Nope ending explained: What is the meaning of the film?

Kaluuya and Palmer play siblings OJ and Em, who run a ranch that trains and handles horses for film and TV productions.

The ranch has suffered a downturn in fortunes after the death of their father, the original owner, and the film follows events after a variety of strange phenomena begin to occur – somehow linked to the presence of a remarkably strange object in the sky above.

If you've watched and enjoyed the film but can't quite get a handle on the events that unfold towards its conclusion, read on to have the Nope ending explained – and of course be warned that there are spoilers ahead.

Nope ending explained

Much of Nope's plot is concerned with OJ and Em's attempts to capture photographic evidence of the strange UFO that has taken up residence somewhere above their ranch.

During their mission, they enlist the help of Angel – a tech salesman who takes a great interest in the strange phenomena that have been occurring – and eventually of Antlers Holst, a renowned cinematographer who is supposedly able to capture basically anything he wants on film.

Meanwhile, Ricky 'Jupe' Park (Steven Yeun) is also crucial to the plot. A former child star whose career took a massive downward turn after an unfortunate incident with his monkey co-star Gordy (who suddenly attacked most of the other cast members of his popular TV comedy), he has created a theme park where he exploits his traumatic backstory for profit.

We soon learn that Jupe is also aware of the UFO and has made plans to stage a live show during which he will attempt to lure it from its hiding place using horses purchased from OJ – which it emerges he has been feeding to it for several months.

But things at the show – of course – do not go to plan. After the horse doesn't quite follow his instruction, Jupe and his entire audience are devoured by the UFO, which prompts OJ to realise that the object is not a spaceship but a predator that will eat anything that looks directly at it.

This helps him formulate a plan that will allow them to get their footage by using similar tactics to those he has mastered over many years training horses on the ranch.

Meanwhile, the creature – which has now been nicknamed Jean Jacket – has been causing power outages around the area, and so Holst's hand-cranked film camera proves to be especially vital for their mission.

The plan is put into action, involving the use of a large group of tube man props that help the gang keep tabs on Jean Jacket's location – and eventually, Holst and Angel are successful in capturing some footage on his camera (but not before a trespassing TMZ reporter is devoured by the beast).

At this point, it appears their goal has been achieved, but Holst is not yet satisfied. Hoping to get even better footage, the cinematographer rushes right into the path of Jean Jacket and is eaten alive along with his camera, essentially putting the mission right back to square one.

Meanwhile, it's only a slice of fortune that prevents Angel from being devoured as well – he's saved thanks to the fact he's become attached to some barbed wire, which Jean Jacket refuses to eat.

At this point, the beast is seen to visibly change into a far more elaborate form and continues pursuing OJ and Em, the latter of whom thinks quickly and rushes to Jupe's theme park, where she releases a large helium mascot to bait the creature.

The plan works – Jean Jacket attempts to devour the balloon but when it tries to do so, it explodes and seems to be killed.

Thankfully, the mission has not been in vain: Em managed to get the elusive shot of the creature just in time, using an analogue camera in one of the theme park's attractions to photograph it just before it dies.

What is the meaning of Nope?

There are many possible interpretations of the film – and Peele himself has explained that for him it's all about spectacle.

"I started off wanting to make a film that would put an audience in the immersive experience of being in the presence of a UFO," he told Empire. "And I wanted to make a spectacle, something that would promote my favourite art form and my favourite way of watching that art form: the theatrical experience.

"As I started writing the script, I started to dig into the nature of spectacle, our addiction to spectacle, and the insidious nature of attention," he added.

The film, then, is all about our relationship to spectacle, explored through various different characters. Jupe, Holst, Angel, OJ and Em all react very differently to the UFO, and each of their approaches represents a different attitude to spectacle.

For example, Jupe aims to profiteer from it without thinking of the negative consequences, Holst sees it as a chance to get his ultimate shot no matter the cost, Angel views it as an opportunity to get validation from his peers, and Em wants to sell the footage in order to further her own career.

OJ, on the other hand, initially seems totally uninterested in the spectacle at all, preferring that they leave the UFO to its own devices so he can focus on the ranch – even though it seems to be the lack of spectacle which is causing the business to suffer a downturn in its fortunes.

Of course, the film is also a great spectacle in itself and clearly understands its appeal. And so rather than making any didactic claims about whether spectacle is inherently good or bad, it merely explores our variety of attitudes towards it and allows the audience to draw their own conclusions.

Nope is released in UK cinemas on Friday 12th August. If you’re looking for something to watch tonight, check out our TV Guide or visit our Movies hub for all the latest news.

The latest issue of Radio Times magazine is on sale now – subscribe now and get the next 12 issues for only £1. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times podcast with Jane Garvey.