Summaries

Synopsis

In 2048, on an Earth overpopulated and ridden by violent conflicts, scientists are looking to Saturn's moon Titan as a new home for humanity, spearheaded by Professor Martin (Tom Wilkinson). Rick Janssen (Sam Worthington), a war pilot who survived for 3 days in the Syrian desert without food or water, is chosen to be a part of an experiment that forces humans to adapt to the surface of Titan, due to his past ability to survive in extreme conditions. The experiment, in the beginning, seems successful. Rick becomes able to swim at incredible speeds and stay underwater for 40 minutes at a time. However, the following evening, Abigail notices Rick's veins becoming darker while they're swimming.

The experimentation continues, as Abigail becomes more worried about Rick. Rick's training becomes increasingly intense as he and the other humans are subjected to colder and more Titan-like environments. Following a swimming drill, Rick finds that some of his hair is falling out, and one of the members begins convulsing in the bathrooms and dies. The following night, while the experiment subjects are having a meeting, Abigail (his wife) (Taylor Schilling) notices darker veins appearing on them. Zane, one of the subjects, has sudden mental breakdown and hits his female partner. Abigail, now questioning the safety of the experiment, takes swabs of the blood in Rick's vomit, and notices several cameras hidden in their home. Rick takes a break and sits at the bottom of their swimming pool, where large amounts of his skin shed off. Abigail notices Rick is shedding skin and hair. The next morning, she begins experimentation on the blood sample she took from his vomit, finding that his blood is beginning to become darker.

Rick becomes paler and undergoes eye surgery to accommodate for the low light on Titan. He returns home only to begin bleeding from his eyes and is rushed back into surgery. Abigail confronts Professor Martin about Rick's changes but does not learn anything more. She returns home to find an emergency situation with Zane (a Fellow Titanian like Rick chosen for the experiments). Zane suffers another mental breakdown and throws his wife through a window, killing her instantly. He is then shot down and killed by the military.

That night while visiting Rick in the medical facility, Abigail steals Rick's key card and sneaks into Professor Martin's office. Meanwhile, Professor Martin is scolded during a meeting with NASA for blindly entering forced evolutionary experimentation without proper evidence and ethical reasons and is threatened to have his operation shut down. Abigail finds reports of autopsies of deceased test subjects, discovering that they are having their DNA infused with animal DNA, and are taking steps towards becoming the next human species, called Homo Titanians. She confronts Professor Martin at her home with Rick, to find that he does not actually know what Rick will actually become.

Rick regains his sight and willingly enters a major surgery to adapt to his new senses and become fully ready for Titan. Rick and Tally (another member of the experiment) are the only survivors of the operation, completing their training and finishing their transformations into homo Titanians. Abigail watches with horror and disbelief at her new husband. Rick is unable to communicate with Abigail now after the transformation. The evolution causes him to communicate in a low frequency that is unable to be detected by normal human ears. Rick is sent home for two days until their launch to Titan is ready. That night he accidentally hits Abigail while putting on his jacket due to his enhanced abilities.

Tally (another Homo-Titanians) kills her husband and meets with Rick as SWAT members enter the complex. Abigail flees and hides with her son while SWAT members surround Tally and Rick. Tally is killed, and SWAT attacks Rick, who begins to defend himself and kills the SWAT team while Abigail runs down to confront him with their son. Rick flees as he realizes he has become a monster. The military base undergoes lock-down and hunts for Rick as Abigail does the same. Abigail runs to a hill the two used to run to, finding Rick there. The two hold hands and kiss before the military arrives and knocks them out. Abigail wakes to a Rick in critical condition due to him being incompatible with Earth's atmosphere, however he is not compliant with the military as he refuses to leave his family. Abigail is forced to give him a chemical solution that would act similar to a medical lobotomy, erasing all of his memories with his family. Abigail secretly switches the solution out with a harmless saline solution, tricking the military into believing that he is safe.

Rick, now loose, begins killing soldiers as Abigail flees with her son and Dr. Freya (Agyness Deyn), an assistant to Professor Martin who betrayed him. Abigail and Freya run into a heavily wounded Rick and give him first aid until they are surrounded by Professor Martin and his men. Professor Martin orders his men to shoot Abigail, her son, and Dr. Freya. However, the colonel, who has had ethical misgivings about the experiment, refuses to shoot unarmed women and children and he and his men turn on Professor Martin, siding with Abigail. The scene cuts to Rick, Dr. Freya, and Abigail along with her son being transported to the Titan II facility, where Abigail becomes the head researcher, and Rick is sent to Titan. The film ends with Abigail staring up into the night sky with her son while Rick explores Titan alone.