# The Titan (film)
**The Titan** is a 2018 science fiction thriller directed by Lennart Ruff, written by Max Hurwitz from a story by Arash Amel, and starring [Sam Worthington](https://www.edgepedia.org/sam-worthington) as a military pilot whose body is genetically altered so he can survive on Saturn's moon Titan. The film runs 97 minutes and was a United Kingdom, Spain, and United States co-production, released theatrically in some markets and on streaming in others in 2018.[1](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/354695/) • [2](https://filmsandfestivals.britishcouncil.org/projects/the-titan)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director / writers | Lennart Ruff (director); Max Hurwitz (screenplay); Arash Amel (story)[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4986098/fullcredits/) |
| Release | Streaming release March 30, 2018; UK and Lithuania theatrical release April 13, 2018; Portugal July 26, 2018[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_titan) • [1](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/354695/) |
| Runtime / rating | 97 minutes; rated TV-MA on streaming[1](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/354695/) • [5](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-titan) |
| Lead cast | Sam Worthington (Lt. Rick Janssen), Taylor Schilling (Dr. Abi Janssen), Tom Wilkinson (Prof. Martin Collingwood), Agyness Deyn, Nathalie Emmanuel, Noah Jupe, Diego Boneta[5](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-titan) |
| Premise | A military experiment genetically adapts a pilot to survive on Saturn's moon Titan; the transformation succeeds but produces deadly side effects[2](https://filmsandfestivals.britishcouncil.org/projects/the-titan) |
| Production | UK, Spain, US co-production; companies 42, The Amel Company, Automatik Entertainment, Motion Picture Capital, and Nostromo Pictures; sales agent Voltage Pictures[2](https://filmsandfestivals.britishcouncil.org/projects/the-titan) • [1](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/354695/) |
| Reception | 23% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (30 reviews); 4.8/10 on IMDb from about 35,000 votes[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_titan) • [5](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-titan) |
## Spoilers
### Plot and premise
The story is set in 2048, on an Earth that is dying, and follows a military family relocated so the father can take part in an experiment in human genetic evolution for space.[6](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-titan) • [4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_titan) Rick Janssen, a hotshot Air Force pilot played by Sam Worthington, is chosen for a military experiment intended to create a human being capable of surviving the harsh environment of Titan, Saturn's largest moon. The experiment succeeds, turning Rick into a super-human adapted to that world, but it also produces deadly side effects that threaten his life, his family, and possibly humanity itself.[2](https://filmsandfestivals.britishcouncil.org/projects/the-titan)
The story is told largely through the eyes of Rick's wife, the doctor Abigail Janssen, played by [Taylor Schilling](https://www.edgepedia.org/taylor-schilling), whose skepticism about the program colors the viewer's own. As Rick's transformation advances and his attachments to his family interfere with the mission, Abigail is asked to administer a memory-erasing agent so that Rick will let go of her and their son and be willing to board the rocket to Titan.[7](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/the-titan) Common Sense Media describes the film as bloody and violent, with soldiers shooting at raging, super-strong beings, and recommends it for ages 16 and up.[7](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/the-titan)
## Cast and crew
Worthington and Schilling head a cast that includes [Tom Wilkinson](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-wilkinson) as Professor Martin Collingwood, the scientist behind the experiment, [Agyness Deyn](https://www.edgepedia.org/agyness-deyn) as Dr. Freya Upton, Nathalie Emmanuel as W.O. Tally Rutherford, Noah Jupe as the Janssens' son Lucas, and [Diego Boneta](https://www.edgepedia.org/diego-boneta) as Dr. Luis Hernandez.[5](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-titan) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4986098/fullcredits/)
Behind the camera, Jan-Marcello Kahl served as director of photography, Ann-Carolin Biesenbach as editor, Julian R. Wagner as production designer, and Fil Eisler composed the score.[2](https://filmsandfestivals.britishcouncil.org/projects/the-titan) • [1](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/354695/) The producers were Arash Amel, Fred Berger, Leon Clarance, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, and Ben Pugh, with Núria Valls producing for Nostromo Pictures.[1](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/354695/) The film was shot as a UK, US, and Spanish co-production involving the companies 42, The Amel Company, Automatik Entertainment, Motion Picture Capital, and Nostromo Pictures, with Voltage Pictures handling international sales.[2](https://filmsandfestivals.britishcouncil.org/projects/the-titan)
## Release
The Titan was released on streaming on March 30, 2018, and opened theatrically in the United Kingdom and [Lithuania](https://www.edgepedia.org/lithuania) on April 13, 2018, followed by Portugal on July 26, 2018.[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_titan) • [1](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/354695/) It has remained available on Netflix, including the ad-supported tier, in the United States and other markets.[5](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-titan)
## Reception
Critical response was negative. On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a 23% Tomatometer score from 30 reviews, with a critics consensus calling it bland and uninspired and saying it rehashes other stories of super-soldiers gone wrong; the audience Popcornmeter score is 15% from more than 500 ratings.[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_titan) On IMDb it rates 4.8 out of 10 from roughly 35,000 votes.[5](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-titan) Reviewers criticized the science as dubious and the story as thin: Time Out wrote that, setting aside the highly dubious science, there is just not enough story.[6](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-titan) A review in The Upcoming judged that an intriguing idea at the heart of the film never surfaces because of an underwhelming screenplay and direction.[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_titan)
Despite the poor reception, the film has had a long streaming afterlife. It has charted in dozens of countries on Netflix and Amazon platforms, reaching as high as number 2 on an Amazon Video chart in Finland and number 3 on an [HBO Max](https://www.edgepedia.org/hbo-max) channel chart in France.[8](https://streamrank.tv/title/13801-the-titan)
## Related uses of the title
The title Titan has been attached to several unrelated film projects. A separate thriller called *Titan*, to star [Lily Collins](https://www.edgepedia.org/lily-collins) and be directed by Austin Bunn about a young musician investigating her sister's death in a remote forest, entered development in June 2018 with producers Christine Vachon and David Hinojosa.[9](https://www.movieinsider.com/m16461/titan) A survival thriller also titled *Titan*, a [Constantin Film](https://www.edgepedia.org/constantin-film) and JB Pictures production starring Jessica Rothe and [Logan Marshall-Green](https://www.edgepedia.org/logan-marshall-green), later acquired US distribution rights through Lionsgate.[10](https://www.thewrap.com/lionsgate-titan-movie-jessica-rothe-logan-marshall-green/) Neither project is connected to the 2018 Lennart Ruff film.
## References
1. [The Titan, Cineuropa](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/354695/)
2. [The Titan, British Council UK Films Database](https://filmsandfestivals.britishcouncil.org/projects/the-titan)
3. [The Titan (2018) Full Cast & Crew, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4986098/fullcredits/)
4. [The Titan, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_titan)
5. [The Titan streaming: where to watch online?, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-titan)
6. [The Titan, directed by Lennart Ruff, Time Out film review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-titan)
7. [The Titan Parents' Guide & Movie Review, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/the-titan)
8. [The Titan (2018) ratings & chart position, StreamRank](https://streamrank.tv/title/13801-the-titan)
9. [Titan Movie (Lily Collins), MovieInsider](https://www.movieinsider.com/m16461/titan)
10. [Lionsgate Acquires US Rights to Survival Thriller 'Titan', TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/lionsgate-titan-movie-jessica-rothe-logan-marshall-green/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Science fiction and fantasy films (individual works) › Science fiction and fantasy films of the 2010s › Science fiction films of the 2010s › Titles J to Z*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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