¡Nop!

The credits have just rolled, and despite running for two hours, it's felt as if it's been on for about four hours.

I can't remember the last time I was so conflicted about a film, the good elements were great, the bad elements were painful, I'll try to be as concise as I can.

I'll start with the great elements, first off, production values are terrific, this is one gorgeously produced film, it looks terrific.

The second aspect that stood out, the acting, Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer were terrific, and I really enjoyed Brandon Perea's performance too.

The storyline itself was a good one, if nothing highly original, I liked that whole monkey scenario, and the way it developed was very satisfying, the sci fi fan in me appreciated several of the key elements, I loved not knowing exactly what was behind that cloud, that aspect worked well.

Unfortunately, it lacked scares, listed as a horror, this was anything but, I wanted thrills and spills, this was more a casual prod. Pacing was definitely an issue, it was just way too slow in parts. Many scenes simply didn't make any sense.

It reminded me of The Cloverfield Paradox, definitely some interesting elements, but too slow and just felt too cobbled together.

Not bad, but it should have been so much better.

5/10.

The amount of reviews calling this pointless and terrible clearly didn't read much into what happens here. Peele is pointing a mirror up to you and the most ironic part is a lot of don't even seem to notice. No, this isn't a typical horror movie. It's more of a Spielbergian blockbuster satire with some amusing moments sprinkled throughout. The "entity" is creative and can be quite terrifying. The cinematography is top notch and probably the standout feature of the film, while Kaluuya can say an immense amount without even speaking a word. The screenplay is odd to say the least, but it hits more than it misses.

While I still think this is a lesser film than Get Out or Us and it ran a little too long, you have to commend its originality in a summer sea of IP-based films. Peele attempts something profound and unique here, which should be respected regardless of your thoughts on the film.

1. Commentary on exploitative social media accounts that strive for the most clicks regardless of who they negatively impact.

2. Keke Palmer's eccentric performance as Emerald. She should be in way more movies.

3. Daniel Kaluuya's deadpan one liners.

4. Rewatch value, there is build up to each twist and shocking moment. Mysterious and ambiguous scenes become scarier after learning context.

5. Foreshadowing: it is absolutely everywhere. Sometimes done subtly, other times obviously.

6. Subtle details; highly detailed set, script, and outfits, down to the logo on one of the main character's shirt.

7. Sound effects. It goes beyond typical horror noise cues, using unique sounds to build-up scares. The blood curdling screams loudly echoing as the creature flies by are terrifying.

8. Akira motorcycle shot. Thank you Jordan.

I hope we are not about to see the Shyamalan effect with Jordan Peele, where the debut film is amazing and everything that follows leaves you scratching your head. I feel like I'm on that road with Peele's body of silver screen work. "Get Out" was a masterpiece, while "Us" jus didn't do it for me and now "Nope!"

Keke Palmer did her thing in the role she played (she is the star of this movie for sure) and Daniel kept up with a good performance in his own right, but the film itself was something outta the Twilight Zone. More of a sci-fi thriller than a horror flick, it had too many holes and unanswered questions for my liking. Peele's approach to filmmaking is amazing, much like Shyamalan, but the stories, like Shyamalan's are starting to fall short of being good films.

Jordan may have dreamt this story and woke up at 5am and jotted down every detail he could remember. And like our weird dreams, they never make any sense and we forget a lot of the details by the time we wake up! Nope was like one of those weird a... dreams!

I can honestly say I have never had any movie grip me with so much curiosity and excitement in the first 30 minutes only to end with so great a weight of disappointment at it's close.

As others have pointed out, it's difficult to understand why - given the plethora of avenues that were available and sure to be imagined by so talented a mind as Jordan Peele - this is where the film was taken.

There was boundless opportunity for storylines that could have classed in the same category of special and original as Get Out and Us - Peele's previous works, but the film became bizarre. No other word for it.

Peele's characters are usually so believable, and it is one of the cornerstones of his work that has best enabled audiences to feel so enraptured and immersed prior to Nope. That convincing forming of character is missing in more than a few here. Not - it should be noted - in the two main characters played by Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer, but when surrounding and still important characters fall so flat and insincere in the majority of the film, it takes a lot away from the strong work Daniel and Keke produce.

I don't know whether I'm more disappointed at the execution of the film, or that so valuable an opportunity for alternative and haunting plot lines was wasted.

It was generally not good - and it really pains me to say that.