Some people really liked all the different ways he tied the motif of dealing with a wild animal together. There are layers to the ways he expressed that message all through the story, and in the subtle acting cues. People also liked how the creature "explained" a variety of unexplained reports of aerial phenomena through history - from UFOs to angels.

I agree with you (I think) that the movie was good, but not as incredible as some have made it out to be. I would suggest looking up the Reddit megathread if you are interested in how some people really dug down into the symbols and nods.