In Jordan Peele’s thriller, there are many references to the iconic movies of Steven Spielberg, such as Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and Jurassic Park. All of these movies are about encounters with creatures that are very different from people.

Both Spielberg and Peele created aliens that used the clouds as a disguise. In Close Encounters of the Third Kind, an alien ship hovers above the character’s house as a bright orange cloud. In Nope, the characters discover that one large cloud on the horizon never moves.