Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for 'Nope'Jordan Peele created a horror spectacle with his newest film, Nope. Out of all the tension-filled scenes in the movie, none create a spectacle quite like the Star Lasso Experience. This scene is essential for our main character OJ Howard (Daniel Kaluuya) to learn how to beat the alien he faces. However, like all of Peele's films it can be hard to grasp what happened in any given scene, so what did happen at the Star Lasso Experience?
The Star Lasso Experience takes place at Jupiter's Claim, a western theme park in California run by Ricky 'Jupe' Park (Steven Yeun). Jupe is a former childhood sitcom actor who is hoping to use the Star Lasso Experience to regain his popularity. The Star Lasso Experience takes place at the edge of Jupiter's Claim, and the scene starts with the sparse audience sitting in bleachers surrounding an open dirt stage and Jupe standing in the middle with a horse at his side. Jupe wants to show the audience what he and his family have been observing for the previous six months, a creature that resembles a UFO, nicknamed Jean Jacket.
Shortly after the start of the show, Jean Jacket appears out of the sky. At first, the audience is astonished, they rise out of their seats and look to the sky but the alien keeps approaching. Eventually, Jean Jacket swoops down over the audience and reveals a giant black hole in the bottom of the silver disc. The creature then ignores the horse that was being used as bait and goes right for the audience, flying to the group and sucking up every person that makes eye contact with it. Peele then gives us a glimpse inside the monster, and we see the audience members and Jupe scream while they seem to go through the creature's digestive system. Every person who attended the show and decided to look up to see the spectacle ends up dead, with the possessions that were on their bodies when they were sucked up later "vomited" up by Jean Jacket. The only thing left standing from the Star Lasso Experience was the horse who was supposed to be the bait, but refused to look at Jean Jacket. OJ arrives at the edge of Jupiter's Claim to save the horse and confirm that looking into the monster's eye is what will make it attack you.
Through this scene and the entirety of Nope, Jordan Peele uses Jean Jacket as a representation of the media. If you look at Jean Jacket, to experience the great spectacle of an alien, it results in your death. Peele compares this to how higher view counts for tragedies in the media can be one of the things that continue to fuel the amount of coverage horrifying events in real life receive. The more that we engage with the events the more attention they get, until turning into a spectacle. Jupe created his show the Star Lasso Experience because he thought he could control Jean Jacket, but as more people focused on the creature, Jupe quickly lost control of the situation, and it resulted in the deaths of every person in attendance.