What's a bad miracle?
Why it is hard sci-fi
A horse rancher and his sister discover that the unidentified flying object over their California valley is not a craft. It is a living organism that has occupied that altitude as territory and feeds by ingesting anything that meets its gaze. The film treats the creature as a biological entity with a working diet, hunting pattern, and territorial range. The protagonists run a documentation campaign with practical equipment.
Science inside it
Aerial xenobiology with an evolved camouflage strategy that uses cloud cover, a single-eye focal point as a hunting cue, and a non-electronic camera setup that the protagonists assemble specifically because the creature kills electrical equipment in its vicinity. The films Star Lasso Experience set piece is presented as a real attempt to bait the organism with a known target.
Spoiler alert
The creature, named Jean Jacket, is brought down by a ride-attached helium balloon that the protagonists inflate to a size larger than the creatures aperture. The balloon ruptures inside it and kills it. The films closing image is a film photograph of the creature taken on a hand-cranked still camera, which is the only verified record. The film commits to the documentation as the win condition.