The trailers for Nope will have people guessing until they get to the theater. Keen minds might be able to figure out that it has something to do with aliens. Is that what the movie is about, though? Is this a more horror movie version of something like Independence Day?
Nope is indeed terrifying and unsettling at times, but it is not an alien invasion movie in the traditional sense. Let’s leave the overall plot details alone for now and instead try to go through some of the bigger questions left unanswered by the end. To get to the center of these mysteries, there will be spoilers.
6 Where Was That SNL Skit?
One of the biggest letdowns in Nope was not getting to see the Saturday Day Night Live skit Ricky was talking about. The sitcom he was in, Gordy’s Home, was around the 90s meaning that the SNL cast included such highlights as Darrell Hammond and Ana Gasteyer. Ricky seems infatuated with the star of this skit though, Chris Kattan, who played Gordy as he went out of control.
This might be a joke on the fact Kattan played an ape-like character during his time at SNL called Mr. Peepers. It would be interesting to know more about this sketch, perhaps in the blu-ray release of this film. It’s not a huge baffling question fans will lose sleep over so much as it is a curiosity.
5 How Many Died On The Set Of Gordy’s Home?
There is one fact about the Gordy’s Home incident fans might be more interested in. All they know is that Gordy went wild one night during the show when a balloon went off. This pop caused him to go berserk and start maiming people. Based on the bodies, and what the camera shows, three were at least attacked during this incident.
The mom is on the floor in a bloody mess. The father character gets attacked as well. Ricky’s in-universe sister also gets attacked, but she survives. Her face is ripped off as seen in the rodeo stands which is a gruesome, and yet subtle horror detail. Did the mother or father die? Did anyone else get injured too?
4 How Many Horses Did Ricky Kill?
It is known at the start of Nope that Otis is selling horses to Ricky at his rodeo. What is not known is what Ricky does with them. Halfway through the movie, it is revealed that Ricky knows about the aliens and has been putting on a show for quite some time. Those poor horses are getting worse treatment than being turned into glue.
He uses the horses to bait out the alien entity sort of like how one would use a chicken in a swamp to lure out alligators. How many horses did Ricky buy from the Haywood Ranch and how many of those horses were fed to the alien? How long he was doing this to the horses is also a mystery.
3 Where Did The Alien Come From?
There are two big mysteries regarding the alien at the end of the movie. Did eating that giant balloon kill it? There is an explosion that looked like it damaged the giant squid-like beast, but it doesn’t crash with a thunderous boom. So, it could be still alive as a body is never shown.
Whether it is alive or dead is not the most important mystery, though. Where did this thing come from and are there more of them? Nope ends leaving things open for a sequel. So far Jordan Peele hasn’t made any horror sequels to his films, but this could be the one movie that calls for it.
2 Who Was That TMZ Guy?
There are not a lot of characters in the film and the ones that are shown have a proper introduction. The only exception to this rule is the random TMZ guy that shows up at the end of the movie. He seems to know about the alien, but it is never revealed why.
His helmet is even shaded so that he could look away if he wanted to while getting this alien on film. His getup and appearance could be a coincidence or just a deus ex machina-like way to give the main characters useful knowledge and items to survive the final conflict. Who he is and how he knew what he knew is a giant mystery.
1 Why Was OJ So Quiet?
There is a lot left on the table as far as backstories go for OJ and Em. Why was OJ so quiet throughout the film? Was he reflecting on how his dad died and that’s why he was nervous at the film studio and around people in general? Not everyone can cope with death in a timely manner. What about Em’s troubles?
It seems like she didn’t have a lot going on with the ranch and was more interested in acting herself rather than parading some horses around. Nope did not need to give the audience more details about this brother and sister duo, but it also would have been nice to get a few more details. There might be something in their childhood besides Em not getting her first proper horse to train that would explain their dynamic.