Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Director: Jeff Nichols
Writers: John Malone and Chad Taylor
Cast: Russell Crowe, Kirsten Dunst, Mckenna Grace, Mark Duplass, Ruth Negga, Taylor Kitsch, Chiwetel Ejiofor
Plot: By the year 2205, natural disasters are constantly afflicting more and more damage to the Earth's human population each year. The American and Chinese governments - the two wealthiest and scientifically advanced governments decide to begin a joint effort to terraform Mars. The American scientists object to Mars as a choice because of how difficult it will be to terraform, but ultimately they agree with Mars as it is much closer than other alternatives, making it a more feasible trip for human settlers.
In 2300, Mars is terraformed as well as it can be, but oxygen levels are too low and planet's natural resources can still only support a small population. Dr. Hector Agrippa (Russell Crowe), Mars' best scientific mind, proposes that other alternatives exist behind the reaches of our galaxy. He sends out a probe vessel to various possible alternative planets to report back data on the livability of each planet's air, atmosphere and natural resources. Agrippa tells his pregnant wife Penelope (Kirsten Dunst) that the probes will take some time to send back data, but that it is humanity's only hope for long term survival.
Twelve years later, with the Earth population nearly extinct and the Mars population not doing much better, Agrippa finally gets back all of the data from all of the research probes. Agrippa is especially intrigued by the data from a planet he dubs Agora. It is several galaxies away, but it has high levels of water and a thick atmosphere to protect inhabitants from its two suns. Agrippa gets approval to undertake a colonization mission to set up a base on the planet.
Agrippa, Penelope and their daughter Phoebe (McKenna Grace) are all set to take the ten year trip to Agora. They are joined by geologist Herbert Francis (Mark Duplass) and his wife biologist Jessamyn (Ruth Negga), as well as security expert Winslow (Taylor Kitsch). They all enter their hyper-sleep chambers, and their ship, the Achilles, takes off from Mars toward Agora.
As the Achilles enters Agora's galaxy, the hyper-sleep chambers open and the crew awakens. Agrippa checks the ship's computers, only to discover that just one year into their trip, a black hole consumed the Milky Way galaxy, effectively killing off the entire human race except for the few onboard the Achilles. Agrippa decides to hide this fact from his family and the crew as he feels it may affect the quality of the work they must do on Agora.
The Achilles enters Agora's atmosphere. Agrippa wants to suspend the ship underground to not make their presence known to any inhabitants on the planet. Herbert finds them a landing site, and the ship lands, using built-in drills to bury itself on the planet's surface.
Agrippa and Winslow put on spacesuits and go up above ground to investigate Agora's surface. The terrain is very mountainous, but Agrippa reads that the air is breathable, so he takes off his helmet against Winslow's advice. Suddenly Agrippa is attacked by a reptilian humanoid creature. Winslow shoots and kills the creature. Together they bring its body back down to the Achilles. Agrippa and Jessamyn inspect the creature's body. Jessamyn notes that the DNA of the reptilian-humanoids native to Agora is fairly close to humans.
Agrippa confides in his wife that Mars and Earth have both been destroyed by a black hole. She's angry that he concealed this information from her, but acknowledges an obligation to find a way for the human race to survive. While running thermal scans of the nearby areas, Herbert finds evidence of a nearby civilization. The crew discusses what to do about the Agoran natives. Winslow suggests they simply bomb them so they don't have to worry about any more interference from them. Herbert and Jessamyn suggest that they just mind their own business and if the Agorans want to make contact to act peacefully. They decide to mind their own business for the time being.
Penelope and Phoebe begin planting seeds on the surface to try to grow food. Penelope spots something watching them, but chooses to ignore it. Agrippa and Winslow secretly set up traps to try catch the locals so Agrippa can experiment on them.
Penelope accidentally lets it slip to Jessamyn that Mars and Earth have been destroyed and that Agrippa is trying to find ways to ensure the survival of humanity. Jessamyn approaches Agrippa and tells him that she will help with whatever he needs, and suggests that since the Agoran DNA is similar to humans that they could possibly crossbreed human DNA with the Agoran DNA and create a hybrid species.
Winslow successfully captures a local creature and gives it a sedative to knock it out. He then takes the creature back to the ship. Jessamyn and Agrippa inspect the creature and discover that it is a female. They remove an egg from inside the creature's womb and insert human DNA into the egg before reinserting it into the female Agoran. Herbert walks in and objects to their experiment, but Jessamyn talks him down.
The attempted impregnation of the Agoran female is successful when they learn that the Agorans give birth to several babies at a time. Penelope and Phoebe successfully grown corn and potatoes on the surface. The captured Agoran is kept in a coma throughout the pregnancy, and finally gives birth to 10 hybrid creatures.
Now that they know more about the Agoran reproductive system, Agrippa and Winslow plan to kidnap more Agoran women so that they can quickly impregnate them to build a population. Agrippa steals the seismic charts of the area that Herbert has put together. Through the charts, Agrippa surmises that the locals live in cave-like structures in the nearby mountains. Agrippa accompanies Winslow on a scouting mission to check out the caves, where they spot several creatures they recognize as female Agorans. Agrippa grabs Winslow's tranquilizer gun and shoots four Agoran females. He has Winslow help take them back to the Achilles on a rover.
Back at the Achilles, the rest of the crew is surprised when Agrippa and Winslow drag four unconscious Agoran females into the lab. Agrippa and Jessamyn begin the impregnation procedures when Herbert interrupts and tells them to stop. Agrippa pulls a gun on Herbert and tells him that the survival of the human race depends on them creating a hybrid species with the locals, which they will slowly make less and less Agoran and more and more human over the generations. Agrippa and Jessamyn continue the procedure.
Suddenly, Winslow announces that their traps are all being set off at once. He pulls up the cameras, only to see an army of Agorans making their way to the tunnel leading to the ship. The crew hides the infant hybrids, their mother and the recently impregnated Agorans in the residential section of the ship and close it off. Winslow opens fire on the attacking Agorans, but they are wearing armor. Their shear numbers overwhelm Winslow, and he is decapitated by the Agoran chieftain Creon (Chiwetel Ejiofor). They completely slaughter the entire Achilles crew, but stop when they see Phoebe. Creon orders his men to kill everyone as he takes a crying Phoebe out of the ship.
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