Summary

• Humans are powerless against the apex predators in Under Paris' ending, highlighting the sharks' dominance over mankind.
• The end credits scene in Under Paris shows the global extent of the shark invasion, spreading from Paris to London, the US, and Asia.
• Under Paris sets up a potential sequel with a major cliffhanger, expanding the narrative to a worldwide battle against the shark invasion.

Although Netflix's new shark movie, Under Paris, adopts many familiar tropes and storytelling devices of the creature feature sub-genre, it ends on a surprisingly uncertain note that leaves a viewer with more questions than answers. Directed by Xavier Gens, Under Paris is a taut, quick-paced eco-horror film that does not necessarily rank among the genre epics like Jaws and King Kong. However, it packs enough gory chills and thrills to keep viewers glued to their screens throughout its runtime.

Under Paris begins with the main character, Sophia, losing her partner and crew to a shark attack. While still grieving their demise, Sophia later learns that the same shark, Lillith, is still lurking in the waters of Paris' Seine River. Although Sophia tries her best to save the residents of Paris from the merciless creature, her efforts go in vain due to bureaucratic obstacles and chaotic military interventions. She takes things into her own hands, hoping to save the lives of hundreds before it is too late. However, Under Paris closes on a grim note where Sophia fails to contain the shark invasion despite her best efforts.

Are The Humans Doomed In Under Paris' Ending?

Humans Seem Powerless Against The Apex Predators In Under Paris' Ending

In Under Paris' final arc, Sophia and the team plant bombs in the underwater shark nest, hoping to destroy the infestation before the beginning of the triathlon race that the mayor refused to cancel despite being warned. To their dismay, the bombs are barely effective at stopping the sharks. Lillith, the main vicious shark mother, seemingly injures herself after the underwater blasts. However, that only makes her more infuriated and territorial. Therefore, she directly heads towards the swimmers and starts attacking them one by one.

Adil and Sophia somehow survive the disaster but find themselves surrounded by sharks.

The spectators on land panic, and in an attempt to save the swimmers, many even fall into the Seine River and become shark food. Even the military makes some hasty decisions and starts blindly shooting at the water bodies. This, in turn, leads to another disaster as it triggers the underwater World War II shells. Soon, as the shells explode, almost the entire city gets swallowed by giant waves, making more room for the shark Mama and her babies to travel freely. Adil and Sophia somehow survive the disaster but find themselves surrounded by sharks.

Although humans still outnumber the sharks, the sharks show why they are considered apex predators by killing anything and everything that comes their way. With nowhere to go and no means to protect themselves, humans seem doomed in Under Paris' ending. Even though Under Paris, as its title suggests, is set in the French capital, the movie's end credits highlight how the destruction from the shark attack extends far beyond European nations.

Under Paris' End Credits Scene Explained

The End Credits Highlights The Threat Extends Beyond Paris

Under Paris' end-credits scene shows how quickly the sharks travel to other parts of the world. After taking over Paris, Lillith and her babies head to London before moving to parts of the United States. They also end up in parts of Asia like Tokyo and Bangkok, which highlights the massive extent of the shark invasion. Since almost 70% of the Earth's surface is covered with water, the sharks seemingly have enough room to move around and establish their dominance against humans.

The New Species Of Shark In Under Paris Explained

The Sharks Will Eventually Outnumber Humans In Under Paris

Under Paris' prologue features a quote by Charles Darwin: "The species that survive aren't the strongest species, nor are they the most intelligent, but rather the ones who best adapt to change." The quote highlights how, even though the film's sharks may not be as intelligent as humans, they are equipped with mutations that help them adapt to changes much faster than humans. Under Paris' opening arc reveals that, even though Moka sharks like Lillith are not supposed to survive in freshwater, the shark seemingly has a mutation that helps it sustain itself in the Seine River.

Sophia later also learns that even the younger sharks are able to reproduce through the same process without reaching sexual maturity.

As Sophia later discovers, Lillith also possesses the ability to reproduce asexually through a process called Parthenogenesis, allowing her to create an army of sharks before Sophia and her team can do anything to eradicate her. Sophia later also learns that even the younger sharks are able to reproduce through the same process without reaching sexual maturity. This allows the sharks to grow in numbers exponentially, overwhelming human efforts to contain the threat.

Are The Underwater World War II Shells In Under Paris Real?

There Is A Semblance Of Realism In The Movie's Portrayal Of The Shells

Unlike the sharks, the humans in Under Paris are unprepared for uncertainties. Therefore, when the shark attack kicks in, humans dig their own graves by triggering the underwater World War II shells and flooding the entire city. As per reports from 2022 (via SotiraParis), divers and bomb disposal squads have found close to 150 World War II shells underwater in the Seine River in an area equivalent to a football field. However, most of these pieces did not have an ignition system, which made them less of a threat.

However, unexplored bombs and shells in are still considered a major threat by activists since, between June 1940 and May 1945, close to 600,000 tonnes of bombs were dropped in , of which around 15% never even exploded (via NDTV). Therefore, even though Under Paris' portrayal of the shells and their destruction may be fictional, it reflects a real-world concern. Even though humanity may be far from facing a shark invasion like the one in the movie, Under Paris effectively uses the shark attacks as a narrative device to highlight the impending threats humans face from nature's unpredictable forces.

How Under Paris' Ending Sets Up A Sequel

Netflix's Under Paris Ends With A Major Cliffhanger

Since most creature features, especially the ones with sharks, end with humans finally overcoming the looming threat, it is hard not to assume that Sophia and Adil will eventually find a way to defeat Lillith and her shark army in Under Paris. However, surprisingly, the film's final arc becomes less hopeful when humans accidentally escalate the shark invasion. Although Sophia and Adil were initially on the right track towards solving the issue, they, too, find themselves in a helpless situation where their efforts are thwarted by bureaucratic interference and chaotic decisions by the military and the public.

By highlighting how the shark invasion is now a global threat, Under Paris' ending perfectly paves the way for a slam-bang sequel, where humans worldwide will have to forces to eradicate the sharks. Under Paris' overall reception has also been fairly positive. It is also seemingly driving good numbers on Netflix. This could encourage the streamer to greenlight its sequel. However, since Under Paris 2 will feature even more sharks and expand its vision to diverse, international settings, it will likely require a larger budget.