Generally speaking, the new Jordan Peele movie Nope has enjoyed a positive reception. YouTube and social media creator Logan Paul wasn’t a fan, calling the science fiction movie “one of the worst movies” he’d seen in some time.
Daniel Kaluuya, who stars in Nope, has now commented on Paul’s critique. “Why is his opinion top of the tree? Everyone’s entitled to their opinion but what’s he done in cinema?” he told Capital FM. “Imagine if they asked me about Eric Clapton. I’d take everyone’s opinion on, I’ll listen to it but I’m just going ‘I don’t know why you over everybody else’.”
General popularity is a factor here. Paul’s thread on Nope got a lot of traction because he has a huge amount of followers, for whom his opinion has some traction. Besides that, he’s a modern provocateur who, like many vying for attention in crowded internet forums, gets his name in headlines by saying things to get a rise out of people. Film Twitter can be easy marks at the best of times, and now his reaction has gotten as far as Kaluuya.
Kaluuya is aware of this, suggesting that he could have a chat with Paul, but then walking that back. “Actually would I sit down with him? Nah actually that defeats the point, I wouldn’t sit down with him,” he says.
In Nope, Kaluuya plays Otis Jr, who notices some strange weather on the grounds of his father’s ranch and investigates. Keke Palmer and Steven Yuen co-star. Like Peele’s previous directorial features Get Out and Us, Nope is a horror movie that’s full of mystery and intrigue, telling a story with layers.
Our Charlotte Colombo enjoyed it, stating in her Nope review that it “demonstrates the clear and original evolution of Peele’s craft”. Have a look at our list of the best alien movies if you’d like more extra-terrestrial happenings.