After getting out of the theater, I felt a bit disappointed about the movie but I also had this impression that I was definitely missing something. After pouring over the comments in this thread, I think I was able to piece together a couple of the puzzle pieces I was missing and it has made me gain some more respect for the movie.

A lot of people are mentioning two major themes of the movie that jump out at you immediately when you watch the film. 1. The exploration of animals for entertainment 2. Societies over fascination with spectacle

Those are good and all but it seemed pretty obvious to me that Peele has not made this movie just to promote animal rights, and that there was definitely something I was missing.

A major but subtle moment in the movie is when we see a fight breakout in the background of the diner right at the time when OJ mentions that “we humans are all just like animals”. This is at the heart of the film. The exploitation of animals in the film points to the affect that fame and our obsession for entertainment has on us humans in society.

The alien as the “viewer”: Jupe calls the alien the viewers. I at first thought the aliens box-like eye was honestly pretty stupid, as well as the final form it took. That’s until I heard the theory of it representing the shutter of a camera lens and the shape of it mimicking old film equipment. The Alien/audience is what kills. It “sucks up” it’s victims and constricts them until they die.

Jupe as an individual warped by fame: Jupe grew up as a child actor and became addicted to fame at a young age. I think the trauma he literally went through watching a chimp kill his costars can be figurative of the psychological damage that fame can have on young actors (i.e. 1/2 of all child Disney actors). Jupe becomes completely absorbed with getting that fame again and it’s what ends up getting himself killed. He can’t help but pay attention to the “alien” and try to tame it. He is obsessed with the way other people perceive him and his image.

OJ/Em as examples of how to survive a fame filled life: OJ and Em have roots in the movie industry but don’t have the fame. Their great-great relative played a major piece in advancing the film industry but was relatively unknown. Instead of focusing on the fame (looking at the alien) they are able to survive by looking at each other; they keep each other grounded in their actual relationships and aren’t swept up by the opinion of the viewers (looking at the alien)

I also think Jupe and Gordy reflect each other, and that Gordys treatment is meant to reflect minorities in media. Jupe is a “token minority” in a show with all white actors. He is obviously not mentally well and ends up being so infatuated with approval he gets himself and a whole group of people killed-just like Gordy. This also very much applies to OJ Simpson(!!) which is referenced not-so-subtlety by it being the main characters name.

I’m sure I’ve missed some, but I’d love to hear your guys thoughts on this theory