The Titan (film)

Last updated
The Titan
The Titan poster.png
Official release poster
Directed byLennart Ruff
Screenplay byMax Hurwitz
Story by Arash Amel
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyJan-Marcello Kahl
Edited byAnn-Carolin Biesenbach
Music byFil Eisler
Production
companies
Distributed by
  • Signature Entertainment (United Kingdom)
  • Netflix (United States)
Release dates
  • February 8, 2018 (2018-02-08)(Gérardmer)
  • March 30, 2018 (2018-03-30)(United States)
  • April 13, 2018 (2018-04-13)(United Kingdom)
  • May 9, 2018 (2018-05-09)(Germany)
Running time
97 minutes
Countries
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
  • Germany
  • Spain
LanguageEnglish
Box office$2.6 million [1]

The Titan is a 2018 science fiction thriller film directed by Lennart Ruff and starring Sam Worthington, Taylor Schilling and Tom Wilkinson. The screenplay was written by Max Hurwitz, with the story by Arash Amel. The film is an international co-production between the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, and Spain.

Contents

The Titan was released for some countries by Netflix on March 30, 2018. [2] It was released theatrically in the United Kingdom on April 13, 2018, by Signature Entertainment, and direct to video in Germany on May 8, 2018, by EuroVideo.

Plot

In 2048, on an Earth overpopulated and driven by violent conflicts, scientists are looking to Saturn's moon Titan as a new home for humanity, spearheaded by Professor Martin Collingwood.

Rick Janssen, a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot, volunteers to be a part of an experiment on 14 test subjects that forces human bodies to adapt to the super-cold methane liquids and the ultra-low oxygen atmosphere of Titan. He is joined by his wife Abigail, a medical researcher, and their son Lucas, at the Titan I research area. The initial results are promising. Rick becomes able to swim at incredible speeds and stay underwater for 42 minutes.

Rick's training becomes increasingly intense as he and the others adapt to increasingly Titan-like environments. Rick finds that some of his hair is falling out, and one of the team members starts convulsing and dies. Abigail notices the veins of all the test subjects becoming darker. Fellow volunteer Zane has a mental breakdown which causes him to attack his wife, Rayenne.

Rick takes a break by sitting at the bottom of their swimming pool, where large amounts of his skin are shed. Abigail's concern grows, and she begins experimentation on a sample of his blood, finding that it is indeed becoming darker. Rick undergoes corneal surgery to accommodate the low light on Titan. When he later has complications, Abigail confronts Collingwood about Rick's changes, but he divulges nothing.

Zane suffers another mental breakdown and throws Rayenne through a window, killing her instantly. He is shot and killed by military police. While visiting Rick in the medical facility, Abigail steals his key card and sneaks into Collingwood's office. She finds reports of autopsies of the numerous deceased test subjects, discovering that they were having their DNA infused with animal DNA in an attempt to create the next human species, Homo titaniens.

During a meeting with NASA, Collingwood is chastised for doing forced evolutionary experimentation without proper evidence or ethical reasons, and is threatened with having his operation shut down. Abigail confronts him on the same issue, and he admits to her and Rick that he does not actually know what the surviving subjects will eventually become.

Rick willingly undergoes major surgery to adapt to his new senses and become fully ready for Titan. He and Tally, the only other surviving test subject, complete their training and finish their transformations into Homo titaniens. Abigail is horrified when the significantly-transformed Rick loses the ability to talk, now communicating in a low frequency that is undetectable by normal human ears.

Tally kills her husband, later visiting Rick at his home. Abigail and Lucas hide while military police surround Tally and Rick. Tally kills a member of the police before she is killed, and then Rick easily kills many more. When Abigail and Lucas confront him, Rick flees, realizing what he has become. The military hunt for Rick, but it is Abigail who finds him on a hill they often jog to. The military arrives and arrests them.

Abigail wakes to find Rick in critical condition, due to his newly evolved incompatibility with Earth's atmosphere. Abigail is forced to give him a chemical solution that acts similarly to a lobotomy, erasing all of his memories. However, she actually gives him a harmless saline solution instead, allowing him to escape. Rick begins killing soldiers as Abigail and Lucas flee with Dr. Freya Upton, an assistant to Collingwood who disagrees with his methods.

The group find a heavily wounded Rick, giving him first aid. Collingwood arrives but his men disobey an order to fire upon Rick, Abigail, Lucas and Dr. Freya. The colonel, who has been vocally against Collingwood's experiments, soon arrests Collingwood for his treachery. Abigail and Dr. Freya become researchers at the Titan II facility, using more ethical methods than Collingwood had. Rick is shown exploring Titan, flying under his own power over a methane lake.

Cast

Production

In August 2015, Sam Worthington, Ruth Wilson and Sofia Boutella signed on to star in the film to be directed by Lennart Ruff. Voltage Pictures would handle international rights sales while CAA would handle domestic sales. Producer Arash Amel spoke of his enthusiasm for the project:

The Titan is, at its core, a love story that is set in the pioneering edge of space exploration, a world of fear and wonder. In Brian [Kavanaugh-Jones] and Ben [Pugh], I’ve been lucky enough to find smart, dedicated producing partners to embark on this adventure with, and we now find ourselves surrounded by a highly talented group of artists led by Ruth Wilson and Sam Worthington, under the direction of the incredible Lennart Ruff. I’m very excited that this team will be bringing this passion project to the screen, and to continue the relationship with Automatik, 42, and Motion Picture Capital. [3]

In October 2015, Tom Wilkinson joined the cast with Voltage Pictures planning to sell international rights to the film at the 2016 American Film Market. [4] In December 2015, Taylor Schilling signed on to replace Wilson, who, alongside Boutella, dropped out of the film. [5] In January 2016, Diego Boneta, Aleksander Jovanovic and Agyness Deyn joined the cast. [6] In February 2016, at AFM, Voltage Pictures managed to sell international distribution rights in multiple countries. [7] However, in February 2018, it was reported that Netflix had picked up worldwide distribution rights to the film. [8] The film has also been released on Blu-ray in several European countries including the United Kingdom. [9] Principal production was slated to commence on January 18, 2016, in Europe [3] but was pushed back to February 1, 2016, where shooting began in Gran Canaria. [6]

Reception

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 20% based on 30 reviews, and an average rating of 3.8/10. [10] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 33 out of 100 based on four reviews, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". [11]

Jake Nevins from The Guardian gave the film only one out of five stars, criticizing its script and Worthington's performance:

A more interesting film might focus on how one actually goes about colonizing a moon, instead of ducking its premise for more hackneyed government corruption fodder. A more interesting film might also not star Sam Worthington, who was on the money when he offered this assessment of his performance in Clash of the Titans: 'I think I can act fucking better, to be honest.' I hope he’s right, but in view of The Titan, I'm hedging my bets. [12]

Matt Fowler from IGN gave the film 5 out of 10:

The Titan, from writer Max Hurwitz and director Lennart Ruff, isn't a bad film, it just never pops. And it spends the bulk of its body focusing on the wrong story. By the time the tale ends, you feel like you've just finally reached something interesting because the hour and a half leading you there contained a ton of filler and unnecessary fat. [13]

David Ehrlich from IndieWire also gave the film a negative review:

The Titan hedges its bets until we lose track of whose story this really is, the film so hesitant in its telling that we hardly even notice how Abigail is replacing Rick at the center of it all. Boasting the intellectual curiosity of Annihilation but precious little of Alex Garland's resolve, Ruff just runs out the clock until it's time for the third act’s inevitable descent into body horror (the creature work is eerie, even if the prosthetics summon memories of Bright without the courtesy of a trigger warning). His debut was only sold to Netflix after it was in the can, but this slick placebo dose of cerebral science-fiction is undeniably well-suited to the streaming platform, where it can be hard to classify what you’re watching, or know what it means for the future. [14]

Dan Jackson from the Thrillist, wrote:

...the debut feature from director Lennart Ruff is an 'elevated' science-fiction tale set in a dystopian 2048 version of Earth ravaged by population growth, environmental decay, and constant war. It's a drab, rudderless movie that calls on its star to splice some life into the reanimated DNA of more thoughtful, original fare like The Fly or Annihilation. Sadly, Worthington isn't up to the task and the experiment eventually goes haywire. [15]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brad Anderson (director)</span> American film director (born 1964)

Brad Anderson is an American film director, producer and writer. A director of thriller and horror films and television projects, he is best known for directing The Machinist (2004), starring Christian Bale, psychological horror film Session 9 (2001) and The Call (2013), starring Halle Berry. He also produced and directed several episodes of the Fox science fiction series Fringe. Earlier in his career he directed the romantic comedies Next Stop Wonderland (1998) and Happy Accidents (2000).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Worthington</span> Australian actor (born 1976)

Samuel Henry John Worthington is an Australian actor. He is known for playing Jake Sully in the Avatar franchise, Marcus Wright in Terminator Salvation, and Perseus in Clash of the Titans and its sequel Wrath of the Titans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diego Boneta</span> Mexican actor and singer (born 1990)

Diego Andrés González Boneta is a Mexican actor, producer and singer. He gained wider recognition after starring in Rock of Ages (2012) alongside Tom Cruise and in the Netflix biographical series Luis Miguel: The Series (2018). He also starred in the romantic comedy films Father of the Bride (2022), and At Midnight (2023).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agyness Deyn</span> English model and actress (born 1983)

Agyness Deyn is an English model and actress. She is best known for her successful modelling career in the 2000s, and has been called one of the decade's top models. Since her retirement from modelling in the 2010s, she has pursued acting and design, among other ventures.

Ray Robinson is a British novelist, screenwriter and musician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Greenhalgh</span> English screenwriter

Matthew Greenhalgh is an English screenwriter from Manchester. He is best known for writing the screenplay to the film Back to Black and Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool, which earned him a BAFTA Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.

<i>Clash of the Titans</i> (2010 film) Film directed by Louis Leterrier

Clash of the Titans is a 2010 action fantasy film and remake of the 1981 film of the same name produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The story is very loosely based on the Greek myth of Perseus. An Australian-American production directed by Louis Leterrier from a screenplay by Travis Beacham, Phil Hay, and Matt Manfredi, starring Sam Worthington, Gemma Arterton, Mads Mikkelsen, Alexa Davalos, Ralph Fiennes, and Liam Neeson, the film was originally set for standard release on March 26, 2010. However, it was later announced that the film would be converted to 3D and was released on April 2, 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taylor Schilling</span> American actress (born 1984)

Taylor Jane Schilling is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Piper Chapman on the Netflix original comedy-drama series Orange Is the New Black (2013–2019), for which she received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series and two Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy and Best Actress – Television Series Drama. She made her film debut in the 2007 drama Dark Matter. She also starred as Nurse Veronica Flanagan Callahan in the short-lived NBC medical drama Mercy (2009–2010). Her other films include Atlas Shrugged: Part I (2011), the romantic drama The Lucky One (2012), the comedy Take Me (2017), and the science-fiction thriller The Titan (2018).

<i>Wrath of the Titans</i> 2012 action fantasy film

Wrath of the Titans is a 2012 American-Spanish action fantasy film and a sequel to the 2010 film Clash of the Titans. The film stars Sam Worthington, Rosamund Pike, Bill Nighy, Édgar Ramírez, Toby Kebbell, Danny Huston, Ralph Fiennes, and Liam Neeson, with Jonathan Liebesman directing a screenplay by Dan Mazeau and David Leslie Johnson from a story by them and Greg Berlanti. Wrath of the Titans takes place a decade after the events of the preceding film as the gods lose control over the imprisoned Titans and Perseus is called, this time to rescue his father Zeus, overthrow the Titans, and save mankind.

<i>Hemlock Grove</i> (TV series) 2013 American horror thriller television series

Hemlock Grove is an American horror television series produced by Eli Roth and developed by Brian McGreevy and Lee Shipman. It is a production of Gaumont International Television. The series is based on McGreevy's 2012 novel of the same name. The series premiered on Netflix on April 19, 2013, with all 13 episodes made immediately available for online viewing.

<i>Scream Queens</i> (2015 TV series) 2015 TV series

Scream Queens is an American satirical dark comedy slasher television series that aired on Fox from September 22, 2015, to December 20, 2016. The series was created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan and produced by Murphy, Falchuk, Brennan, and Alexis Martin Woodall, and by 20th Century Fox Television, Ryan Murphy Productions, Brad Falchuk Teley-vision, and Prospect Films. The first season stars an ensemble cast consisting of Emma Roberts, Skyler Samuels, Lea Michele, Glen Powell, Diego Boneta, Abigail Breslin, Keke Palmer, Oliver Hudson, Nasim Pedrad, Lucien Laviscount, Billie Lourd, and Jamie Lee Curtis, with Niecy Nash, Ariana Grande, and Nick Jonas in supporting roles. It takes place at the fictional Wallace University, and was filmed at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. It follows sorority Kappa Kappa Tau (KKT) which is targeted by a serial killer using the university's Red Devil mascot as a disguise.

<i>Mute</i> (2018 film) 2018 film by Duncan Jones

Mute is a 2018 neo-noir science fiction film directed by Duncan Jones, who co-wrote the script with Michael Robert Johnson. A follow-up to his 2009 film Moon, it stars Alexander Skarsgård, Paul Rudd, Justin Theroux, Robert Sheehan, Noel Clarke, Florence Kasumba, and Dominic Monaghan, revolving around a mute bartender (Skarsgård) searching for the love of his life who has mysteriously disappeared. A third installment, a graphic novel called Madi: Once Upon A Time In The Future, was released in 2020.

<i>How It Ends</i> (2018 film) 2018 American film

How It Ends is a 2018 American action thriller film directed by David M. Rosenthal and written by Brooks McLaren. The film stars Theo James, Forest Whitaker, Grace Dove, Nicole Ari Parker, Kat Graham, and Mark O'Brien.

<i>Roma</i> (2018 film) 2018 film by Alfonso Cuarón

Roma is a 2018 drama film written and directed by Alfonso Cuarón, who also produced, shot, and co-edited it. Set in 1970 and 1971, Roma follows the life of a live-in indigenous (Mixteco) housekeeper of an upper-middle-class Mexican family, as a semi-autobiographical take on Cuarón's upbringing in the Colonia Roma neighborhood of Mexico City. The film stars Yalitza Aparicio and Marina de Tavira in the leading roles. It is an international co-production between Mexico and the United States.

<i>Woman Walks Ahead</i> 2017 film directed by Susanna White

Woman Walks Ahead is a 2017 American biographical drama Western film directed by Susanna White and written by Steven Knight. The film is the story of Catherine Weldon, a portrait painter who travels from New York City to the Dakotas in 1890 to paint a portrait of Sitting Bull. Chaske Spencer and Sam Rockwell also star.

<i>Happy Anniversary</i> (2018 film) 2018 American film

Happy Anniversary is a 2018 American romance comedy film, written and directed by Jared Stern in his directorial debut. It stars Noël Wells, Ben Schwartz, Jeff Grace, Rahul Kohli, Kristin Bauer van Straten, Kate Berlant, Leonardo Nam, David Walton, Isidora Goreshter, Annie Potts and Joe Pantoliano. This is a story about a mini crisis that a couple has on the day of their third anniversary being together.

<i>Her Smell</i> 2018 film directed by Alex Ross Perry

Her Smell is a 2018 American drama film written, co-produced and directed by Alex Ross Perry. It stars Elisabeth Moss, Cara Delevingne, Dan Stevens, Agyness Deyn, Gayle Rankin, Ashley Benson, Dylan Gelula, Eka Darville and Lindsay Burdge and follows Moss as fictional rock star Becky Something, whose band experiences brief fame but is broken up by her self-destructive behavior.

<i>Fractured</i> (2019 film) 2019 American thriller film

Fractured is a 2019 American psychological thriller film directed by Brad Anderson from a screenplay by Alan B. McElroy. It stars Sam Worthington, Lily Rabe, Stephen Tobolowsky, Adjoa Andoh, and Lucy Capri. It follows Ray Monroe (Worthington) searching for his missing wife and daughter after suffering a head injury that twists his perception of reality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abigail Cowen</span> American actress (born 1998)

Abigail Cowen is an American actress and model. She is known for playing Dorcas in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and Bloom in Netflix's live-action adaptation of Winx Club titled Fate: The Winx Saga.

<i>FUBAR</i> (TV series) American action-comedy television series

FUBAR is an American action comedy television series created by Nick Santora for Netflix. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger in his first leading role in a scripted live-action television series and is produced by Skydance Television and Blackjack Films. The series premiered on May 25, 2023. In June 2023, the series was renewed for a second season.

References

  1. ↑ "The Titan (2018)". The Numbers . Retrieved April 21, 2019.
  2. ↑ Goldberg, Matt (22 February 2018). "Here's What's Coming to Netflix in March 2018". Collider . Complex Media. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
  3. 1 2 Jaafar, Ali (27 August 2015). "Sam Worthington And Ruth Wilson To Star In 'The Titan'". Deadline Hollywood . Penske Business Media . Retrieved 3 March 2018.
  4. ↑ Jaafar, Ali (28 October 2015). "Tom Wilkinson Joining Cast Of 'The Titan'- AFM". Deadline Hollywood . Penske Business Media . Retrieved 3 March 2018.
  5. ↑ Jaafar, Ali (16 December 2015). "Taylor Schilling To Star In 'The Titan' Opposite Sam Worthington". Deadline Hollywood . Penske Business Media . Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  6. 1 2 Jaafar, Ali (13 January 2016). "Diego Boneta, Aleksander Jovanovic & Agyness Deyn Join 'The Titan'". Deadline Hollywood . Penske Business Media . Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  7. ↑ Barraclough, Leo (11 February 2016). "Berlin: Voltage Pre-Sells Sam Worthington's 'The Titan' to Multiple Territories". Variety . Penske Business Media . Retrieved 3 March 2018.
  8. ↑ Webster, Christopher (21 February 2018). "Netflix Acquires Sam Worthington's Sc-Fi Thriller THE TITAN". Quiet Earth. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  9. ↑ "Blu-ray releases". Blu-ray.com. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
  10. ↑ "The Titan (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango . Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  11. ↑ "The Titan Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  12. ↑ Nevins, Jake (29 March 2018). "The Titan review – unexciting Netflix sci-fi squanders its premise". The Guardian . Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  13. ↑ Fowler, Matt (29 March 2018). "Netflix's The Titan Review". IGN . Ziff Davis . Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  14. ↑ Ehrlich, David (30 March 2018). "'The Titan' Review: Sam Worthington Tries to Live on Saturn in Weak Netflix Sci-Fi Thriller". IndieWire . Penske Business Media . Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  15. ↑ Jackson, Dan (30 March 2018). "Netflix's New Sci-Fi Thriller 'The Titan' is Like an Unsexy Version of 'The Fly'". Thrillist . Group Nine Media . Retrieved 31 March 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.