I think that this is Jordan Peele's best film.
Technically, it's his first film because his first two movies were shot digitally. He made the leap to 70mm film with some sequences shot with Imax for this film and that's no small leap.
I hope he sticks with film because his craft as a director was clearly elevated.
The film follows the story of a brother and sister who inherited a horse training ranch for film and television after their father was killed under mysterious circumstances.
The brother OJ (Daniel Kaluuya) has mostly taken charge of the struggling ranch while his sister Emerald (Keke Palmer) has aspirations outside of the family business.
After a mishap with one of their horses being spooked on the set of a commercial, OJ and Emerald go back to their home. That's when a mysterious, flying object starts wrecking havoc.
Determined to get proof, OJ and Emerald buy a bundle of surveillance equipment from a Fry's Electronics employee, Angel (Brandon Perea) who is all too excited to help them while expressing his love of the Show Ancient Aliens. One of the problems though is that the mysterious object shuts down all electricity in the vicinity.
Daniel Kaluuya was a standout performer in the film. He did more acting with his eyes than most actors manage with their words. Some of the best humor in the film came from him calmly uttering the film's title at the right moments.
Hoyte Van Hoytema's cinematography was some of the best I've seen from him. The film was shot effectively Dunkirk style -- entirely on 70mm; but, his lighting design was flawless. The night exterior scenes were particularly great with miles of terrain being visible under believable moonlight.
That said, easily my favorite character in the movie was the cinematographer who they hired to photograph the UFO. Played by Michael Wincott, this character is the cinematographer that I want to be in twenty years. Dude man brings a homemade, hand-cracked Imax camera to shoot the damn thing. He's obsessive about getting the perfect shot in the perfect light.
If I have one major criticism upon first glance, it's that I'm not sure that the movie accomplished what it tried to accomplish. It was entertaining and I enjoyed it; but, it's listed as a horror film and it's rated R and I didn't even have a jolt. I wouldn't hesitate to tell my mom that she could handle it.
Still, this was a fun movie and it was worth the time and money. If you want to have a fun time at the movies, this film won't disappoint.