Jordan Peele’s latest had much more of a mixed reception among critics and now that I’ve seen it, it’s obvious how much of a mixed bag it is. It’s some kind of horror science-fiction film with a Western aesthetic and is full of references to Hollywood. In fact, there are so many references that I’m sure I missed most of them. Peele does make it all work, somehow, and I found myself thoroughly entertained. I can’t even imagine what kind of a twisted mind he has to put this particular combination of elements together. The result is fascinating to contemplate but not something I personally like very much.

OJ Haywood runs a ranch in Hollywood that specializes in training and handling horses in film productions. The business is failing as OJ isn’t much of a salesman after his father was suddenly killed by metallic objects falling out of the sky. OJ is slowly selling his horses to his neighbor Jupe who runs a Western theme park and his sister Emerald is more interested in advancing her own career as a performer. One night in the house, the siblings notice the electricity supply fluctuating and the horses panicking. A cloud seemingly swoops out of the night sky to abduct one of their horses. Convinced that this is proof of UFOs, OJ and Emerald are determined to get evidence of its existence and make money from it. The next day they head to an electronics shop to buy surveillance cameras and get a staff member who happens to be interested in weird phenomena to install them. Emerald also tries to get the interest of a famous cinematographer but fails. Meanwhile Jupe seems to have realized the existence of the UFO as well and incorporates it into a show at his park.

Since the film puts it right on its poster, it’s not a spoiler to say that it’s about a UFO. But it sure takes its time getting there as it first dives into the Haywood family and their business of training horses. Peele is a master of misdirection and I believe the intent here is to get out of the formula of a standard horror film. Combined with how it often flashes back to Jupe’s traumatic experience as a child actor when a chimpanzee mauled all of the other cast members, it can be difficult to tell where the film is going at times. Even when the situation gets tense and the siblings fear for their lives, they never think about calling the police or getting help from the authorities. The only thing they care about is using the UFO to become rich and famous, or as Emerald puts it, getting to be a guest on Oprah. I found it to be quite a stretch that Jupe independently discovers the existence of the UFO as well and immediately tries to use it in his show. The reaction of Angel, the worker from the electronics store, of wanting to get away and never talk about what they saw again, is understandable to me but everyone else is obsessed about exploiting the UFO.

In the end, it comes down to the social critique Peele is making here and with him, you know that there always is one. As he puts it himself, this is all about the human obsession with spectacle, of reacting to anything extraordinary and eye-opening by exploiting it for fame and fortune. The message isn’t exactly subtle as they put in an intrusive paparazzo from TMZ who is effectively faceless due to his helmet. It’s not really a theme that resonates with me but I suppose Peele has strong feelings on the matter and this is indeed a creative way of expressing himself. Similarly the bits about Hollywood culture and the Western aesthetic are all well and good but I’m getting tired of the navel-gazing of filmmakers. I found it easy to guess the nature of the UFO and how OJ manages to wrangle it, sort of, as he would his horses downright ridiculous. There are some genuine scares in here, as Peele plays with the expectations of the audience, but ultimately this isn’t really a horror film.

Now that Peele is so successful and highly acclaimed, I suppose he gets to make whatever film he wants and it is fascinating to follow along as he explores his interests. It’s commendable that each of his films so far has been so different one from the other and Nope feels unique to say the least. Still the particular obsessions that he explores here aren’t in my bailiwick. I’d rate this lower than his two previous films but this is still interesting enough that I’d want to know what his next project is.