Summary

• The Life movie ending is a shocking twist that reveals the heroes' plan has failed, leaving Earth vulnerable to the alien menace.
• The devastating ending showcases the futile attempts of the characters to save the world, highlighting the threat posed by the new lifeform.
• Director Daniel Espinosa purposefully included the dark and bleak ending, drawing inspiration from the noir genre and believing it was a fundamental part of the movie.

The Life movie ending took audiences by surprise in 2017, offering a bleak and haunting conclusion to the sci-fi horror movie. While Life was not a box office or critical hit, it managed to impress many fans with its take on the contained killer alien story that draws a lot of inspiration from Ridley Scott's Alien. However, the aspect of the movie that seems to get the most attention is the unforgettable ending that is worth examining further.

Life stars Rebecca Ferguson, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Ryan Reynolds as a team of scientists working on a space station that discovers a living organism they dub "Calvin," who was found in a soil sample from Mars. As can be expected with horror movies in outer space, the organism soon turns hostile and starts absorbing crew members to nurture itself and grow larger. As Calvin continues to grow, it threatens not only the crew of the space station, but also the population of Earth if it manages to reach the nearby planet. It makes for an intense sci-fi ride leading up to Life's memorable ending.

What Happens In The Life Ending

The Life movie ending comes with only two remaining scientists alive and battling Calvin to prevent an alien invasion of Earth. Despite numerous attempts to kill Calvin, including burning him with a flamethrower and a failed attempt to eject him from the station, David (Gyllenhaal) and Miranda (Ferguson) hatch a plan. They know that under no circumstances can Calvin reach Earth since he'd quickly evolve and annihilate the human race as it continues to grow, so David proposes to sacrifice himself by luring Calvin into an escape pod and heading for deep space.

Meanwhile, Miranda will take another pod and head back to Earth to warn of other lifeforms from Mars. The final few minutes of Life find David succeeding in luring Calvin into his pod, while Miranda also escapes. The pods are hit by some debris as they detach, however, sending one into space. While David attempts to manually steer the pod Calvin soon overwhelms him, and the movie cuts to the Earthbound pod as it breaks the atmosphere.

The Twist In The Life Ending

The Life movie ending provides a unique horror movie twist ending that shocks the audience by revealing that the heroes' plan has failed. When some Vietnamese fishermen see the Earthbound pod land and quickly rush to help, it is revealed that it is David inside and he is covered in some kind of cocoon. The cruel ending of Life reveals it was Miranda's pod that was sent flying into space, with the last viewers see of her being the character screaming as she spirals into the void. Meanwhile, David desperately begs the fishermen not to open his pod, but the final scene is the door being pried open as more boats arrive.

The Meaning Of The Life Ending

The Life movie ending is a devastating blow to the audience as the desperate and selfless acts of Miranda and David to save the Earth from this alien menace proves to be futile. Miranda is faced with dying alone in the cold depths of space while David can only watch helplessly as the dangerous new form of life is free upon the world. Indeed, the ending also gives new meaning to the movie's title. While it initially seemed to refer to the new lifeform of Calvin, it also could refer to Calvin feeding off of other life and how, ultimately, life on Earth is now threatened.

Given that Life was not a huge success, there is little hope of the movie getting a sequel, but that is fine given the ending. While there are plenty of questions about what will happen next, the Life movie ending was not meant to set up a sequel. Instead, it is more similar to the ending of The Thing which also hints at an alien species making its way into populated areas and taking over. However, the fact that the audience is left to imagine what happens next is more effective than actually seeing it.

What The Director Said About The Life Ending

The Life movie ending is quite a dark and bleak conclusion for a big blockbuster with A-list stars. However, it was something that was very important for director Daniel Espinosa to include in the movie. Espinosa explained in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that he took inspiration for the ending from the noir genre which was known for its cynical finales. He also insisted the ending was a big part of the reason he wanted to make Life, so he was vocal about that fact with the producers before filming even began:

"When I met the producers, I told them, “I completely understand that this ending might not be the preferable choice, but for me it was a fundamental part of the reason I want to do the movie.” If we couldn’t see eye to eye with the ending, we should part ways before we get something started. My producers were completely supportive, which I thought was surprising and bold."

Indeed, the bleak movie ending does feel like something special outside of Life's more mainstream feel. While that could be part of the reason the movie didn't become more popular, those who do enjoy the movie, point to the ending of Life as its best aspect.