in 1947 in New Mexico a radio operator picks up a signal of Unknown Origin he contacts his colleague who confirms that his instruments are also detecting strange bursts the man realizes the signals are coming from the vicinity of Roswell decides to investigate and heads there however at the location where the signals are clearly emanating from he finds nothing suddenly his dog lunges at something visible only to her the man follows only to be struck by a blinding white beam and he is never seen again Antarctica 20 3 at a resource Research Center scientists are examining
an object found in the permafrost buried 3 4 meters below the ice surface no one knows what it is or what to do with it so they decide to contact NASA meanwhile at the University of California Professor Julian ROM is delivering a lecture on cryptology explaining the role of speech in the development of emotions he mentions that not all communication relies on speech as is the case with animals during the lecture one of the students flirts openly with him after class Julian is summoned by the University's Chancellor world-renowned scientist Beckham and prepares for an uncomfortable
conversation however the chancellor is uninterested in Julian's relationship with the student instead he informs Julian about a recent discovery in the Antarctic Research Center a NASA satellite has detected a strange formation beneath the ice approximately 6 M long and 3 m wide moreover a radio signal seems to be emanating from the object the scientists have created a spectrogram of the signal and sent it to the university the chancellor hands it over to J Julian the University's leading expert in cryptography Julian begins analyzing the spectrogram and concludes that it's a highly powerful signal coming from a
small object The Continuous pulsations indicate that it is a coded message it resembles a beacon but with far greater power than any current human technology simultaneously the same signal is detected by a laboratory in the fauland islands and forwarded to the United States Julian is sent to the Antarctic research base during the turbulent flight he feels uneasy about the cruise professionalism especially when they admit to being unable to see through the pitch black storm at the South Pole despite the conditions the plane lands successfully Julian descends to the lower levels of the research station where
he is met by staff member Nayla Olsen surprised by his arrival during the restricted flight season she explains that they are 20 M below the surface with the station housing a genetic lab in plantations she leads Julian to the Personnel sector but he insists on seeing the discovery first especially since his old acquaintance Dr Alexi gaha is eager to meet him Alexi takes Julian to the find which remains encased in a block of ice despite efforts to keep the temperature low the ice is melting at an astonishing rate Julian believes the technology they've uncovered surpasses
anything Humanity currently possesses alexe is called away leaving Julian alone with the object drawn to it Julian touches the icy block and experiences visions of recent events in his life his hand feels a powerful static charge before he can fully recover he is interrupted by biologist Kate Breer his former romantic partner it's clear their breakup was difficult and Kate maintains her distance she escorts Julian to his quarters warning him not to disrupt the harmony among the women on the station Julian laughs it off lying down to rest Julian feels a strange sensation in his hand
and dreams Vivid incomprehensible images awaking unsettled he decides to visit the object again along the corridor he notices wet Footprints and follows them sensing an otherworldly presence of approaching suddenly visions of Earth from space and alien beings Flash in his mind he cries out and wakes up Nila invites him to breakfast and then takes him to the plantations where genetically modified plants are cultivated Nila undresses and undergo a full body disinfection before entering the greenhouse inside Kate and geneticist Michael stra are already at work Julian immediately feels jealous of Michael's interactions with Kate however Kate
redirects Julian's Focus to the work at hand reminding him of the importance of their project the US government has provided significant funding for developing a space colonization program and genetics is a critical component of this initiative meanwhile in the government discussions focus on Julian's past and accomplishments it turns out he was one of the most promising alien hunters in a NASA project however when funding for the project ceased he returned to teaching now coincidentally all members of that NASA project Alexi Kate and Julian are together in the Antarctic lab Julian continues working to decode the
signal during a break he meets community communication expert Graham the first to detect the signal they discussed the possibility of its extraterrestrial origin though Julian remains skeptical later Julian joins a team for lunch where Alexi introduces him to the station's crew including temporary Pilots grounded due to worsening weather Julian Fields questions noticing Michael's unfriendly demeanor with sharp wit Julian counters Michael's remarks humbling the geneticist the group visits the rapidly melting ice block Julian suggests setting up an antenna to directly receive the signals for mathematical interpretation after running the experiment he resumes decoding hypothesizing that the
Signal's beginning resembles a warning at Nasa analysts compare the new signal to the one detected in New Mexico in 1947 the patterns are identical the director orders Julian to be involved and summons his supervisor Beckham to headquarters meanwhile at the Antarctic station a loud crash disrupts the crew as the ice block fractures and collapses from its supports rushing to the scene the scientists discover a strange formation resembling a prehistoric oyster emitting strong electrical discharges it's unlikely to be a meteorite as meteorites don't send radio signals instead it appears to be a black box from a
spacecraft that accidentally landed on Earth and has been transmitting a distress signal ever since Julian tries to explain the nature of the discovery but his claims are met with skepticism one Observer points out a crack on the capsule's surface and suggests opening it Kate warns about potential viruses inside but Michael argues that the lab's containment measures should suffice meanwhile Dr Beckham arrives at the the White House Kate expresses concern about opening the capsule fearing Humanity might be like neanderthals compared to the aliens still she acknowledges that humans could learn from this technology the team begins
experiments to open the oyster Dr Beckham hearing about the signals recurrence posits a theory about the dangers of alien interference he is informed that a Soviet nuclear submarine is already in route to Antarctica back at the station Alexi analyzes a fragment of the material from the fractured block and reports that it's not Stone but resembles a carbon-based alloy Julian explains to Nila that the computer is attempting to decode the signal using mathematical principles Nyla suggests that the process feels like a puzzle requiring a key this Sparks an idea in Julian leading to a breakthrough he
deciphers a message warning not to open the object rushing to the hanger they find the scientist just as they managed to cut open the capsule a viscous alien fluid spills out killing one of the team members on contact an explosion follows cutting off power to the plane ation the surviving crew members regroup and conduct a headcount everyone except the deceased scientist is accounted for armed with flashlights Julian and Kate inspect the exposed interior of the capsule and Glimpse the form of an alien inside suddenly one of the women feels unwell and dies rapidly the same
fate befalls several others leading to the suspicion that a virus has been released at the White House the commander of the Russian submarine Fleet reports that the vessel was prepared to launch at least four Warheads at the station ensuring the threat of invasion is neutralized at the station the survivors observe the alien through video cameras hypothesizing that the virus attacks bodies from the inside out they send out a distress signal but the storm likely prevents it from reaching its destination realizing they may also be infected the group faces the Grim reality that returning to the
mainland is not an option though some cling to the hope that they might have immunity as not everyone succumbed immediately Julian suggests shutting down the plantations to fully secure the hanger but Michael strongly opposes the idea while the group argues the alien from the capsule vanishes Julian sets out to find the missing alien instructing the others to locate weapons cut power to the plantations and activate emergency lights in the auxiliary sections the group's reactions vary Michael spirals into hysteria while Alexi advises focusing not on what they will do if they find the alien but on
what it might do to them meanwhile Julian discovers the alien hiding and tries to coax it out promising no harm the creature emerges from behind to Crate appearing before Julian and telepathically sharing its journey to Earth just then the terrified shouts of the search party Echo as they spot Julian near the alien one of the men panics and shoots killing the alien which dissolves into nothingness Julian explains that he felt the alien's fear finally contact is established with the mainland Julian reports that only seven of them remain alive and they appear healthy none of them
have ventured outside Beckham then reveals the truth the object they found was a survival capsule similar to to one that crashed in Roswell in 1947 at that time the capsule transmitted an SOS signal scientists had discovered that the aliens carried a deadly virus capable of destroying the solar system although the aliens were unaware of this the virus had already wiped out Life on Mars on Earth they chose not to leave their ship despite their desire to make contact now the only solution is the complete sterilization of the station its destruction Beckham reluctantly informs Julian of
this decision and warns him about the approaching submarine Michael has a meltdown demanding to be allowed to leave Antarctica though the rest understand that this could Doom the planet Julian suggests blood tests for everyone to check for the virus as the submarine nears firing range its crew still believes the situation to be a training exercise at the station the team examines their blood test results the cells appear healthy but the risk of hidden unicellular viruses remains opinion split sharply Michael urges them to flee while Julian reminds them of the danger a heated argument ensues culminating
and a pilot aligned with Michael being disarmed after a scuffle Julian and Kate then recode the entry lock on the doors on the submarine the crew receives confirmation to fire strategic missiles at the station with just 18 minutes remaining at the station Michael and the pilot conspire to escape knowing of an alternative exit unknown to Julian they armed themselves with makeshift weapons overpower the scientist guarding them injure Alexi and Kate and kill several others before fleeing Kate reveals another exit through the plantations prompting Julian to chase after the escapes meanwhile the submarine reaches the optimal
depth and launches its missiles Michael and the pilot race through the plantations but notice the plants wilting and shriveling Before Their Eyes indicating the virus is lethal to them as well the pilot refuses to proceed and Michael kills him he continues running through the dying plantations with Julian close behind Michael reaches the technical passages and surfaces outside opening the doors to a blinding Cocoon of light enveloping the station Julian follows and is also consumed by the light where breathing becomes difficult quickly adapting he learns to take shallow breaths and adjust unlike Michael who panics and
suffocates Julian suddenly reestablishes telepathic contact with the aliens on the submarine the countdown to impact reaches 9 Minutes Julian returns to the remaining survivors and convinces them to follow him he leads them into the light demonstrating how to breathe properly moments before the missile strikes Julian and three others Shelly Kate and Alexi escaped the station aboard an alien spacecraft the station is obliterated by the nuclear charges from the submarine sometime later the government launches a campaign to suppress the truth claiming that an experimental nuclear reactor meltdown destroyed the base killing all 13 scientists and Specialists
meanwhile the alien spacecraft carrying the human survivors departs the solar system the film lacks originality bringing to mind other alien related movies that likely inspired its creators It suffers from a lack of boldness and quality in execution however the strong performances by the cast redeem it making it a decent effort for its time [Music]
