Asteroid City Ending Explained | Aliens and Play Analysis & More

[@J5HUA]

ive seen people criticize the alien and how weird it looked but thats the point because its a play costume of an alien, not cgi of a real alien. At one point you can see jeff goldblum backstage with the alien head piece taken off because it is a costume

[@Jackmitchhell]

I loved the alien! It felt so wes anderson.

[@fucno6924]

Alien reminded me of Fantastic Mr Fox lol

[@BrendanMariani]

@@Jackmitchhell ya the alien was perfect. The photo pose too ahaha

[@sidsaraj4391]

Tje quarantine and how the aloen was handling I understood but guess ot was far too intellectual for me to understanding.

[@polkadotproductions3459]

Honestly there is something about him that’s so cute yet a little unsettling. He reminds me of a stylised Tim burton character

[@sebasthemartian]

The meaning of this movie is like the meaning of life, we don't really know what this story means just act it out and have fun with it before its over. Kind of like the meaning of life we dont know what life is about or life outside the planet or what happens when we die. We just gotta live life before it ends and you cant wake up if you never fell asleep just like you dont the meaning of life if you never lived your life in the first place. (thats my theory of it)

[@linkinparkrulz2275]

This movie is the definition of postmodern. The meta narrative with the alien is treated as so unimportant as to be regular in the context of the film, and the triviality of the lockdown in the face of the actual playwright dying in a car accident is one of the best examples of mis 'en abyme in a film of this nature I've seen. It doesn't matter if aliens show up. The inexplicable horribleness of our actual lives is the conflict.

[@ozthebeeman]

pretty much everyone saw the road runner and even heard him say mip mip but a joke that might have went over most people's head is where one of the kids say they saw a kaote smash into the payment and turn flaccid like a pancake which is also a road runner reference

[@sidsaraj4391]

😂 i heard that

[@rachaelschroll7705]

I just watched this movie tonight and the alien reminded me straight out of a Salad Fingers video. It wasn’t super realistic but super creepy and I was stunned

[@sidsaraj4391]

Haha. I found it super adorable.

[@Shenanigans_333]

I went to the exhibition, and saw the life size alien! It was 8ft tall, very scary

[@boxsterman77]

And yet somewhat endearing, expressing an almost human-like shyness.

[@hawsuk7111]

I think the stage play in this film is not to make the film feels even more unrealistic in Wes's style but as life, we all play roles in life the same as the actors/actresses play their role on the stage. Sometimes we don't understand ourselves or don't know what we are doing, the same as Jason's character doesn't understand why he has to put his hand on the grill and when he asked the 'director' of the show (I think, in life, that means God) he, Jason Brody, does not know as well. For me, outside the stage replicates heaven where the gods live (show as the director, writer of the show as we believe they can direct or write our lives), it also the only place Jason's character can meet his, in-show, deceased wife. Backstage is also the only place we briefly see the alien took off his costume and just being a guy, sometimes we see something we don't understand but it turns out to be just something ordinary, I think Wes is trying to tell the audiences to enjoy their life and don't be too serious about everything because lost can come at any time, the same as what Tom Hank's character mentioned about his deceased daughter 'the time is never right'. The word said at the very end of the film is very cryptic 'you can't wake up if you don't fall asleep' I can only interpret it as you need to accept life first in order to wake up or to be enlighten since the writer of the show, Ed Norton, said that he wants to make a show that is like everyone fall asleep and experience the same event, the same as we all experience uncertainty and cannot understand ourselves sometimes, we need to first accept that we are not perfect and it is okay to sometimes feel bad or uncertain and that is normal in order to wake up.

[@theXaint]

Excellent!

[@sawlfo]

Just a pointer, as someone who has go down the ufo rabbit hole, this was not a metaphor for covid, this was literaly the unfolding of classic ufo mitology, from the goverments response and intent on controling the narrative, to the various reactions from the ones that witness the ufo, ranging from obsesion and the change in the way you see the world, to complete lack of interest and intention to just go on with normal life!

[@mikeyvp]

It was both…and a few more things as well.

[@nelsonrodriguez2085]

3:48 Well, i believe that car part does come into play later in the movie, as the little staircase that the alien comes down from has a strong resemblance with the part that the mechanic added

[@DanielEastland]

Was coming to say this exact thing. Thanks!

[@transparenteyelids]

exactly what i caught!

[@YomamaYodaddyYobjtchassGranny]

Also the part that falls off the car is also the same part that falls off the UFO

[@mikeyvp]

Also, it is about grief thematically and how we all have to process it differently. Writers write about it…actors must draw from their real life experiences and do their best to portray it and other emotions they may not ave experienced in real life (guilt) and we as an audience must do our best to understand everything the writer/director/actor is trying to teach and portray. We see the process of writing…Directing and performing…and a finished product. We are asked as an audience to see essentially all three roles being played by one person.. so so so cool

[@jaiza_one]

I'm telling you, i really tried with this movie but I almost felt like it was testing my patience. I'll give it another chance at some point though

[@craigwapples4200]

3:50 the car part is to show that even when we think we know what’s going to happen when we think we know how to fix and handle things something different could happen

[@griffinmaraan3101]

Or it’s to keep the main character in asteroid city? Not anything deep

[@craigwapples4200]

@@griffinmaraan3101 or it could just be a fun theory because it’s fun to wonder but you know the way the repair guy said what was wrong made me think

[@gabrielhunt1797]

Thank you for doing this. I need to watch this a few times, I saw it last night and was left fairly confused. Especially the "You can't wake up if you don't fall asleep" chanting towards the end.

[@daniellegraves5614]

That was the part that I did not get

[@angelasylvain2476]

Everything in color is the imagination of the writer.

[@ItsDesm]

better with context, not sure if this quote is exactly what was said in the movie but it sounds close: "Appreciate the fruits of the pursuits of your beautiful Muse. Wonder and work through or chaos ensues. You can’t realize what you didn’t dream. You can’t wake up if you don’t fall asleep. " I believe it's also tied up to the writer wanting the characters to have some dreams to wake up from.

[@sidsaraj4391]

​@@ItsDesminteresting. May be also that only after ignorance true awakening comes....

[@ItsDesm]

@@sidsaraj4391 yes, I saw the movie again and I think that's the vibe, still want to catch it one more time before it leaves theaters

[@sidsaraj4391]

I loved the part in the end how the movie showed road runner without music after titles and had the audiance guessing 😅😅😅

[@42976675]

Appreciate the fruits of the pursuits of your beautiful Muse. Wonder and work through or chaos ensues. You can’t realize what you didn’t dream. You can’t wake up if you don’t fall asleep. Sounds like what a parent says putting the kids to bed.

[@Campbell5339]

What did the hole "you can't wake up if you don't fall asleep" mean?

[@SuperHeroNexus]

Personally I saw it as giving yourself completely to something. As in you can’t wake up from a trauma if you don’t give yourself over to be healed. I didn’t include it in the video as I hadn’t fully analysed that but in my own head and thought that explanation may be a reach.

[@dg_productions]

That part scared me when watching the movie 💀

[@awesomelife3710]

My take on this phrase is this: I believe we all are fully aware of how everything in the Universe works before we choose to come into this life/body/planet. However, part of the requirement to make it back here is that we have to forget, or in a sense “fall asleep,” with a sort of almost complete amnesia, regarding the meaning of life, and our individual purpose or mission. If we weren’t asleep, we couldn’t wake up. Life is a process of remembering what we already knew before coming here.

[@Philonix]

there is a song on youtube by Jarvis Cocker title: You Can't Wake Up If You Don't Fall Asleep maybe it gives the line more meaning., its made for the movie, or as a side piece, because i dont think it what in the movie.

[@ItsDesm]

Appreciate the fruits of the pursuits of your beautiful Muse. Wonder and work through or chaos ensues. You can’t realize what you didn’t dream. You can’t wake up if you don’t fall asleep.

[@agalah408]

The digital clock which counted down to zero for the arrival of the alien is a parody of the countdown for the arrival of the aliens in Independence Day. In Independence Day, the clock was first decoded by Jeff Goldblum. In Asteroid City Jeff IS the alien. Anyone else noticed that?

[@RoamingPineapple]

I happened upon this movie on a long international flight. I watched it about halfway through and stopped. I admire the visuals of Wes Anderson films but couldn’t keep at this film. At a point later in the flight in went back and finished it. I was processing it in my mind for the entirety of my vacation. So much so that I watched it again on my return flight. Not sure why, but I enjoyed my second viewing of it. I will indeed watch it again as it has grown on me.

[@prabeshshrestha145]

"students and parents go to asteroid day, gets some recognition for inventions, alein comes to pick up asteroid and gives it back, some life events of characters and all goes well in the end."

[@franswiggidy]

every scene in the asteroid city bit felt like painting. The scene imagery was amazing.

[@Loquacious_Jackson]

Clifford voice: "you dare me?" 😂😂😂

[@stefmonce]

Hollywood preparing us for aliens

[@wyatthowland6037]

It’s about death and living until then

[@agalah408]

I have only seen this once. The very first thing I noticed was the opening scene when the background faded from black to reveal Bryan Cranston, the analog clock in the background showed 9:00.00. The second hand was EXACTLY on the 12 as the scene opened. That's when I first thought, 'Ok this is going to be another Attention-to-detail thing.' Yep.

[@HighFive212]

Steve Carrell's character was interesting. Thinking of the pandemic, hes like the Amazons, the DoorDash's of the world where there is a "theres nothing to fear" bc we have everything we need right here in these vending machines, living in our little tents/cabins seperated from the outside world. The martini maker especially. And the plot of land you can buy but you dont know what will come of it. Ughz this movie could be micro-scrutinized and IDK if wes is intentional with all these choices but the fact we are talking about it means it works. Well done.

[@caden2914]

Best take I’ve seen since the movie

[@HighFive212]

@@caden2914 thanks!

[@jasonslyric4798]

Modern day Twilight Zone . My hat is tipped Bryan Cranston .

[@willianskelton1601]

My interpretation of the cowboy band is that they are images from the deep subconscious inherited from an earlier time being contrasted with postmodern isolation and social chaos.

[@Loquacious_Jackson]

Clifford voice: "you dare me?"

[@BullyMaguire4ever]

I think the people who hate this movie have never looked into the abyss and experienced existential angst, or deep grief.

[@LorenzoCVB]

You spent 9 minutes not explaining the ending

[@kobemarion1137]

Saw this film last night. I didn't fully understand it and Fantastic Mr. Fox is still my fave WA movie, but it was an... interesting experience. It was just me and an elderly couple in the theater and they walked out of it about 20 mins in and never came back, XD

[@themaudecast6264]

i didn't expect to come out of this video thinking "i want to find the Doug Movie"

[@SuperHeroNexus]

😂 it wasn’t great but that’s due to Disney Doug being so mid.

[@grobanworldnews4216]

The roadrunner was the best thing in the movie.

[@sidsaraj4391]

Mek mek

[@sophiaortiz5057]

the credit scene with the roadrunner dancing was so cute, lol. my fav part

[@popps08]

At what point is it said that the writer died? I got in from watching and cant remember that part at all. Ill be honest, i didn't enjoy the film and kept zoning in and out as it didn't excite me

[@awesomelife3710]

In a scene where the writer’s desk is shown with his typewriter and chair, minus the writer, and his death is announced. It only lasts a few moments.

[@goodcitizen3027]

Jeeze Louise; civilization is doomed.

[@maxpatrickhaynes2194]

Great video. However I disagree abt the broken down part in the car not being tied to the overall plot . That part looked a lot like the part of the spaceship that picked up the meteorite!

[@speedfreak0023]

Loved the Movie! Grand Budapest Hotel is my favorite movie ever.

[@SuperHeroNexus]

Only one I haven’t seen! I will be watching it soon

[@bklxrdxp859]

@@SuperHeroNexusgrand budapest hotel is amazing. the camera angles and shots are very similar to asteroid city as well.

[@JohnnyNiteTrain]

Moonrise Kingdom & Royal Tenenbaums are my faves

[@goodcitizen3027]

One of mine for sure.

[@dureen]

You do see the car part when there's an attack near the end, so there was a connection

[@macguru9999]

I lost patience with this movie and did not watch it through

[@MaxHarden]

Amazon Prime Video copy is messed up. It’s encoded poorly… washed out, not HDR, barely watchable. Seeing these colorful screenshots makes me a little angry.

[@2148aa]

So I should talk to my shrink after seeing this movie????

[@daniellegraves5614]

I loved the movie but their where parts I did not get I need to watch it agen

[@Prauwlet213]

Saw this film in a cinema today. Amazing, albeit weird film.

[@Brandon-ik6ty]

Finally someone understands that Rushmore is his best movie, lolz

[@boxsterman77]

How do you know the lockdown was a metaphor for the COVID pandemic? Maybe that's what you suppose, but unless you've been told by Wes himself, you should couch your definite assertions with a modicum of humility.

[@anotherrabbithole]

im stil confused :/

[@coopsahoy8563]

Even after the explanation I’m still not sure I understand it

[@garylazsereyes]

Literally the stupidest movie I've ever watched, and I have watched 7 of the Sharknado movies ..

[@TIKIWOLF]

"You've got to fall ásleep to wake up" = mass formation psychosis

[@jacobmckechnie6332]

I strongly felt this movie trying to tell us something about dimensions

[@matthewleevanhoose3433]

I didn't make it to the ending. I was bored as shit for almost an hour and couldn't take anymore. Did some of their budget go towards paying for good reviews?

[@mshinasherman7914]

Why do you sound very British like!? You're from Rhode Island.

[@Prauwlet213]

He said he was in the uk in the video 💀

[@2008israelramos]

Great artistic movie...I hated it.

[@THEREINVENTION_]

This movie reminded me of fantastic Mr. Fox

[@fezenstein]

curious why so many people love The Darjeeling Limited - easily my least favorite of his.

[@sh0tgUn_sYko]

Not a good movie.

[@BrianD146]

THERE WAS THE REFRAIN THAT WENT SOMETHING LIKE; " STAY AWAKE! DON'T FALL ASLEEP". SO ALONG WITH WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT; WE JUST KEEP ACTING, WE JUST KEEP DOING, UNTIL THE DIRECTOR SAYS CUT, WE ARE NOT TO FALL ASLEEP AND STAY AWAKE.

[@arcticfox6808]

Holy crap it sucked

[@prakharbhardwaj303]

I know that art is subjective but if someone thought this movie was excellent, the bar for appreciation is in hell.

[@eddiep118]

Right because your opinion is the correct one 👍🏼

[@djstarsign]

Then tell us your top films that raise the bar.

[@aarong.464]

I really liked it.

[@poindextertunes]

sorry it wasn’t a marvel movie

[@goodcitizen3027]

How to say you’re kind of dumb without saying you’re kind of dumb. Stick to Marvel movies.

[@caden2914]

Could this just be one big nod to Covid and life?

[@FreedomAtRisk]

mid

[@goodcitizen3027]

Don’t think MAGAS are the target audience.