Nope! I can’t believe it didn’t get Nominated

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Marley Roache

The Academy presented its Oscar nomination on January 24th and many were surprised to see one of the summer’s biggest blockbusters nowhere on the list. Nope by Jordan Peele follows the story of Emerald and Oj, two siblings who discover something otherworldly floating above their horse ranch. The film dazzled and confused many with its incredible story, symbolism, and special effects. Nope currently sits at an 84% critical score on Rotten Tomatoes which is not at all unusual for an Oscar winner, so why didn’t Nope get nominated?

Many think it has to do with the lack of Oscar nominations in the horror genre itself. Drama is the most likely genre to win an Oscar when you look at previous nominees. Horror films tend to take a backseat to movies like All Quiet on the Western Front and Top Gun Maverick because their meanings are not immediately clear. Nope is a film ripe with symbolism about the dangers of spectacle as well as how the entertainment industry destroys black art and talent. The Oscars has a long-standing history of not pushing for diversity in their awards with Parasite (2019) becoming their first ever non-English film to win best picture.  

Many Jordan Peele fans are also upset with the lack of nominations for the film’s incredible sound design. As YouTuber Tom Flight mentioned in his video essay “How Nope Tricks Your Ears” Nope’s sound design tricks the viewer into a sense of ease. Soft winds blowing, the sound of a horse running, and a flag flapping in the wind, are all sounds everyone has heard before, but Nope edits and adjusts these sounds. Cutting them in and out, mixing them with the screams of the main characters, and even mixing screams of horror with screams of delight. These are all what make Nope’s sound so haunting and memorable.

Although its sound design is incredible, Nope’s special effects cannot be overlooked. The film uses a mix of practical and special effects ensuring nothing looks too fake or CGI (computer-generated imagery). When the film does use healthy amounts of CGI for its larger-scale scenes it appears that the utmost care was put into making sure the world and the creatures Emerald and Oj’s faces looked as real as possible.

Overall Nope was a box office success making 128 million dollars with a 68 million budget. The film currently has 14 award nominations from organizations unrelated to the Oscars, some of which include outstanding writing, best special effects, best actor, and favorite movie.  Although the film currently has not gotten the recognition it deserves from the Academy itself hopefully with these nominations it can grow into the cult classic horror film it deserves to be.