As I noted in my comments in the Scene-By-Scene Breakdown article, while there is a conventional approach to the structure of the overall narrative – the Protagonists (OJ and Emerald) take on the Alien leading to a Final Struggle – there are other aspects of the storytelling which create questions along the way. For example: How does the opening scene with the violence on the set of Gordy’s Home tie into the plotline?

I think that writer-director Jordan Peele pulls off a deft bit of plotting which aligns with some of the key themes in the story, most notably spectacle (more on that in a later response). But in short for now, let’s just say that this is a movie with spectacle that is also critiquing the role of spectacle in cinematic storytelling.

That said, if we focus on OJ and Emerald in their attempts to obtain photographic evidence to prove this alien exists and by extension aliens in general, which is the spine of the plotline, that tracks pretty much like a mainstream commercial movie.

There is an interesting use of title cards. In order, they are: Nope, Ghost, Clover, Gordy, Lucky, Jean Jacket. Three refer to horses and their roles in those sequences. “Nope” is not only the title, but also a recurring line that OJ utters in moments where he is facing something frightful and rejects looking at or facing it head-on. “Gordy” refers to the aforementioned violence perpetrated by a chimpanzee on the TV set which, it turns out, traumatized the young star of the series Ricky, who we meet later as an adult. And “Jean Jacket” is the name Emerald gives to the Alien. It’s a clever way of referring to six key sequences.

Also clever: The story’s Family of Characters, each of their motivations and the nature of their relationships. Those reflections to come in response to the Characters article.