General Discussion

The film has been described as containing themes related to spectacle and exploitation.[11]

Jen Yamato noted that Steven Yeun's Ricky "Jupe" Park attempts to profit off Jean Jacket with his "Star Lasso Experience" show, falsely believing that, because he survived the Gordy incident, he shares a similar kinship with Jean Jacket.[11] Zosha Millman of Polygon argues that Jupe's belief that Gordy and Jean Jacket are well-intentioned, despite their capacity to be unpredictable and dangerous, contrasts with the life experience of Daniel Kaluuya's OJ, "who grew up around unruly animals that it was his job to tame. As a horse trainer, he knows that animals are worthy of our respect. But it's not part of a grand design, or born from a special relationship with the horse. It's an animal, and it could kill you—but it can be tamed and worked with, if you know what you're doing."[14]

Yamato asserts that Jupe has disguised his trauma from the incident "under a veneer of capitalist hustle and humor", and characterizes Jupe's experience as a child actor as one in which he was "exploited and then spit out by the fame machine [...] and this sets him up to make the fatal mistake of underestimating a creature that's too dangerous to wrangle."[11]

Or does it take until Oscar finds out that he, too, has a antihero alter-ego — a Voltron-scale robot — and uses this revelation as a device to threaten, abuse, and control Gloria’s every move? To pressure her to drink when she doesn’t want a beer (if she doesn’t, he promises to use his power to kill a bunch of people and leave their graves on her conscience). To coerce her into staying in their little, do-nothing town that he’s been unable to escape (if she leaves, who will keep him from kicking over a skyscraper and sending hundreds tumbling to their deaths?).

He taunts her about her inability to stop him — not to mention the obvious futility of calling the police — and revels in what he sees as a final, overdue victory over her. He’s the human embodiment of a Men’s Rights blog comments section, someone who can twist any narrative to cast himself as the blameless victim. As Hathaway told Vulture, “You’ve met that guy. And part of the reason it becomes sickening is because you realize that you know that guy.”