STOWAWAY (2021)

STOWAWAY (2021)

Tagline: Millions of miles from home. Survival comes from sacrifice.

(Sci-Fi, Adventure, Oxygen) [R]

Note: This movie was not given an MPA rating, but is designated TV-MA which is essentially the same rating as [R] only for TV. 

What are we gonna do, ask him to walk out of the airlock?

In this one, a crew of 3 launches into space toward Mars to join a colony already there. They end up discovering a stowaway maintenance man on board, but due to a malfunction on the ship, they only have enough oxygen for 2 of the crew. It’s too late to turn back and unless a solution is found, two of the four will have to be sacrificed to save the other 2.

First off, this thing reminds me a lot of films like ROCKETSHIP X-M and CONQUEST OF SPACE just in the sense that they both involve troubled trips into deep space and don’t have any real action sequences, but are more trying to drive the story forward based on the intensity of the situation. Some believe this one is based on a short story titled "The Cold Equations", written in 1954, which makes a lot of sense. Both ROCKETSHIP X-M and CONQUEST OF SPACE were 1950’s sci-fi and those movies were slow burns with occasional moments of “what the crap are they going to do now” to keep things interesting. If you came to this “science fiction” movie for stuff that makes sense in “real science” watch NOVA or something like that. This is science fiction; it’s not meant to fit in some neat little “we can prove this all works like we are showing it works” box. 

When it comes to the performances everyone kills it. I am used to Anna Kendrick (SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE WORLD) in lighter roles, so it was cool to see her show quite a bit of range in this playing Zoe. I know she has done serious roles in the past, but I didn’t see those flicks. Daniel Dae Kim (SPIDER-MAN 2) is also solid as David Kim. This role demanded a more stoic “serious” approach and he nails it. Toni Collette (KNIVES OUT) does get less character growth as Marina in this than the other characters, but she’s still solid here. Shamier Anderson (JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4) does a great job as Michael. We learn more about his character than anyone else. 

The production and pacing are really good, but STOWAWAY does end up feeling like “half of a movie” that just took a really long time to tell. It’s also a downer and you freakin know how I feel about downer. I will never advise someone to run into checking out a movie that is just going to slam them in the heart unless it’s so good you really don’t want to miss it. This isn’t that movie. I love Anna and Shamier can act circles around over half of Hollywood, but this story just never delivers what it could have. Rule number one of making a movie is that you have to tell a full story and if you aren’t don’t leave it on the worst part of the film. Why Joe Penna, why would you leave your audience hanging like this. 

If you like flicks that show up at the door with an extra-large popcorn and your favorite soda, then just throw that on the ground when you answer the door. Then STOWAWAY is going to be for you, if you also like slow burn 50’s style sci-fi. I am all about the latter, the former…not so much. 

STOWAWAY gets a 3 out of 7. It’s certainly watchable, but the incomplete story and that ending make it hardly worth it. Especially if you also need your sci-fi to fit in a neat little “scientifically tested” box. 

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