Let me start by saying this: Don’t compare Nope (2022) to Jordan Peele’s other movies. Go into it like you’ve never seen Get Out (2017) or Us (2019), and then see how you feel. It’ll make the experience much better for you. Now, let’s get down to the nitty gritty. Nope is a sci-fi horror movie (with western elements) about Black ranch-owning siblings who look to capture video evidence of a UFO—only to discover it’s not entirely what it seems.
There are plenty of themes in Nope that you can unpack, such as Black historical documentation, capitalism, and all those heavy topics. But at the end of the day, the movie is a spectacle! We’re meant to be excited about this summer sci-fi horror with people of color at the forefront, and subtle queer representation that’s neatly folded into the movie. Peele has yet again brought us originality and taken a lot of risks with his 3rd film.
From here there are a lot of spoilers, so jump ship now if you don’t want to know anything!
What’s the ending of Nope?
Throughout the film OJ (Daniel Kaluuya), his sister Emeralid (Keke Palmer) and their new friend Angel (Brandon Perea) experience a lot of terrifying events. The UFO, which is later named “Jean Jacket,” keeps coming to the Haywood’s ranch. OJ comes to the conclusion that “Jean Jacket” is a predatory alien creature, and that its desire is to assert its dominance, as well as eat those who look at it.(Interesting, right?) This leads them to recruit a famous cinematographer named Antlers Holst (Michael Wincott) to help them out in getting the create on camera.
Only the plan is ruined when Antlers decides his need to capture it on film is worth their lives, leading him to be consumed (alongside his very old IMAX camera) by the creature. After that, chaos ensues and OJ is forced to lure the alien away to save Em. Only she pulls a 180 and doesn’t run from the danger. Instead, she rides to Jupiter’s Claim (a theme park) as a last ditch effort to kill the alien. Using items in her immediate surroundings and the knowledge that “Jean Jacket” will eat almost anything, Em cuts the ropes holding the large balloon mascot, knowing the creature will foolishly try to digest it.
In the end, Em’s efforts aren’t in vain, and the creature reveals its true form (which isn’t a little green person). Much to Em’s relief, the helium in the balloon explodes and kills ole’ “Jean Jacket,” and she’s able to get the money shot via the theme park’s analog camera, earning herself a win by killing Jean Jacket, documenting the creature that killed a lot of people, and saving the lives of her brother and friend.
What does the ending mean?
The most obvious explanation is that people are willing to risk their lives for extraordinary events—whether to capitalize on them or prove the existence of something by having photographic proof. Antlers Holst endangering everyone’s lives with his own ideas about film isn’t so mind boggling. He dies experiencing Jean Jacket up close, because putting something on film makes it more real. Right? And Em’s need to capture Jean Jacket is very much related to Black historical documentation.
It’s unlikely she’d ever be believed without incontrovertible proof of what she’s experienced, but a fascinating part is the fact that she doesn’t even swipe the pictures right away. Em is visibly relieved as she sees her brother arrive on his horse, Lucky. After everything they’d experienced, her brother was alive and went to make sure she was. The ending is about as happy as a sci-fi horror movie can get. The characters we were rooting for survived and got the proof they wanted. All of the trauma and near-death experiences weren’t for nothing.
(featured image: Universal Pictures)
