What We Watched: NOPE

July didn’t go as we had planned for our regular movie nights. We were able to get to the theaters to see Thor: Love and Thunder as well as Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris. Unfortunately, we had to cancel our tickets to NOPE because the bug managed to sweep through our house. But the friends we see movies with a couple times a month really wanted to see it at the theater. So we deferred a couple movies hitting theaters in August in order to catch NOPE before it left the big screen. If you missed the trailer in our monthly movie releases for July article, check it out here:

I really want to know something. What did you take away from that trailer? Me? It’s an alien movie and probably a little scary. That’s about it. Or at least that’s what I took away from it. I was interested but not overly excited. Maybe it would be a cross between… I don’t know. The trailer didn’t really give me the feel of anything else.

After seeing NOPE at the theater, I can admit that while it wasn’t what I expected, that isn’t a bad thing. I thought NOPE offered a good story and was a unique angle for its genre. The cast worked well together and included a surprise role by one of the actors from For All Mankind. Aside from the occasional scenes that made us laugh, there were plenty of times we leaned into the title and said, “NOPE”. In case you’re curious, the actors actually have lines that are exactly that: “Nope”.

In our July movie list, we labeled NOPE as a Sci-Fi Horror because that’s what was included in the marketing materials. I’ve since updated our description to be “Suspense, Thriller” because it didn’t have the feel of a true horror film for me. A lot of people draw a line and won’t see movies that are too scary. I didn’t feel like NOPE really scratched that hide-under-a-blanket horror film scary itch. It has some moments that make you jump, but none that make you scream or gasp.

I realize this article offers little information but anything more than saying the trailer doesn’t do it justice could cause spoilers. After seeing the movie, I watched the trailer and realized it’s actually right on the money. It’s just another case of “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” If you enjoy a good thriller, grab tickets and see it on the big screen. I don’t think the small screen will have the same feel.

Will you see NOPE in theaters or wait to stream it?