This article was originally published on SFFGazette.com.
Jurassic World Rebirth has arrived in theaters, and in the movie, filmmaker Gareth Edwards takes us to a new island full of never-before-seen Mutadon dinosaurs for a fun (albeit somewhat forgettable) standalone adventure.
The Jurassic franchise has produced many box office hits, and it's obvious that Universal Pictures is hoping this could be the first instalment of a new trilogy. That will depend on a number of factors, including how it performs at the box office this holiday weekend.
For now, we're taking a deep dive into the movie's ending, explaining how it plays out, what it means for the future, and whether you should stick around once the credits roll.
In Jurassic World Rebirth, pharmaceutical company representative Martin Krebs (Rupert Friend) hires a group of mercenaries, along with palaeontologist Dr. Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey), to retrieve three dinosaur DNA samples from a third, previously unexplored island, Ile Saint-Hubert.
The team, led by Zora Bennett (Scarlett Johansson), eventually encounters the Delgado family and saves them from a Mosasaurus. They also discover that they're dealing with genetically altered dinosaurs deemed too dangerous for Jurassic Park, but collect the necessary samples (even after everything starts going wrong) and plot an escape from the island.
That's easier said than done when they're being hunted by rampaging mutants. As the situation worsens, the greedy Krebs handcuffs the case containing the samples to his wrist in a bid to make sure they aren't lost and that his company will profit from what's been retrieved.
Attempting to escape through a tunnel, the young Isabella Delgado manages to reach a control panel that will clear their path to a nearby boat. The D-rex sets its sights on Krebs, eating him in one bite...but conveniently leaving his arm and the samples behind. Zora grabs the case, and Duncan Kincaid (Mahershala Ali) distracts the monster long enough for everyone to escape.
Fortunately, Kincaid is revealed to have survived, and the group sails away to safety. Krebs planned to profit greatly from the samples, but as Henry and Zora discuss what to do with them, they ultimately conclude that they should be made open-sourced, so everyone can take advantage of the huge medical benefits they offer. Better that than they be used to shore up the profits of one big pharma corporation.
So, it's a happy ending and the good guys win, but does Edwards tease his sequel plans for the Jurassic World franchise's fresh start with a post-credits scene?
No, Jurassic World Rebirth has nothing extra after the credits; this movie could be a standalone tale or the start of a fresh set of adventures with these characters. The D-rex is also still out there, so we may well see more of that down the line, too.
Jurassic World Rebirth is now playing in theaters.