Nope ending explained: Mystery behind the craft revealed

Nope is a film in the genre of science-fiction horror, and it is the third feature-length directorial effort of Jordan Peele. He also wrote its screenplay and co-produced it with Ian Cooper. The film premiered at LA's TCL Chinese Theatre and was released theatrically by Universal Pictures on July 22, 2022. Here's the official synopsis as per IMDb:

"The residents of a lonely gulch in inland California bear witness to an uncanny and chilling phenomenon."

Let us explore how the film ends and unravel the mystery behind the craft that's featured prominently in the story.

What is the plot of Nope?

Nope chronicles the adventures of siblings Otis Haywood Jr. aka OJ (played by Daniel Kaluuya), and Emerald Haywood aka Em (Keke Palmer). The two are horse wranglers in Agua Dulce, California. They realize that a UFO has been hovering around their region, and they start to collect evidence against it.

How does Nope end?

As Nope heads towards the ending, we see Antlers Holst bring a film camera to stop Jean Jacket, the mysterious UFO. The rest of them put out a sky dancer to get its location. But a reporter from TMZ enters the field and is killed. Holst decides to climb a platform to get a better view of the event. But he is consumed by the entity.

Angel manages to get saved after Jean Jacket tries to eat them. Jean Jacket eventually gets bigger and takes the form of a jellyfish. While OJ is distracting it, Em manages to get to the Claim. She opens up the helium balloon, which attracts Jean Jacket, who then tries to eat the balloon. Meanwhile, Em manages to click its pictures. Jean Jacket bursts open after eating the balloon and instantly dies.

In the end, Em joyfully looks at Lucky and OJ as they are right outside the Claim. They have evidence of the alien entity. We also see journalists reaching the location. The craft shown in the film is an alien entity instead of an alien spacecraft. Its visual resemblance is similar to a UFO, and it also has the power to eat things like human beings, animals, and other stuff.

The craft's body also discards the useless items after 'digestion.' It also does not eat inanimate objects like metal or wood because it might not be able to digest them. The craft looks like a cloud and manages to hide behind them as it waits for its prey to make a move.

This entity is interested in the Haywood ranch and its people, OJ and Emerald, which eventually leads to its demise. The makers of Nope do not explicitly explain what this craft is and why it's eating up people. There are instances in the film where the craft did not kill O.J. and his horse. This was because they kept their eyes down, and the alien didn't see them as a threat.

Nope is the third film by Jordan Peele, who made his directorial debut with Get Out.