Exploring the Mysterious Alien 'Jean Jacket' in Jordan Peele's Nope

Unveiling the Origins and Forms of Jean Jacket

Nope's alien, known only as 'Jean Jacket' in Jordan Peele's 2022 sci-fi horror, takes on several forms throughout the movie and has some of the most mysterious origins of any modern cinematic extra-terrestrial.

Nope 2022

As the socially aware director Jordan Peele's third movie, Nope was a commentary on the widespread obsession with spectacles, which certainly applies to the unique nature of Nope’s alien.

Jean Jacket creature in Nope

Jean Jacket in Nope is an antagonist with many thematic layers that can be unpacked by analyzing the various forms it takes. It is central to the plot of the movie, catalyzing the strange events throughout.

Daniel Kaluuya watching the alien in Nope

While the creature is nicknamed 'Jean Jacket,' Nope never explains exactly what the alien is or the nature of its origins. The alien in Nope at first takes on the form of a saucer reminiscent of stereotypical UFOs. However, it later shifts into its true form — a more parachute-like, flowing being, evoking the imagery of biblical angels.

Jean Jacket chasing OJ in Nope

It’s typically seen as dark gray at night but has a lighter appearance when attacking OJ and Emerald during the day. The alien also has an impressive camouflaging ability, as it remains in the sky disguised behind a cloud that never moves.

OJ with a horse looking up at a cloud in Nope

When feeding, the alien in Nope opens its 'mouth' and sucks up horses, people, and any object in its path through a large area that reflects the design of very early cameras. The alien also has a great impact on electricity and technology when nearby, making them inoperable when in the alien’s path.

A storm cloud with a string in Nope

Ultimately, Jean Jacket was killed by Emerald when she untied the giant helium balloon mascot from Jupiter’s Claim, which exploded inside the alien’s mouth and ripped it apart at the end of Nope. It’s unclear whether there are more aliens like Jean Jacket or if it's a unique being. It's likely the movie also leaves certain details of the alien ambiguous intentionally, as introducing multiple aliens in Nope would have allowed audiences to potentially fill in more details about them, sabotaging some of the mystery.

Jupe leads a horse to be eaten by the alien in Nope

Decoding the Motivations of Jean Jacket

The alien in Nope doesn’t necessarily seem to have a sinister motivation for preying on humanity like the villains in various other sci-fi films. The main characters in Nope suggest that Jean Jacket is extremely territorial, which is part of why the alien has remained around Jupiter’s Claim and Haywood Ranch.

Split image of Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer and Steven Yeun in Nope

While its primary motivation is likely to establish dominance over the area, it also has the primal need to eat, which is why it moves from Jupiter’s Claim over to Haywood Ranch to feed on the horses. OJ describes the alien in Nope as a 'bad miracle,' but doesn't seem to believe that it had any other purpose on Earth than to eat and claim its own territory.

Jupe waiting for the alien in Nope

The alien in Nope doesn’t necessarily seem to have a sinister motivation for preying on humanity like the villains in various other sci-fi films, as it appears to just be an unidentified predatory entity that settles on Earth in order to feed.

Jean Jacket becoming enraged after attempts to contain it connect to Nope’s scenes with Gordy the Chimp, who went on a murderous rampage on the set of a 1990s sitcom. As OJ and Emerald’s father had said, some things aren’t meant to be tamed, so the alien may have lashed back at Jupe and humanity's attempt to control it.

Interpreting the Symbolism of Jean Jacket

The alien in Nope is frequently seen eating horses and humans, and perhaps any organic matter that is found near Jupiter’s Claim and Haywood Ranch. Nope makes it clear that the alien cannot digest anything inorganic, which is why it spits out metals, fake horses, and coins, such as the nickel that killed OJ and Emerald’s father.

Connecting to the movie's core theme of spectacles, Nope's mysterious alien doesn’t feed on those who don’t look directly at it. Society has an obsession with needing to see and understand every moment, especially those that are particularly bizarre, but only those that can manage to ignore the spectacle are the ones that survive in Nope.

Nope’s alien would have found far more food closer to the heart of Los Angeles, but chose to stay in the remote area near Jupiter’s Claim and Haywood Ranch. The reason for this seems to be that Jupe had been regularly feeding the alien for months in an attempt to tame it as a spectacle for his theme park show, 'Star Lasso Experience,' with the horses at the nearby Haywood Ranch in offering plenty of food.

What is very evident in Nope is that the story is about the obsession with spectacle and the need for society to seek it without care for the consequences. The alien in Nope is directly tied to this idea.