DON'T LOOK UP (NOPE)

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Over the years, we've become accustomed to filmmakers paying their dues to great directors who have inspired them.

Brian de Palma has made a career out of paying his dues to Alfred Hitchcock and Sergei Eisenstein.

Martin Scorsese has referenced loads of films from Edwin S Porter's 'The Great Train Robbery' in 'GoodFellas' and Luchino Visconti's 'The Leopard' in 'The Age of Innocence,' to Woody Allen's 'Manhattan' in 'Bringing Out The Dead' and Harold Lloyd's 'Safety Last' in 'Hugo'.

Steven Spielberg hasn't been averse to tipping his hat to other auteurs either.

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There have been references to Alfred Hitchcock's 'The Birds' in 'Jaws,' John Ford's 'The Quiet Man' in 'ET,' the work of Busby Berkeley in 'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom' to several Stanley Kubrick nods in 'AI: Artificial Intelligence' including 'Barry Lyndon' and 'The Shining'.

In his six decades as a filmmaker, Spielberg has undoubtedly been one of the most influential figures in popular entertainment.

But it is an influence that other directors have been eager to acknowledge.

JJ Abrams 'Super 8,' Dave Green's 'Earth to Echo,' Greg Motorola's 'Paul' and the Duffer Brothers' supernatural Netflix series 'Stranger Things' have all paid their dues to the 75 year old director.

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And now Jordan Peele's summer blockbuster 'Nope' can be added to the list.

'Nope' oozes references to the Cincinnati born director's work from 'Jaws' to 'ET,' 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' to 'Jurassic Park,' 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' to 'War of the Worlds'.

But there are nods to other filmmakers too including Denis Villeneuve's alien encounter film 'Arrival,' Tim Burton's 'Mars Attacks!', Sidney Poitier's African American cowboy tale 'Buck and the Preacher,' Katsuhiro Otomo's anime classic 'Akira,' Victor Fleming's 'The Wizard of Oz,' John Krasinski's 'A Quiet Place' and even Chuck Russell's 'The Scorpion King'.

'Nope' begins with a homage to the savage opening of Stanley Kubrick's sci-fi classic '2001: A Space Odyssey' with an act of violence by an enraged chimpanzee.

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The chimp in question is Gordy, the star of a popular sitcom in the 1990s who kills two of his human co-stars and injures another after flying into a rage on set.

We see Jacob Kim's terrified child star Ricky 'Jupe' Park hiding from the chimp as Gordy goes on the rampage in a scene that will be replayed and fleshed out later in the film.

After this gruesome intro, Peele takes us to a ranch where Keith David's Otis Haywood Sr has built a business training horses for use in Hollywood movies.

His son, Daniel Kaluuya's OJ helps him out on the ranch, while his daughter Keke Palmer's Em is not really that interested, often turning up late for work and viewing it as a sideline for an as yet undefined career in entertainment.

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While surveying the arid mountainscape on their California ranch, objects start to rain from the sky.

Otis, who is on horseback, is struck by a nickel which lodges in his eye and is rushed bleeding to hospital by OJ but dies shortly after admission.

Inheriting their father's business, OJ and Em struggle to make it work.

One of their horses, Lucky loses it on set after seeing his reflection during the making of a green screened commercial with Michael Wincott's respected cinematographer Antlers Holst.

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As a result, they lose the job.

In order to keep their necks above water, OJ starts to sell some of their horses to Steven Yuen's grown up Ricky Park.

Ricky survived the Gordy incident and now runs a Western town theme park 'Jupiter's Claim'.

He bizarrely has his own 'Gordy's Home' shrine in his office which is packed full of memorabilia from the short-lived sitcom.

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Returning to the ranch, OJ and Em start to notice weird phenomena around their home that night including their horses bolting from the paddock and strange surges in their electricity supply.

The brother and sister spot what they think might be a UFO and, motivated by the chance to cash in on it, they go to an electrical store to install cameras on their home that could capture footage of it.

Intrigued by what they're up to, Brandon Perea's shop assistant Angel Torres insists on installing the equipment and he starts to monitor the images from his laptop.

Em and OJ's efforts to capture footage are not helped by a praying mantis climbing onto one of the cameras.

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However Angel notices a cloud formation hanging over the mountain that never budges.

They become convinced it is providing cover for the alien spaceship.

When a fake horse they have stolen from the theme park is sucked into the sky, OJ, Em and Angel try to cajole Antlers Holst into helping them capture the UFO on camera.

But has the UFO come in peace or with more malign intent?

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Having delivered two smart allegorical horror films in recent years with 'Get Out' and 'Us,' some audiences will no doubt expect a similar approach from Peele in his latest film.

While there are certainly pops at society's obsession with instant fame and fortune and Hollywood's exploitation of African American artists, 'Nope' is a bit of a gear shift from the director.

'Nope' is not as overtly concerned with allegory as his previous two movies.

It mostly is an exercise in cinematic spectacle and thrilling entertainment.

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On both fronts, Peele delivers in spades.

Best viewed on the biggest screen possible and with the loudest sound system, it has the epic sweep of 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' but the cat and mouse thrills of 'Jaws,' 'Jurassic Park' and 'War of the Worlds'.

It is a perfect popcorn movie in a summer of tired popcorn movies and it confirms Peele as one of the most exciting filmmaking talents to emerge in the US in the past five years.

Reuniting with Kaluuya who starred in 'Get Out', he packs his film with references to other movies without overdoing it.

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And he does this by crafting likeable characters who draw you into the central mystery of who the aliens are and what their intentions really are.

Peele is helped by another charismatic Kaluuya lead performance.

Few can match the Londoner's knack for weary resignation or his ability to convey blind terror.

Although it has to be said Keke Palmer is just as good as Em - with a smart, vivacious performance that just bounces off the screen.

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Perea, Wincott and David also turn in effective supporting performances, while Yeun is also terrific as Ricky.

With its sharp gags and its flair for thrilling set pieces, 'Nope' makes a great case for going to the cinema and enjoying the bombast with others.

'Nope' really ought not to be watched for the first time alone at home.

Like 'Prey,' it deserves to be seen with an audience of complete strangers who can revel in Hoyte van Hoytema's cinematography and Max Behrens' superb sound editing.

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It merits an audience who can savour the thrilling stunt work of Pat Romano, Wade Corts, Kortney Manns, Britania Fader, Tiffany Abney, Jimmy N Roberts, Logan Holliday, Crystal Michelle, Skyler Millicano, Tony Vittorioso, Elle Alexander, Duane Burkhart, Melissa Prather, Josh Wray, Kurt Nelson, Lexi Ainsworth, Beni Alexander, Dean Bailey and Carrie Bernans.

Unlike Dan Trachtenberg's 'Predator' prequel, it has the luxury of a theatrical release and that is why it would be a real shame if audiences miss out on it. 

'Nope' may feel like a gear shift for Peele but dig deeper and you will indeed find a commentary about African American artists taking control of their image in a film industry that treated them shabbily with shameful racism.

Ultimately, though, it is a superb piece of blockbuster cinema entertainment and with its solid script, its edge of your seat spectacle and winning performances, it's one that even Steven Spielberg would surely approve of?

('Nope' opened in UK and Irish cinemas on August 12, 2022)