Explorers 3 ( 2019 film)

Warning: this is not a real movie.Explorers 3 is an American adventure family mystery film and the third installment in the Explorers franchise. The film is produced by Sony Pictures Entertainment and distributed by Walt Disney Studios. The film stars Gabriel Combs, Jackson Bond, Lennon Richardson, and Dylan Bond reprising their roles from the first two films.

The film was released theatrically in the United States on July 5, 2019. It was also a box office success, grossing $700 million against a $200 million budget, and received critical acclaim for its plot, cast, humor, and performances. A sequel was released on July 3, 2020.

Plot
Explorer Johnson, Explorer Jackson, Dylan Waterbottom, and Lennon Naturestone return to the island from the first film to have a vacation from mystery solving. Johnson and Jackson begin to believe that their troubles are over after the defeat of Rocky Salmonfist. They climb the old island and discover a new part to hang out at.

Johnson and Jackson continue to keep their friendship strong as they stay their first night at the island. Johnson and Jackson discuss Johnson’s past and he remembers nothing else evil about it.

The Next Day, Johnson and Jackson notice that the island is beginning to flood. Dylan and Jackson decide to go fishing and they catch over 100 fish in two minutes. Johnson explores the unexplored part of the island for clues. He finds a note underwater and discovers that it is a key to his past (again). He is then attacked by piranhas. He escapes safely.

Dylan and Lennon meet Johnson and Jackson at the middle of the island to discuss the mystery. They discover that the mystery is from his past again and discuss who it could be. Johnson begins to believe that the villain could be Rocky Salmonfist returning again or the Indians returning again. Jackson, Lennon, and Dylan disagree with all of those theories.

Lennon and Dylan leave to continue to catch fish. Lennon catches a note that says “I’m coming” with the signature blurry that only Johnson could read due to the handwriting. Lennon gives Johnson the note, revealing it to be a family member of his. Johnson reveals himself to have had survivor siblings that his parents abandoned. Jackson, Lennon, and Dylan accuse him of lying about his past.

Johnson gets Jackson, Lennon, and Dylan to forgive him. Johnson hatches a plan to have him and Jackson search the island for clues while Lennon and Dylan fish for more notes and clues to the past. Johnson and Jackson go back to the rock statue where it all began to search for clues. They discover the snakes and wasps to be drowned and a note that says “forget the past and let it burn!”.

A flood goes over the statue. Johnson and Jackson attempt to escape as the wasps return to get revenge for the wasp nests breaking in the first film. The two are also attacked by piranhas. The two escape the flood and survive. Johnson and Jackson discover another note that says “Remember me? Here’s a hint: New York is trash!”. The villain is revealed to be Johnson’s brother, who was shipped to New York during the first film.

Johnson decides to face his brother, whom was named Gutt, alone. He abandons Jackson, Lennon, and Dylan to face his past and get rid of his inner demons to save his friends from certain doom. Jackson warns Lennon and Dylan about Gutt, only to discover Gutt’s henchmen ambushing them. Jackson, Lennon, and Dylan battle Gutt’s henchmen, but are defeated and captured in the process.

Johnson confronts Gutt, who reveals to him to have captured Jackson, Lennon, and Dylan. Johnson decides to sacrifice himself for his friends, as he intended to do in the first place. Gutt decides to kill them anyway. Johnson battles Gutt as Jackson, Lennon, and Dylan escape and battle the henchmen. The henchmen are defeated as Johnson is almost killed during the fight with Gutt. Johnson pushes Gutt into the water as Gutt is killed by piranhas.

Johnson’s demons were faced, his friends were safe, and the island stopped flooding, which was revealed to be a bunch of water buckets being poured out as flooding the past. Everything goes back to normal.

Cast

 * Gabriel Combs as Explorer Johnson, an explorer who is friends with Explorer Jackson and solves mysteries on islands.
 * Combs also portrays Gutt, Johnson’s brother.
 * Jackson Bond as Explorer Jackson, an explorer who is friends with Explorer Johnson and solves mysteries with him.
 * Dylan Bond as Dylan Waterbottom, a fish expert who is a close friend of Lennon Naturestone.
 * Lennon Richardson as Lennon Naturestone, a fish expert who is a close friend of Dylan Waterbottom.

Reception
The film received generally positive reviews for its plot, humor, cast, and performances. The film received a 95% Rotten Tomatoes Score, stating “Explorers 3 brings its stunning franchise to a turning point where the protagonist learns to face his demons, which is a treat for fans of the franchise that all of them will enjoy.” On an A+ to F Scale, the film received an “A+”.

Release
The film was released theatrically in the United States on July 5, 2019. It was also released digitally on September 30, 2019. It was also released on Blu-Ray and DVD on October 6, 2019.

Sequel
A sequel, titled Explorers 4, was released on July 3, 2020.