Truth is up there
Cert 15 In cinemas now
Nope was once titled Little Green Men but you suspect that was too blindingly obvious. This is a film that jealously guards its secrets, only revealing the bigger picture in the fullness of time.
It mixes genres the way a dealer shuffles cards. Intriguing science fiction rubs shoulders with bloody horror and there’s also a doffing of the Stetson in the direction of the western.
You have to applaud director Jordan Peele’s ambition even if an overcrowded plot eventually slips from his grasp.
Oscar-winning British star Daniel Kaluuya made his American breakthrough in Peele’s chilling Get Out. Reunited with the director, he plays OJ, a weary, careworn figure who couldn’t be more different to his frantic, excitable sister Emerald (Keke Palmer).
The siblings recently lost their father in a manner that can only be called suspicious. They are left to run a family ranch in southern California but the bright skies have turned leaden. And there is something out there that defies rational explanation.
There are jolts and scares to convince you that something awful is about to happen. An object is glimpsed through the clouds. People and livestock disappear. Could this be what experts now call UAP (Unexplained Aerial Phenomena)?
Rather than run for their lives, OJ and Emerald attempt to capture footage of their otherworldly visitors. Who will believe them if they cannot provide proof of a close encounter?
Peele keeps you guessing and adds to the layers of unease with a subplot that returns to the 1990s. The filming of a popular television comedy ends in death after the star chimp runs amok and starts killing the human cast.
Child star Jupe (Steven Yeun) survived the incident and now runs a Wild West show called Jupiter’s Claim. Has he learned his lesson about the rules of engagement when faced with killer creatures?
Nope is atmospheric, gripping and laced with suspense. But, when the unknown is finally unleashed, you can’t help but feel a little let down.
Nope simply tries to achieve too much during its 130 minutes – although that is a rare failing in a modern blockbuster.
Rather than run, they try to capture footage of otherworldly visitors