Stowaway (2021)

June 24, 2021 (DE) • Science Fiction, Drama, Thriller • 116m

Overview

A three-person crew on a mission to Mars faces an impossible choice when an unplanned passenger jeopardizes the lives of everyone on board.

Director

Anna Kendrick

Keywords

space travel space astronaut space adventure philosophical space sci-fi

Where to watch

Free / Included

Netflix

Netflix Standard with Ads

Top Billed Cast

Crew

Reviews

Manuel São Bento

⭐ 7/10

April 27, 2021

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I'm a genuine lover of every genre in cinema, but sci-fi is one of my absolute favorites. Within this area of storytelling, I find one-location space movies - usually inside a spaceship of some kind - incredibly captivating when done right. Joe Penna (Arctic) directs and co-writes his sophomore film in a challenging environment for any renowned filmmaker, let alone someone who's starting to build his career. Creating a story and developing it through the same halls, walls, and rooms for two hours is definitely not an easy task if the goal is to convince viewers to stick around until the end. Entertainment and filmmaking-wise, it's a tremendous challenge.

With that said, Stowaway is the first big surprise of 2021. Penna and Ryan Morrison put together an emotionally compelling screenplay, packed with excruciating moral dilemmas and a career-best performance from Anna Kendrick (A Simple Favor, Pitch Perfect). The actress raises to the occasion of being the protagonist of a movie that also has Daniel Dae Kim (Raya and the Last Dragon, Hellboy) and Toni Collette (I'm Thinking of Ending Things, Knives Out), stealing the spotlight by demonstrating her more dramatic side instead of her comedic comfort zone. Shamier Anderson (Destroyer, Love Jacked) also offers a remarkable display, which will probably catapult him into making more appearances with more recognizable actors.

The trailers might lead some viewers into believing Stowaway holds a fast-paced, entertainment-driven narrative, but the generic yet interesting premise is taken through a much more human, grounded perspective on life's most complex decisions. With the exception of Collette's character arc, every other astronaut receives a well-written script that gives them a fully developed personality with a complete backstory and dynamic, authentic dialogues. Unfortunately, even though Collette delivers a fantastic interpretation as always, her character spends most of her screentime talking with a random, invisible Earth engineer in a separate room, almost as if the actress was kept apart from the rest of the cast. The slow pacing is negatively impacted by this questionable narrative decision.

Technically, huge praise to the futuristic set design, which allowed the camera to move across the space station with ease, giving Penna and Klemens Becker (cinematographer) the chance to employ long, tracking shots that help make the atmosphere feel less monotonous. The VFX artists also deserve massive compliments for everything the viewers see outside the spaceship. Gorgeous, wallpaper-worthy images are spread throughout the runtime. The last act features suspenseful, nerve-wracking situations, but most importantly, it possesses an ending that will spark conversation after the credits roll. Is it a predictable, formulaic screenplay? Kind of, but it's beautifully made by an extraordinarily dedicated, talented filmmaker who I recommend everyone to follow closely.

Rating: B+

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Kamurai

⭐ 6/10

June 4, 2021

Good watch, might watch again, and can recommend.
(Especially for those that liked Gravity.)

This is a very smart, and fairly technical movie about space, both surviving and traveling within it.

Gravity is the only other movie that seems similar (Passengers is more science fiction), and I'm really hoping to see more science fact movies like this come about.

While some of that may put you to sleep, the survival aspect should add enough d… read the rest.

RalphRahal

⭐ 4/10

March 5, 2025

Stowaway had a solid premise, but it didn’t quite reach its full potential. The story is simple but could have been executed better. The tension is there, and the stakes are high, but a lot of moments feel forced rather than naturally unfolding. It also has some pacing issues, making it feel slower than it needed to be. The moral dilemma at the core is interesting, but the depth of the story doesn’t hit as hard as it should.

The directing is f… read the rest.

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Status

Released

Original Language

Budget

$10,000,000

Revenue

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