The story begins aboard the massive interstellar spacecraft Elysium, carrying tens of thousands of passengers in cryosleep on a century-long journey to colonize the Earth-like planet Tanis. Two crew members, Corporal Bower (Ben Foster) and Lieutenant Payton (Dennis Quaid), awaken from hypersleep with no memory of their mission, their identities, or what has happened to the ship. Disoriented and alone in the dark, labyrinthine corridors, they face a malfunctioning ship and an increasing sense of dread.
As Bower ventures into the ship to investigate, he discovers that the Elysium is no longer under normal operation. The ship is in a state of chaos, with power failures, overgrown vegetation, and signs of a mysterious infestation. To his horror, he encounters a group of savage, predatory humanoid creatures—mutated remnants of the ship’s passengers—who have evolved into monstrous hunters.
Bower meets a few surviving humans, including a warrior named Manh (Cung Le) and a resourceful biologist, Nadia (Antje Traue). Together, they piece together the truth about the ship’s descent into madness. They learn about “Pandorum,” a psychological disorder caused by deep-space travel, which induces paranoia, hallucinations, and violent behavior. This condition played a role in the breakdown of order on the ship.
As they journey deeper into the Elysium, the survivors uncover shocking revelations about their mission and the true state of the ship. They realize that the mutated creatures are the result of prolonged exposure to genetic enhancement drugs meant to help humanity adapt to Tanis, combined with generations of isolation. Meanwhile, Payton wrestles with his own deteriorating sanity as he remains in the control room, slowly unraveling under the effects of Pandorum.
The climax delivers a twist that redefines the narrative: the Elysium has already reached its destination, but it lies submerged in the ocean of Tanis. The battle for survival becomes a fight for humanity’s future as Bower and Nadia must escape the creatures and ensure the mission’s success. Pandorum is a chilling exploration of isolation, evolution, and the dark corners of the human psyche.
