AE: Apocalypse Earth

As cities burn and chaos roils the launch yards, Lt. Frank Baum oversees the evacuation operation. Bombing runs and ground riots push the refugees toward the transports, thinning the chances of a safe return. With little hope left, the plan is to get as many people off Earth as possible before the world collapses.

The crew is forced into cryogenic sleep as the ark departs toward Alpha Centauri. The decision to risk a long, uncertain voyage is made, sealing their fates in ice as the stars drift by. The sense of inevitability hangs over the passengers as the mission continues far from home.

Baum awakens to a nightmare: the ship plummets through a hostile atmosphere, breaks apart, and crashes onto an alien world. The catastrophe claims many lives immediately while the surviving crew and refugees scatter into the wilderness. The survivors realize they are being hunted by near-invisible humanoids they christen 'chameleons.'

A makeshift group forms from the wreckage and other Earth refugees, including Lea, a camouflaged native woman. Lea’s knowledge of the planet and its dangers becomes crucial as they begin to map a path through the unfamiliar terrain. The survivors set a common goal: locate a salvageable ship that can carry them home.

Lea’s presence shifts the group’s dynamics, and her courage earns their trust. She teaches the team how to blend with the surroundings, tracks chameleons, and identifies edible flora to keep them alive. Her loyalty becomes a lifeline as hope flickers against the planet’s harsh realities.

Within the group, tension mounts as a member grows restive and scheming, targeting the ship’s captain for control. Paranoia and competing loyalties threaten their fragile cohesion. Baum and Captain Crowe struggle to maintain order while danger from the environment closes in.

The jungle’s fauna claim victims as chameleon attacks intensify and the survivors must fight to survive. They improvise weapons and tools from salvaged wreckage to fend off the predators. The constant danger pushes them toward their oldest ally: each other.

They scour the Alpha Centauri ark wreckage for salvageable parts and begin assembling a battered craft that could function again. Resource scarcity and technical setbacks test every member’s resolve as they solder, jury-rig, and hope for power and life support. Lea’s planetary knowledge proves essential to guiding the repairs and improvisations.

The surviving group’s fragile unity is jolted when the coup plot surfaces, revealing a plan to topple Captain Crowe. The confrontation heightens the stakes and forces decisions that could fracture the group for good. Baum works to cool tensions while the outside dangers remain ever-present.

At last the salvaged craft is activated and begins to slip back toward space. The ship’s bearings stabilize, and a sense of possibility returns as home may finally be within reach. The survivors rally around Captain Crowe and Baum as the long journey resumes.

A staggering revelation dawns: the world they thought was a distant planet is actually Earth, 325,000 years in the future. The story reframes their voyage as a time-twisting odyssey rather than a straight return trip. The ending casts their struggle in a stark planetary perspective.

The film closes by suggesting that humanity’s fate hinges on where and when you call home. The crew’s struggles are reframed as a fight to belong within a much larger timeline. The twist lingers, inviting reflection on home, time, and destiny.