Stowaway (Exclusive Mini Review Series)

Stowaway (Exclusive Series)

Initial release date: April 22, 2021

Studios: Netflix XYZ Films

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

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

Cast

Anna Kendrick (Trolls: World Tour) - Zoe Levenson

Daniel Dae Kim (Raya and the Last Dragon) - David Kim

Shamier Anderson (City of Lies) - Michael Adams

Toni Collette (Knives out) - Marina Barnett

Writer(s): Joe Penna (Arctic)

Ryan Morrison (Actric)

Director: Joe Penna (Arctic)

Rated TV-MA (116 min)

‘Stowaway’ is a little space feature that can be quite dramatic and, at times, a bit suspenseful. The space imagery that you see during the course of the movie is simply incredible and awe-inspiring.

There are quite a few parts of the sci-fi drama that can be tense and hectic. There are a few things that occur throughout the movie that are left unexplained (which does happen more than it should in this movie). One thing that was definitely left unexplained and should’ve been mentioned was how the hell did the Michael character get stuck in the ship??? The guy seemed to be just bolted into the ship and after they find him, it never gets mentioned after the fact.

One sequence in the movie that is really nerve-wracking is when a couple of the astronauts have to work on something OUTSIDE the ship. It’s really tense and in space, you know anything can go wrong in a matter of seconds.

Here are a few interesting tidbits about ‘Stowaway’:

• The screenplay for ‘Stowaway’ was written before Joe Penna’s feature debut, 2018s ‘Arctic.’ The film was originally intended to be set on Mars and connected to ‘Stowaway.’, but the setting of the narrative was changed to the arctic after they saw a trailer for ‘The Martian.’

• Youtube video blogger, astronomy and space enthusiast Scott Manley provided consultation and did orbital mechanics math to make sure the movie setting and plot are as scientifically accurate as possible.

• Filming began on June 11, 2019 in Cologne and Munich and wrapped after 30 days.

• In November 2018, Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions acquired international distribution rights to the film, excluding the US. In December 2020, Netflix acquired distribution rights to the film, acquiring territories previously purchased by Sony, with Prime Video set to distribute in Canada.