“Nope,” Jordan Peele’s third feature, is an astounding mix of the horror, Western, and science fiction film genres. “Nope” moves at such a deliberate pace in unfolding its story that it enhances the more dramatic scary and violent scenes when they occur. With brilliant editing and cinematography, the picture ends up being a tour-de-force that will keep you thinking about it long after you leave the theater.

The story line is relatively basic. The structure of the film, however, brings to mind numerous directorial styles and homages. The carefully composed storyboarding, the precise composition of shots and the editing reminded me of Alfred Hitchcock, perhaps most aptly in his “Birds.” Peele’s use of pauses where actors are on screen but not necessarily speaking and of landscape as a character are akin to a Terrence Malick work. The use of tube men fluttering in the desert as alerts to the presence of the UFO seems positively Fellini-esque.

The film begins with a short scene where we hear a voiceover about a birthday party. This cuts to a scene of a living room where we can see only a prone figure’s feet extending beyond a sofa next to a chimpanzee with what appears to be a bloody face.

Next we are in the high desert in a valley where the ranch of Heywood’s Hollywood Horses is located. The patriarch Otis Heywood (Keith David, a superb actor sadly gone too soon in this movie) is working with his son O.J., Otis, Junior (Daniel Kaluuya), with the equines. Suddenly objects start to fly through the air. A coin ends up in the eye socket of Otis Senior. O.J. rushes him to the hospital where he succumbs to his injury.

Six months later O.J. is waiting for his sister Emerald (Keke Palmer) to show up on a set for a commercial. He is with Lucky, one of his horses. When she does shows up, she discusses the Muybridge film clip of a black jockey on a horse. She discusses how despite the clip’s fame, no one knows the name of the jockey. He turns out to be an ancestor of the modern-day Heywoods and their ranch.

The commercial goes awry when, after telling staff not to look Lucky in the eyes, they startle the horse. The Heywoods lose the job.

O.J. has been selling horses to Ricky “Jupe” Park (Steven Yeun) due to the financial difficulties at the ranch. Ricky is a former child star and now runs Jupiter’s Claim, a Wild West theme park based on one of his past TV shows. Ricky also was on the ill-fated show “Gordy’s Home,” where he famously used to fist-bump the chimp until one day disaster struck the show. Ricky maintains a shrine to the show.

O.J. wonders if he can buy back the horses once he is more financially stable. Ricky says yes, but seems coy in his reply, which becomes significant later in the picture.

Back at the ranch, strange events start to happen at night. In one, the horse Ghost disappears in the sky. The film is not coy as it begins to show us the UFO which looks very much like a flying saucer.

O.J. and Emerald decide to buy equipment at Fry’s Electronics so that they can get an “Oprah shot,” definitive proof of a UFO sighting. There they meet Angel Torres (Brandon Perea), who comes out to the ranch to install the equipment. Soon he experiences the effect of the UFO. Like it or not, he becomes part of their effort to film the intruder.

Things start to get really weird at Jupiter’s Claim. Ricky has Lucky in a glass case and tells his audience that they are about to experience a life-changing event. Soon everyone, except Lucky, at Jupiter’s Claim disappears.

“Nope” does a good job with its science-fiction aspects. We don’t have to wonder long what the UFO looks like or even what it wants and doesn’t want. It takes the concept of what a UFO might really be to a different place than we are accustomed to in traditional lore.

The scenes where the UFO appears are often frightening, and not just in a jump-scare kind of way. The object exudes menace. The sound effects are superlative in creating terror. There is a definite H.P. Lovecraft feel to its presence.

Another scary episode that appears to have metaphorical significance regarding the treatment of animals is the full unfolding of the “Gordy’s Home” incident where the chimp attacks the cast. We see the TV family being filmed celebrating a birthday when a box of balloons is opened. One pops (there is a reference to this near the end of the picture when another popping of a balloon is significant) and chaos strikes. Although we do not see, only hear, any direct violence by the primate onscreen, the net effect is absolutely chilling and terrifying.

I will say that during the IMAX screening which I attended, there were times when you could hear a pin drop in the auditorium, so enrapt was the audience with the film. It reminded me of George Miller’s comment that viewing movies in a theater is “public dreaming.”

Yet there also are scenes where the most mundane things occur. A sprinkling of comic relief helps break up the tension. The events illustrate the growth in the relationship of brother and sister as they become more involved in the mystery of the UFO.

The acting is ultimately subservient to the greater whole. No one performance stands out. Instead the picture highlights the subtle nuances that each brings to their portrayals.

The visual effects are top-notch. The same can be said for the editing. Sometimes you could not tell where the film was going, but in retrospect you could see why the movie was cut the way it was.

Even as I write this review, I can tell you that I am not sure that I caught all of the nuances of the picture. This is a film that will be able to be watched multiple times, with each viewing giving new insight into aspects of the film.

The movie’s ending, with its commentary on technology past and present, was somewhat of an anticlimax to me. Mostly I did not want this film to be over. I did appreciate the iconographic Western aspects at the end, though.

“Nope” is rated “R.” I would say that it is appropriate for teenagers.

Four and a half out of five stars

Caretakers at a California horse ranch encounter a mysterious force that affects human and animal behaviour.

Cast: Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, Steven Yeun, Michael Wincott, Brandon Perea
Written and Directed by: Jordan Peele