where I THOUGHT the movie would go...

So this really isn't a fault of the movie, because it wasn't Peele's idea. But i like to imagine i can see foreshadowing and metaphors enough to guide me where the ending will go. at the halfway mark, I thought I had it nailed. boy was i wrong.

I thought the alien would somehow be connected to animals, that it could maybe communicate them and/or control them. maybe a twist about how it was there to help wildlife, not kill it. I was convinced this is why the chimp subplot was so important; the chimp went nuts because of the alien's presence, and it would hint that the alien has been nearby for decades.

i thought this is also why the alien chooses to call a horse ranch its home, because of the animals. it relates/communicates with the horses and gets pissed off when humans intervene.

what also convinced me about this animal theory was the praying mantis coincidently blocking the camera, and then suddenly leaving the moment the alien leaves too. somebody says something like "i haven't seen a mantis here in 20 years!" as if the alien was able to control the mantis to place it on the camera, and then its manipulation wears off when it leaves. instead, the mantis pretty much plays zero into the film's plot, and it's played off as a minor coincidence i guess?

another thing i figured would happen is some sort of government involvement. a character mentions that their house is "blurred out on google maps", as if something is blocking the world from discovering their secret, similar to North Korea or certain military bases in real life. this immediately made me think of government meddling, like the FBI/CIA knows well about this creature.

also, i figured the climax would involve the characters being sucked into the ship and witnessing a plethora of grotesque body horror moments, exploring its innards to kill it from the inside. i figured that brief glimpse of the creature's stomach in the 2nd act was just a hint at what would happen in the climax, and i was disappointed that the brief moment is all we get.