forgotten contributions of Black individuals to the industry. This scene also highlights questions about the role of historical media and its interaction with contemporary forms of entertainment. I also found the Haywood family’s struggle to reclaim their narrative by capturing footage of the UFO shows us the desire to rewrite history and control the media’s portrayal of their lives. Overall, I thought it was a great film even though I normally don’t watch that many horrors and sci fi films.