World War Z ending explained: What happened to Gerry?

World War Z is an action-horror film released on June 21, 2013. Directed by Marc Forster, this film is an adaptation of the eponymous novel by Max Brooks. Here's the official synopsis:

Former United Nations employee Gerry Lane traverses the world in a race against time to stop a zombie pandemic that is toppling armies and governments and threatens to destroy humanity itself.

The film stars Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos, and Daniella Kertesz, among others. It received positive reviews and grossed $540 million at the box office. The film's original ending was changed, and we will explore it.

What is the plot of World War Z?

A still from World War Z | Image via Paramount Pictures YouTube

World War Z is about Gerald Lane, also known as Gerry, who has retired from his job as an investigator for the United Nations. However, the world experiences a societal collapse due to a zombie apocalypse. He is called back to duty to find a cure for the virus. During his mission, he meets a soldier from Israel named Segen.

How does World War Z end?

Towards the end of World War Z, Gerry reaches the WHO building, where he must go to the center, but it is filled with infected zombies. He injects the pathogen into his body and is able to walk past the zombies. We then see a montage that showcases humans fighting back against the infected.

This was not the original ending. In this version, Gerry and Segen reach Moscow, where they join their army to fight the infected. The story then undergoes a time jump, and we see a slightly older Gerry who continues to combat the zombies. He observes that they move more slowly in winter compared to summer. Throughout his stay, Gerry has not contacted his family. Meanwhile, his wife has started a relationship with a paratrooper for her and her children's safety. He, along with Segen and Simon, plans to go to the US to save his family. The final scene depicts them reaching the country.

This ending occurred because the screenplay was incomplete. After filming wrapped up, studio executives were dissatisfied with it, and Damon Lindelof was brought on board to rewrite the script. The team then reshot a 40-minute segment, which increased their production budget by over $200 million. The ending we saw in the theatrical cut also paves the way for a potential sequel.

The film received a mostly mixed critical response and holds a 67% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. People on the internet, particularly on Reddit, have expressed their mixed views about the film.

One user wrote,

"I know it's not a well-liked movie but I definitely found it really entertaining in how it shows the chaos and terror of the start of the infection."

Another one called out how the film was subpar to the book it's based on.

"It’s a decent movie but they should have just called it anything except World War Z. Its nothing like the book and that’s okay because it has to be a movie first as they are different art forms. But what disappointed me the most was just the complete lack of effort to show how the military fell while the book explains it a semi believable way. Because that’s the biggest loophole in all zombie apocalypse movies/media or at least it is for me anyway ..how did the Military fall."