Jordan Peele S No Gets A Yes.

Comment StarSolidStarSolidStarSolidStarHalf(3.5 stars) There’s a reason virtually nothing is opening in theaters this week — almost nothing, that is, except for “No,” the new sci-fi epic from writer, director and producer Jordan Peele. Based on the success of Peele’s Oscar-winning horror debut ‘Get Out’ and his follow-up ‘Us’, the director’s name alone has the power to strike fear into the hearts of studio heads and film distributors with a competing product. for sale. And so Peele’s latest, an elegantly creepy alien invasion tale starring Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer, was given a long shot. Fittingly for a movie so big it has scared away almost everyone in attendance, you’ll want to see No on the biggest screen possible and with the best and biggest sound system. Set on a remote ranch in the picturesque California desert town of Agua Dulce, the film centers on siblings OJ and Emerald Haywood (Kaluuya and Palmer), Hollywood horse trainers who experience a ghostly visitation. “Nope” is hand-crafted for the kind of presentation you can only get in a real theater — preferably an Imax, to take full advantage of the film’s impressive production design and eerie sound mix, which ranges from a thunderous roar that tremble. to the kind of silence that isn’t so much silence as a sound void: the kind of silence where you hear nothing but your own heartbeat. Kudos to sound designer Johnnie Burn (BAFTA nominee for “The Favourite”), who deserves to be first in line for next year’s Oscars. Before settling into its unsettling groove, “No” has to dispense with some frivolous backstory involving the bankruptcy of the Haywoods’ horse-fighting business — who makes westerns anymore? — and the mysterious death of their father (Keith David) six months before the main action begins. We learn that OJ is a laconic cowboy type. Emerald is talkative and often rather funny. There’s also a subplot involving a former child actor (Steven Yeun) from a 1990s sitcom starring a chimpanzee who infamously went berserk (in suitably gruesome, bloody fashion), but that narrative goes nowhere. Now the owner of a Wild West-themed tourist attraction in the desert, Yeun’s character feels trapped in a tight story that’s probably better off without him. (Or, alternatively, he deserves his own separate movie.) Things kick off as OJ and Emerald decide they need to document some of the Unexplained Aerial Phenomena (UAP) they’ve recently started encountering around their ranch: a cloud that never moves and a dark saucer-like object that can one can see it cutting right behind the photogenic hills. They’re not just documenting, they’re potentially monetizing, capturing footage they’ve dubbed the “Oprah shot”: an unmistakable, high-quality image that someone will pay for. When it becomes clear that they are dealing with something much stranger and deadlier than they first thought, their plan evolves from making a quick buck to saving the Earth. In that sense, at least, “No” feels like a coup, and in a good way. It’s a classic old-school creature feature, complete with a blackout-inducing critter, but it defies the stereotype of the little green man. And it gets a big jolt of modern juice from the fact that it’s set in the country where the films are made. When OJ and Emerald realize they can’t handle the mystery alone, they team up with a 20-something surveillance systems expert from an electronics chain (Brandon Perea) and a grizzled guerrilla cameraman with a manual film camera (Michael Wincott). It’s a nod to the past, present and future of filmmaking, all at once. The acting here is quite good, particularly from Kaluuya, who gives off the strong, silent air of a modern-day Gary Cooper, all shrugs and monosyllables, and Palmer, who is his far more expressive foil. But “No” ultimately belongs to its director, not its actors. Whether we’re watching some heavy CGI in the sky or flashbacks with a captive primate (played by Terry Notary in an impressive motion-capture performance) or simply Kaluuya on horseback — a new kind of orange-hooded Western hero — Peele tells his story visually , not verbally. One particularly idiosyncratic sequence features OJ and Emerald setting up a warning system of colorful dancing inflatable men – like you sometimes see outside car dealerships – around the perimeter of their property. It’s quintessential Peele: unforgettably surreal, terrifying and a little silly. The dialogue isn’t that important, but it features the title word prominently, spoken by OJ and Emerald in response to what they see. You might find yourself saying “no” once or twice, too, in a way that really amounts to saying “yes” to the tremulous pleasures of “No,” which feel both old and new. R. In the theaters of the area. Contains foul language throughout, some violence and gory imagery. 131 minutes.