Jaws remains one of those untouchable movies that can never be remade, but one movie came close to recreating the thrill of that classic. Steven Spielberg’s Jaws overcame a troubled production to become a box office hit, a critical smash, and an iconic cinematic achievement. Quentin Tarantino even named Jaws the best “movie” ever made.
With Jaws celebrating its 50th anniversary this summer, the incredible impact the movie had is all the more apparent. It has also highlighted how difficult it is for other movies to live up to that legacy, as the Jaws sequels paled in comparison and every subsequent shark movie has felt, at best, a worse version of Jaws.
However, there was one recent movie that clearly took inspiration from Spielberg’s classics while constructing a very different movie. Though a remake of Jaws would be a terrible idea, these modern masterpieces proved that other movies could at least breathe that same rarified air.
With Nope, Peele Made Jaws Disguised As Close Encounters
Nope’s Dread And Danger Hides Under The Surface
Nope was Jordan Peele’s third movie as a director, and an exciting display of his talents on a blockbuster scale. Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer star as two siblings struggling to maintain their father’s horse ranch when they discover a UFO living in the nearby skies and decide to capture it on film.
UFOs are another area that Steven Spielberg is familiar with, exploring the awe and wonder of visitors from another planet. However, when talking about his influences for the movie, Peele explained (via Screenwriting in LA):
What if I could convince an audience they were watching Close Encounters of the Third Kind, but then they realize at some point they’ve been watching Jaws?
With that explanation, Peele certainly does an impressive job of realizing that idea. Nope does explore the awe-inspiring nature of these visitors. Most of the main characters in the movie are not immediately scared of the alien, but are fascinated by it. Some look at it as a potential for fame and fortune, while others feel a personal connection to this “miracle.“
The movie eventually reveals that it is a story about the hubris and misguided views that something wild and inhuman can be controlled by humanity. From there, the alien known as Jean Jacket becomes a rather horrifying creation and a true movie monster. The blockbuster feel of these beasts lurking in the skies above is like a reverse take on Jaws.
It is a threat hanging over the characters rather than an unseen menace hiding beneath the waves. The final act of the movie also captures Jaws‘ brilliant mix of horror and adventure as the heroes turn the tables and hunt the monster themselves.
Nope Stands On Its Own As An Original Horror Masterpiece
Peele Took Inspirations To Make Something Uniquely His Own
As brilliant as Jordan Peele’s connection to Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Jaws is, the filmmaker admits that it is a somewhat “reductive” way of looking at Nope. Indeed, for such an original movie as Nope is, it would be a shame to simply look at it as a modern take on two iconic movies of the past.
Peele explores the history of filmmaking, the ethics of using animals for entertainment, and the human desire for spectacle.
Like Peele’s previous movies, Get Out and Us, Nope is rich with subtext and themes far beyond the premise of a killer alien. Peele explores the history of filmmaking, the ethics of using animals for entertainment, and the human desire for spectacle. He manages to say something interesting and profound about all these things while still making an entertaining blockbuster.
Nope‘s complex characters are also far from copies of the characters in Jaws. OJ (Daniel Kaluuya) and Em (Keke Palmer) are one of the best brother-sister teams in movie history, filled with humor, dysfunction, and heart. Noah Jupe (Steven Yeun) is also a fascinating and tragic character whose final scene and sickening realization is the best moment in the movie.
Nope may not have been hailed as the masterpiece it was when it was released, but its reputation continues to grow over time. The influences that helped it take shape, including Jaws, are interesting, but it stands on its own as a brilliant original movie from a master filmmaker.
