Nope

Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, Steven Yuen, Michael Wincott, Brandon Perea, Keith David

Director: Jordan Peele

Six months after the death of their father Otis Sr (David) due to debris falling from the sky, OJ (Kaluuya) is doing everything he can to keep their horse training business afloat while his sister Em (Palmer) seeks fame in Hollywood. Em returns to the ranch one day to find OJ selling all their horses to former child star Jupe (Yuen), who has opened a western themed park called Jupiter's Claim nearby and wants to also buy their father's land to expand. Their financial troubles may soon be be overturned when OJ discovers what looks like a UFO floating above the ranch. Em and OJ, along with a very curious Fry's Electronics employee named Angel (Perea), soon find themselves in danger as they attempt to document the UFO for profit and try to save their family home.

Sketch comedian Jordan Peele stormed onto the horror scene with 2017's Oscar winning Get Out and followed that masterpiece of social commentary with the equally prescient Us. Peele now turns his keen cinematic voice to the world of science fiction and the results are stunning as Peele has given audiences a thought provoking and old school cinematic blockbuster.

This is the largest budget Peele has had at his disposal and it is there on the screen for audiences to look at in all its glory. Audiences may be tired with how little creativity there seems to be left in the sci fi genre, especially around creatures and aliens. I loved the direction Peele took the story in this aspect, teasing the presence of the aliens and keeping the story small scale before devolving into full on spectacle. As good as the third act is, and believe me it's a doozy, nothing floored me more during the film than a nighttime alien attack sequence during a rain storm. It is creatively shot and full of tension as the characters try to avoid the alien ship. If Peele was trying to channel his inner Spielberg, he absolutely succeeded.

I was very impressed by how slowly Peele brought us into the world and allowed everything to be set up. OJ and Em are given plenty of time to grow before Peele steps up the set pieces. This also gives Peele a chance to mess with audiences, expecting moments of horror or action to come and instead continuing to set up the larger story. This one doesn't move as quickly as his previous two films but this only benefits the movie.

Kaluuya and Palmer are fantastic, playing very different characters that you absolutely believe are brother and sister. It feels like Kaluuya's OJ is the main character before Palmer's Em steps to the forefront and dominates the second half. Those excited to see Yuen will be disappointed with how little he is used. I feel like the majority of his character's story was left on the cutting room floor and while he isn't the focus of the film, he is still a very interesting character that could have benefited with some more back story. What happened to him as a child actor is presented in horrific detail but the film leaves how the event ultimately affected his character well below the surface. Yuen plays it well and it is there, but I would have liked to have seen it explored more, especially for the direction the character is taken in. I also enjoyed Brandon Perea as Angel, the bored Fry's Electronics employee who has an interest in aliens. He has lots of fun conspiracy theories and provides a lot of humor in the film. He is sure to be a break out star of the film.

For me, Peele is three for three in his cinematic endeavors and I truly think he is one of the freshest and most promising talents in Hollywood today. He has shown that the blockbuster is far from dead and I can't wait to see what genre he breathes life into next.

Grade: A