Jordan Peele ventures forth with his third outing behind the camera following success with Get Out and Us, with a nod to the B-horror science fiction movies of the 50s. Set in an isolated part of inland California, siblings OJ and Emerald Haywood witness the death of their father when random objects fall from the sky. This prompts them to capture evidence of an unidentified flying object and probable cause of the strange happenings but may lead them to an unnerving discovery.

For me, labelling Nope as a horror film is akin to saying that fish and chips is a healthy eating option. Sure, Nope has jump scares, and blood, and people die, but nothing, and I do mean nothing, about this film makes it a horror flick.

That’s not to say that you won’t have a good time watching it-Daniel Kaluuya is the undisputed king of understated, brooding acting, and Keke Palmer is 100% joy on screen.
Personally, I was thrilled to see Michael Wincott again. As if his frankly ridiculously beautiful speaking voice wasn’t enough, he nails the role of ‘surly but genius cinematographer.

Speaking of cinematography, Hoyte Van Hoytema is behind the lens for this one (he’s they guy who shot Tenet, Interstellar, Dunkirk, and Ad Astra. He’s practically Christopher Nolan’s go-too-guy) and holy smokes does he bring each location to life.
Truly stunning work.

The Prognosis:

I am by no means an edge lord gatekeeper of horror films – I still can’t watch the Thriller video without needing a hug afterwards, but don’t go into Nope expecting to be scared out of your mind.

There’s plenty of questionable plot holes, and I wanted to see much more from Steven Yeun’s character ‘Ricky’, but it’s still a fun watch, and worth seeing at a cinema purely for the sound design alone.

• John Turnbull

Nope is a homage to classic B movie sci fi horror, but it is NOT made in the usual cookie cutter paint-by-numbers way. It is powered by a unique vision only achievable by Jordan Peele

Antony Yee