Nope Review: Jordan Peele’s Ambitious UFO Thriller Is Jaws In The Sky

Nope (NC16)

Starring Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, Brandon Perea, Steven Yeun

Directed by Jordan Peele

Jordan Peele’s latest, at its core, is a creature-feature following the exploits of siblings Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer as they try to capture footage of a UFO hovering over their horse ranch in the desert. But guess what? This UFO is actually some kind of shapeshifting predator. Dun dun duuuun! The result: Jaws in the sky or Tremors from above, depending on which side of the bed you get up from. Nope is exactly the movie you’d expect from the director of Get Out and Us: a high-minded horror flick where there’s much more than meets the eye. It’s like a secret message embedded in a song— to decipher it, you need to playback the track repeatedly. And that can be both frustrating and rewarding. Dig deeper, amid the masterfully orchestrated dread and suspense, Nope is a thoughtful showbiz parable about the dark side of spectacle-making and a love letter to below-the-line talents. It took a while to figure that out but that badass motorcycle stunt in the third act which pays homage to the classic anime Akira, I get it instantly. (3.5/5 stars) In cinemas now

Photos: UIP, TPG News/Click Photos

Watch our interview with the cast of Nope here:

Day Shift (M18)

Starring Jamie Foxx, Dave Franco, Snoop Dogg, Natasha Liu Bordizzo

Directed by JJ Perry

Netflix really loves vampires, don’t they? Their latest vamp pic plays like the stronger half of a double bill shared with last year’s Night Teeth; both feature familiar plots pitting blue-collar stiffs against LA’s rich bloodsuckers. Night Teeth is all fangs and no bite, but Day Shift, by stuntman-turned-director JJ Perry, packs more punch: the cracking rapport between Jamie Foxx’s desperate-for-cash hunter and Dave Franco as his dorky, Twilight-knowing supervisor; and the inventive and brutal action sequences. Should it beget a sequel (Night Shift?), please give it to Scott Adkins and Steve Howey: their sibling slayers deserve more screen time. (3/5 stars) On Netflix

Photo: Netflix