Nope first reactions call Jordan Peele's new movie "frightening and ferocious"

Keke Palmer, Daniel Kaluuya, and Brandon Perea in Nope

(Image credit: Universal Pictures)

The first reactions for Nope are in – and the majority of critics are full of praise for Jordan Peele's latest movie.

Nope stars Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer as siblings living on a California ranch who discover an unidentified flying object hovering over their home in the form of a creepy-looking cloud, while Steven Yeun plays Ricky "Jupe" Park, a former child actor and reality TV star who now runs a theme park. Just how their stories are linked, however, remains to be seen.

CNN's Frank Pallotta tweeted: "NOPE is out of this world. A monster mash with great performances (esp. Kaluuya) and a 50s sci-fi invasion motif. A spectacle about the horrors of spectacles. Jordan Peele has been compared to Hitchcock, but NOPE shows he’s a next-gen Carpenter. Enjoy the show and don’t look up."

"Nope is a resounding YES," People's Nigel Smith said. "See it on the biggest screen you can find. A thrilling and strange spectacle unlike anything else out there. I'll never look at the sky the same way again."

However, We Live Entertainment's Scott Menzel had a slightly different take, writing: "Nope is Jordan Peele’s most ambitious film but also his weakest. The first act is superb but by the second, it loses its footing and becomes a bad M. Night Shyamalan movie with Spielbergian elements. It lacks a sense of focus with a story that is never fully realized."

Meanwhile, Yahoo Entertainment's Kevin Polowy tweeted: "The most important thing you need to know about NOPE is it’s crazy different from Get Out & Us. This is Jordan Peele spreading his wings and making big budget Spielberg/esque sci-fi, but with the subtext you’d expect. Enter with an open mind and you’ll be rewarded."

"Jordan Peele’s Nope is one of the best films I’ve watched this year!" Fandango's Erik Davis said. "It’s frightening & ferocious, but also very funny & unlike any UFO movie you’ve ever seen. It is a wholly unique & VERY entertaining horror epic full of wild surprises & an unforgettable Keke Palmer performance."

I’m an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering everything film and TV-related across the Total Film and SFX sections. I help bring you all the latest news and also the occasional feature too. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism.