Jordan Peele's 'Nope' Gets 'Thrilling' First Reactions: 'I'll Never Look at the Sky the Same Way Again'

Mar. 15, 2025

Do critics loveNope? Yep.

Jordan Peele’s highly anticipated third movie hits theaters Friday, and after Monday night’s premiere and press screenings, critics and journalists are sharing their first reactions on social media.

No spoilers here, but the movie — which stars Keke Palmer, Daniel Kaluuya and Steven Yeun — is about members of a horse ranch experiencing strange encounters from above, forcing them to consider if there’s such a thing as “bad miracles.”

Oscar winner Peele, 43, has said he intendedNopeto be seen on the big screen, using IMAX cameras to “capture some incredible images,unlike anything on film before.” The director previously made horror hitsGet Out(2017) andUs(2019).

Rob Latour/Shutterstock

Erik Davis from Rotten Tomatoes and Fandangocalled the movie"frightening & ferocious" as well as “very funny & unlike any UFO movie you’ve ever seen.” He added, “It is a wholly unique & VERY entertaining horror epic full of wild surprises & an unforgettable Keke Palmer performance.”

Keke Palmer inNope(2022).Universal Pictures

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Critic Shannon McGrewtweetedthatNope"is otherworldly yet indescribable" and has “instances of sheer terror” plus “heartfelt moments” between the characters. The film is “an experience that won’t be easy to shake off as you find yourself picking your jaw up from the floor,” she added.

Philadelphia magazine editor-at-large Ernest Owens assured that the movie “isn’t what you expect.” Headded, “Jordan Peele does the unimaginable — again. RUN, DON’T WALK TO SEE IT THIS WEEKEND. E-X-C-E-L-L-E-N-T-!”

Several people also compared Peele’s latest to something from the résumé of director Steven Spielberg. Critic Scott Menzel was mixed on the movie overall butnotedthe “ambitious film” has “Spielbergian elements,” and critic Jimmy OsaidPeele “crafted a loving homage to fans of a certain Spielberg masterpiece - I’ll let you figure that out.”

Nopeis in theaters Friday.

source: people.com