NOPE

2017’s Get Out will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest directorial debuts of all time. Jordan Peeles sophomore effort Us was an intensely creepy, and deeply memorable horror, which raised his stock in Hollywood.

Therefore expectations for Nope have been high. Since the initial release of nothing but a poster the anticipation has been buzzing. It showed how high Peeles reputation had risen that all it took to send the internet into a frenzy was four letters and a picture of a cloud.

Unfortunately, for me, Nope - on a first viewing at least - did not quite live up to its lofty expectations.

It starts incredibly well. The first hour of Nope is a dark and brooding. It’s slow, but uses its time well, building tension and mystery.

Sadly, around the half way point, when Nope begins to reveal its hand, things begin to fall apart

Nope is at its best, the less we know. As the film progresses, and the characters learn more of what is happening around them, the mystique, and my interest, began to wain. Its reveal is not satisfying or intriguing enough to hold the interest, which meant the final act really began to drag.

Interestingly, the most compelling part of Nope, the flashback sequences to family sitcom gone wrong Gordy’s Home. The attack, the shoe, the fist bump. I found the majority of this far more engaging than the main storyline.

As it is, it felt like it had been shoe-horned in, ultimately feeling out of place in the midst of the rest of the movie.

In the cast Jordan Peele reunites with Daniel Kaluuya. Kaluuya reserved terror is incredibly effective, showing more emotion with one twitch of the eye than most actors can with an entire monologue.

Which makes it all the more impressive that it is Keke Palmer as Em who really steals the show. She fizzes with energy, a stark counterpoint to Kaluuyas more stoic performance, and it is difficult to take your eyes off her while she is on screen.

The two of them together have excellent chemistry, their bond, their often strained but always loving, sibling relationship, feels believable, adding a little more tension to proceedings.

While there is plenty to admire in Nope it never quite comes together. There are a lot of good ideas, which don’t mesh particularly well. The social commentary, so scathing in Get Out and Us, strangely muddled

It boasts an amazing cast, and a really intriguing first hour, but unfortunately cannot maintain its own momentum, trotting, rather than galloping, to a finish.