Taken for a Ride
Somber yet tense, Stowaway delivers
Director: Joe Penna
Writers: Joe Penna & Ryan Morrison
Cast: Anna Kendrick, Toni Colette, Daniel Day Kim, and Shamier Anderson
Genre: Sci-Fi Survival Drama
The entire movie industry ground to a halt due to the Covid-19 pandemic last year, leaving the masses starved for content. Stowaway is more than welcome as a slew of recent cinematic entries that are breathing life back into an industry that was shoved into intensive care like so many of us were stuffed into our domiciles during quarantine.
Slight spoilers ahead although I don’t reveal much of this great story.
Stowaway follows the story of three astronauts, Zoe (Anna Kendrick, Marina (Tonie Colette), and David (Daniel Dae Kim) as they launch into space for a one-way trip to Mars on a spaceship whose life support systems can sustain only three people.
Once in orbit, our crew discovers Michael (Shamier Anderson), a member of the ground crew engineers, lodged behind a maintenance panel. His discovery also leads to the permanent damage of the ships Co2 scrubbers, the ship cannot produce enough oxygen for four people. This is where the movie takes on a shape of its own. The three astronauts are told by their ground control that there is nothing they can do.
The tone is somber but tense as the life support systems begin to break down further until they can only sustain two out of the four members on board. The stakes are raised in an organic fashion, and the pacing doesn’t leave any time for boredom to manifest for the viewer. The three astronauts are all honorable and likeable people, educated and driven, who must sacrifice their life’s work in order to ensure the survival of themselves and Michael the stowaway.
The movie could have had a cliché moment where one of the three astronauts snaps mentally and tries to kill the stowaway only to be stopped by one of the other crew which ultimately leads to them damaging a crucial component of the ship which then leads to their reconciliation as they work together to survive…blah, blah, blah. Seen it and hate it. In Stowaway, the crew don’t become vengeful, but are instead entirely defeated and somber, nearly depressed. I like that their education and training came through in the direction the story and plot takes us. There are no evil villains here, no agents of sabotage. Instead, Murphy’s Law takes control of the seat and pushes our characters to survive against impossible odds.
It is entertaining and hits all the right notes. We are left hoping, praying, and wishing that our fateful crew come out on top and that no harm comes to our beloved stowaway, Michael, who we come to know and recognize as a good person caught in an extraordinary circumstance. Bearing witness to how the crew of three deal with their unexpected member is a pleasure to watch from start to finish. The story could have been generic, or worse, a supernatural aspect could have been introduced, ruining the atmosphere that was carefully crafted by writer and director Jim Penna. Stowaway entertains with only four characters stuck on a dying ship, a spectacular setting that glues you to the screen.
