Pandorum

Inciting Event: After awaking from hypersleep to discover the ship seemingly abandoned and the power flickering, Corporal Bowen crawls out through a ventilation shaft—and discovers a crewman’s corpse. A strange warrior-like woman attacks him, then flees. This is his first brush with the conflict in an actual physical confrontation. Up to now, he has only sensed that something is very wrong.

First Plot Point: Bowen catches his first glimpse of brutal aliens. He and his superior officer—Lt. Payton, trapped back in the hypersleep room—form the plan to move forward, fix the reactor, get to the bridge, and then find their wives, whom they believe are somewhere aboard the transport. The “new world” Bowen is entering here is the same physical setting, but now that setting is dominated by ruthless antagonisits.

First Pinch Point: After nearly being captured and eaten by the aliens, Bowen allies himself with the warrior girl Nadia and another refugee Manh. Together, they enter the specimen room, where Nadia works. The alliance is the major turn in the plot here.

Midpoint: Corporal Gallo, from the previous flight team, shows up in the hypersleep room with Lieutenant Payton—raving about the mysterious tragedy that struck the command deck. Bowen, Nadia and Manh escape another round of the Hunter aliens and end up in the room of a crazy old guy. Nadia speculates that the Hunters are evolved humans.

This isn’t the sharpest of Midpoints. The turning point here is Gallo’s arrival and its implications for Payton. The Moment of Truth comes quite a bit later when everyone learns that Earth blew up and Gallo killed his crew and took over the ship. What we don’t have is a clear change-up in Bowen’s plotline from reaction to action, since he’s been pretty active the entire time.

Second Pinch Point: The crazy old guy, Leland, gases Bowen and the others and threatens to use them as bait for the Hunters. Bowen manages to talk him down by telling him the reactor is going to shut down permanently in less than an hour.

Third Plot Point: After getting the reactor turned on and fleeing the Hunters, Bowen figures out that Payton is really Gallo—grown old. Payton/Gallo also finally remembers, revealing himself to be suffering from the psychological effects of Pandorum. Again, not the sharpest here, since Bowen figures out and confronts the truth long before the audience gets to see his reaction.

Climax: Bowen battles Gallo for control of the ship. He and Nadia learn that the ship has already landed and is submerged in the sea of their destination planet.

Climactic Moment: Bowen and Nadia escape the hull-breached ship and surface in an escape pod.

Resolution: The other survivors surface in their escape pods as well.

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