Starring Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, Steven Yeun, Michael Wincott, Brandon Perea, Wrenn Schmidt, Barbie Ferreira and Keith David. Written and directed by Jordan Peele. Budget $68 million. Running time 130 minutes.
When old-school horse wrangler and trainer, Otis Haywood Sr (David Keith) is killed by a quarter that falls from the sky, his grown up children OJ Haywood Jnr (Daniel Kaluuya) and Emerald (Keke Palmer) inherit the business. OJ, who watched his father die, is convinced that a UFO killed him and convinces his sister to help him capture footage of the craft so they can sell the evidence and become rich. Along the way they recruit the help of a tech support guy, Angel Torres (Brandon Perea), who installs the CCTV cameras around the farm, and also the help of a Hollywood cameraman called Antlers Holst (Michael Wincott) and his hand-cranked imax camera to get the footage. The rest is NOPE.
This is one of those films whose central conceit is so unique and delightful that it won't be long before the internet is abuzz with too many details and any hope you have of going in not knowing the outcome grows smaller by the hour, so if you want to go and see this go asap!
The film starts slowly, very slowly indeed and initially it tried my patience severely as it oh-so slowly established the relationship between the bereaved siblings, the daily workings of the horse farm, and the relationships they both have with a film studio and also with the owner of 'Jupiter's Claim' a nearby 'wild west' theme-park run by an ex-child star called Ricky Park, who as a child survived a horrific on screen, on-set massacre carried out by an enraged chimpanzee. And just when you think, enough already!, the film kicks into gear and becomes so exciting, intriguing and downright original that you forgive it for those first 40 odd minutes of slow build as you find yourself thumping your knees in anxiousness and squealing in alarm as the film unfurls itself and exposes you to all its fabulous glory! Seriously, this film plays great tricks with your expectations, and even jaded old me, only guessed the reveal seconds before the film gave up its secrets.
Can't and don't want to go into any more plot or story than that, I loved this film and thoroughly enjoyed it, once it finally got going. It's not perfect, the sound mix leaves a lot to be desired, but the cast is so good and natural together and by the end you realise you no longer care about its shortcomings, cos it was just too damn entertaining.
At times, funny, scary and downright exhilarating. It's one of the best films of the summer, if not year.
9/10
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