‘Millions of miles from home, survival comes with sacrifice.’
Stowaway is a 2021 American science-fiction thriller film in which a stowaway on a mission to Mars causes unintended consequences.
Directed by Joe Penna (Arctic) from a screenplay co-written with Ryan Morrison (Arctic), the movie stars Anna Kendrick (Into the Woods; The Voices; Twilight and sequels), Daniel Dae Kim (Raya and the Last Dragon; Hellboy 2019; The Cave), Toni Collette (Knives Out; Velvet Buzzsaw; Hereditary) and Shamier Anderson (Awake; Destroyer; The Barrens).
Plot:
On a mission headed to Mars, an unintended stowaway accidentally causes severe damage to the spaceship’s life support systems. Facing dwindling resources and a potentially fatal outcome, the crew is forced to make an impossible decision.
Reviews:
“It isn’t a unique story but surrounds itself with excellent actors who bring a sense of heart and soul to the tale. How well you connect and bond with these characters will determine how well you connect with everything else. For me, it was a good time that played with my heartstrings more than I expected.” Arrow in the Head
“Stowaway makes an abrupt turn to a showy final act that’s more about near-misses and thrills, fearful to confront viewers with a bleaker resolution. The film trades unsettling tension for formulaic suspense, suddenly turning the effort into nearly every astronaut crisis movie that’s come before it.” Brian Orndorf
“Stowaway is not a film for those looking for a lot of action or for an outburst of spectacular special effects. The thrill and high anxiety of space travel are still very present, but in a different way. If you’re interested in human interactions while they’re confined in a small space and the air is running out, this is worth a watch.” First Showing
“While occasionally intriguing, this dynamic also feels squandered by the decidedly mainstream approach to the material. All four of these people do indeed have their own thoughts, but it’s clear there is only one side to be on. Stowaway isn’t concerned with asking any deep questions or studying the moral implications on hand, and it’s always clear where the story is going to end up.” Flickering Myth
“Overall, Stowaway is definitely a character-based movie with a slow-burn vibe. However, I also found it to be extremely engaging in the way it focused on the tough decisions more than forced dramatic elements. Still, I do fear that people will start watching this movie expecting something different. This is not an action-packed movie…” Heaven of Horror
“Unfortunately with such an interesting concept, the film feels too restrained for its own good and with a runtime of almost two hours, you really start to feel the runtime before the crew even learn of the conundrum that they will have to face, especially when it feels like we’re not given much to care for the characters. The film makes a choice in being entirely focused on the crew in space, be it in and outside the ship.” Irish Cinephile
“An emotional beat is a perfectly acceptable way to conclude something. However, after investing time into the natural progression of this story, it should at least follow through on its equally natural conclusion. The script lets down an otherwise great film, from production design, to acting, and the direction from Joe Penna. I found it entertaining, yet ultimately unsatisfying.” Josh at the Movies
” …a rich and resonant drama about imperfect individuals straining to subvert certainty in the most impossible of circumstances, buoyed by a sensitive script, astute acting, and deftly discerning direction. If you like your sci-fi “smart,” you can’t do much better than the thoroughly thought-provoking Stowaway.” Loud and Clear
“Penna and Morrison don’t give these characters any more development than they need for this particular tale, and that’s the right approach here. It allows the questions and the horrible sense of inevitability, set within the claustrophobic spaces of this ship, to simmer. The actors play it with a strong understanding of their respective character types and complete, quiet sincerity.” Mark Reviews Movies
“Penna saves Stowaway‘s big fireworks for a couple of Gravity-esque scenes in the final act, but the tension outside the ship is nothing compared to what had been going on inside. And so the finale can’t quite measure up, ending on an unsatisfying whimper that nobody will hear because in space nobody can hear you in the first place.” Punch Drunk Critics
“The problem is that it never establishes enough of an emotional response (love or hate) for its characters or takes you on a journey that fully invests you in the story. It completely mishandles any chance of a morality play by playing it too safe. It’s such a flat experience that it made me ponder whether the world is round after all.” Ready Steady Cut
“Stowaway is the type of film that seems to exist all for its excruciating climax, one in which Penna keeps upping the ante to unbearable degrees. Anderson creates such a sympathetic character we can believe in the heroism on display here, ably communicated by the team of Kendrick and Kim. It is Collette who is the odd person out here, oddly irreverent amidst a four-person cast.” Reeling Reviews
“Stowaway is a film that takes a moral dilemma and waters it down in such a way that the outcome and build-up are nothing short of anticlimactic. That’s a real disappointment too, especially given the amount of patience needed to get through this one […] While Stowaway isn’t a bad movie per se, it’s not a particularly exciting or gripping one either.” The Review Geek
” …the interplay between the characters is delivered with little of the intensity one would expect from this kind of survival scenario. And as a result, the film starts to resemble an engineering problem where all the answers are preordained and uninteresting. By paring their story down so much, the filmmakers only end up highlighting just how little it contains.” Slant
Release date:
Netflix will stream Stowaway from April 22nd 2021.
YouTube reviews:
