One of the latest Netflix original movies is The Titan. The name has a double meaning. On one hand it is about sending people to Titan, one of the moons of Saturn, on the other it is about transforming people into better humans, if not gods then titans.
The premise is that Earth has been wracked by war and ecological disaster (it takes place in 2048). Humanity needs to look for another home (so far it sounds like the new Lost in Space). The chosen place is Titan, a moon that has plenty of resources but is toxic to humans.
Instead of terraforming Titan, it is decided to Titan-form humans. A select group of military personnel are chosen to have their DNA tampered with. The goal is to force evolution by introducing animal DNA to enable humans to survive on Titan. The procedure is dangerous, both physically and psychologically.
The movie focuses on one man who is able to go the complete distance of genetic modification and how that affects him and his family. The basic premise is interesting enough and the actors did a good job. Unfortunately it is not enough to save the movie.
There are some major problems with the The Titan. One is the presence of the family. I understand that it was wanted for the dramatic tension but it is completely unrealistic. All of the trial subjects have their families with them and that doesn't make sense for the kind of top secret experimentation that was being undertaken. Add to this, the wife who is a paediatrician is able to understand the level of genetic modification that was taking place.
Beyond that is the entire plan to save humanity. How would genetically modifying a handful of humans to live on Titan help anything? The plan was never to terraform Titan and not enough humans could be changed to produce a sustainable population.
Spoiler Alert
The movie ends with one transformed human on Titan. And that means what? It is celebrated as hope for humanity but what hope does it provide?
While the movie was somewhat interesting, the plot holes prevented this movie from being effective in what it was trying to do.
The premise is that Earth has been wracked by war and ecological disaster (it takes place in 2048). Humanity needs to look for another home (so far it sounds like the new Lost in Space). The chosen place is Titan, a moon that has plenty of resources but is toxic to humans.
Instead of terraforming Titan, it is decided to Titan-form humans. A select group of military personnel are chosen to have their DNA tampered with. The goal is to force evolution by introducing animal DNA to enable humans to survive on Titan. The procedure is dangerous, both physically and psychologically.
The movie focuses on one man who is able to go the complete distance of genetic modification and how that affects him and his family. The basic premise is interesting enough and the actors did a good job. Unfortunately it is not enough to save the movie.
There are some major problems with the The Titan. One is the presence of the family. I understand that it was wanted for the dramatic tension but it is completely unrealistic. All of the trial subjects have their families with them and that doesn't make sense for the kind of top secret experimentation that was being undertaken. Add to this, the wife who is a paediatrician is able to understand the level of genetic modification that was taking place.
Beyond that is the entire plan to save humanity. How would genetically modifying a handful of humans to live on Titan help anything? The plan was never to terraform Titan and not enough humans could be changed to produce a sustainable population.
Spoiler Alert
The movie ends with one transformed human on Titan. And that means what? It is celebrated as hope for humanity but what hope does it provide?
While the movie was somewhat interesting, the plot holes prevented this movie from being effective in what it was trying to do.
ReplyDeleteAwful movie. Just horrible.
Have you seen any of the new "Lost In Space"?
Yes I have. The first episode is disappointing but it keeps getting better and overall is quite good.
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