Review: ‘Stowaway’ reaches for the stars in high-concept space thriller

The Netflix film delivers a high-profile cast with a promising story

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The film showcases Anna Kendrick and Toni Collette in a new level of “bottle film”.

Most people face challenging days in the workplace on an average basis. On a tough day, some even have to face slight dilemmas of a moral issue. But what if you worked in space? And a stowaway snuck onto your one-way trip to Mars? That’s the issue that “Stowaway” faces.

The new Netflix film, starring Anna Kendrick, Toni Collette, and Daniel Dae Kim, see the three on a trip to Mars that doesn’t plan on coming back. However, the ship only has enough oxygen for three as planned.

Most would be safe to assume that won’t change since the stowaway passenger (played impressively by Shamier Anderson) may have permanently damaged the air supply.

Throughout the film, the crew is faced with the extreme moral decision of what to do with a stowaway passenger. As the plot progresses, it also becomes more intense and anxiety-inducing, as the crew slowly depletes their oxygen, food, water, and time.

While the film does offer a slightly original concept or at least a run-of-the-mill concept set in a new environment, it drags on longer than the audiences would care for. With little action to keep the film moving, it slowly turns into a moral “Sophie’s Choice” set outside of space.

However, standout performances from actresses Kendrick and Collette carry the film through the finish line with ease on their part. With Collette having been robbed of any recognition for her knockout performance in Ari Aster’s horror-thriller “Hereditary”, it appears that she’s taking every chance she can to prove herself to the masses.

While most would see the logical “survival of the fittest” situation and use it to their advantage, it appears that all four astronauts would prefer to solve the situation in a morally healthy manner that doesn’t involve having to pull straws. It’s a slow-burn of a moral and ethical dilemma that does raise questions but doesn’t offer many intriguing answers.

Review: 3/5

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