Jordan Peele is back again for the third feature film he has written and directed himself, and this time, on a much larger scale. Known for his riveting and intense work, the movie ‘Nope’ continues the trend, delivering an out-of-the-box thinking thriller with some horror-induced groundwork.

Thanks to Universal Pictures, the crew at MKAU were able to attend the Brisbane launch for the film on the big screen. Full disclosure, light spoilers will follow about the overarching events of the film but key elements will be kept secret.

Starring Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer as brother and sister, OJ and Emerald Haywood are left to pick up the pieces of a struggling family business after the sudden death of their father. The Hayward name has been a footnote in the Hollywood industry since the beginning, as the foremost provider of training and supplying Horses to film production.

OJ, despite his dedication to his trade, seems bound to carry on the business in honour of his father more than anything, and Emerald, who had distanced herself from the family, has returned more in support for her brother than the business. Not one for flair or showmanship, OJ relies on the charismatic nature of Emerald, even if it clashes with his reserved composure. Sibling relationships with polar opposite personalities can be off-putting, but their true connection always shined through when it mattered most.

The family ranch, deep in a gulch of the Californian outlands, is a nice little secluded slice of life, and its closest connection to civilisation is the small amusement park nearby. Run by Ricky ‘Jupe’ Park, played by Steven Yeun, this is yet another business that is trying to keep its foot in the entertainment scene.

As a former child star, Jupe seems determined to hit it big again and has memorialised his former stardom in a shrine of sorts, all alluding to a harrowing event that ended in disaster. The dynamic between OJ and Jupe was always a bit of tense interaction, as it was clear Jupe had eyes on the Hayward farm, and it was always broken up with the playful and clever banter from Emerald.

Things seemed to be normal, everyday worries until this point, but with the night approaching, so too was something in the dark. After their troubled horse Ghost breaks free, Oj has his first close encounter with something he can’t explain. Veiled in the darkness, the fast movements and haunting wails, paired with the electrical blackouts was a gut-punching realisation that they were not alone.

It may have taken a bit longer than I would have hoped, but this was the turning point for the movie that continued to gain momentum as the stakes continued to grow. A quick trip to the tech store saw an unlikely addition to the cast with Angel, played by Brandon Perea, being the comedic relief in the growing tension.

The interactive behaviour between the trio was a blend of chaotic energy that offered plenty of nervous laughs through the signature “nope” moments they continued to face. A huge part of the experience has to be contributed to how the environments and sound design terrorised the bunch. Each night the attacks grew with malicious intent and the way the lights and music were sucked from the scenes only to hum back to life as the entity moved through the space gave cues to how close they were to death.

One particular moment that had a van with its music blasting, only to be silenced as the ‘thing’ passed over, gave them the audio cues that they were safe to escape when the music came back on. It was the small details that triggered the fight or flight response in me as a viewer and the characters continued to learn and use this information to their advantage.

An ongoing subplot was played through flashbacks in the film that did offer clues and some symbolism to the predatory nature of the overarching themes. The addition wasn’t necessarily a crucial part of the rest of the film, however, and given the rapid pace of the final act that left me wondering, it felt almost out of place when I looked back on it retrospectively. These events didn’t take away from the budding relationships formed through the film and the emotional growth shown by Emerald though, as she was the first and loudest “nope” of the film when things got hairy.

For a thrilling spectacle, Nope will have you frequently guessing how they will make it out alive. There was an unexpected revelation that did a great job to up the ante of a standard extraterrestrial encounter which threw the characters for a loop about how to fight back. While not the strongest entry into the small but impressive library of Jordan Peele’s arsenal, the vision, and the presentation of the film was well executed and was best experienced on the big screen.

Written by: Shane Fletcher