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Stowaway

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2:21

Stowaway

2021

1h 56m

Sci-Fi

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

76%

Tomatometer

109 Reviews

44%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

On a mission headed to Mars, an unintended stowaway accidentally causes severe damage to the spaceship's life support systems. Facing dwindling resources and a potentially fatal outcome, the crew is forced to make an impossible decision.

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Critics Consensus

Pacing problems prevent Stowaway from fully engaging, but it's distinguished by its thoughtful, well-acted approach to a story built on an excruciating moral dilemma.

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Audience Says

Although it's well-acted and beautifully filmed, this cleverly conceived sci-fi drama is undone by its predictable, drawn-out story and a frustrating ending.

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Robert Levin

Newsday

Such a tightly written and engaging character piece that it overcomes an unconvincing premise.

Rated: 3/4

Apr 26, 2021

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Charlotte O'Sullivan

London Evening Standard

Stowaway, it turns out, is just as intricate and immersive.

Rated: 3/5

Apr 24, 2021

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Bilge Ebiri

New York Magazine/Vulture

Just about every confusing plot point is overcome by a powerful human moment.

Apr 23, 2021

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Carlos Ovalle

But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Stowaway is not complex, nor is it trying to be, but if you’re looking for a quick distraction that’ll leave your palms sweaty and your heart racing, then this is well worth your time.

Rated: 8/10

Jan 22, 2023

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M.N. Miller

Ready Steady Cut

{Stowaway} completely mishandles any chance of a morality play by playing it too safe. It’s such a flat experience that it made me ponder whether the world is round after all.

Rated: 2/5

Oct 9, 2022

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Zoë Rose Bryant

Loud and Clear Reviews

Stowaway is a new kind of sci-fi story - one that highlights how complicated moral concerns and true-life tragedies can be far more troubling than any of the extraterrestrial threats we’ve come to associate with the genre.

Rated: 4/5

Sep 1, 2022

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Audience Member

This movie feels like an accurate depiction of how long it actually takes to travel to Mars

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

05/11/25

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Eric C

I wanted to like this movie. It failed on most counts. The stowaway aspect of this mission was pretty unbelievable. The fact there was one CO2 scrubber in the exact place he was trapped (behind a panel that didn't have an air duct) is too much coincidence. The fact that a ship that has been to Mars and back several times doesn't have replacement parts is the last draw. The physics were questionable in the craft. Then sadly, I didn't find the acting overall matched the gravity of the situation. There were some good spots, but the dialog felt forced and unconvincing. The conversations with the Earth happened too real time. The one ended conversations left out an opportunity for what seemed like astronauts would be doing to fix a problem. (Think Apollo 13) So, big miss. Sad, too, there was a potentially interesting moral dilemma to work through here with a little more scrubbing.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

04/29/25

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Dustin M

The logic at the beginning of the story makes the entire movie useless. There was no comeback in the ending to makeup for a bad overall movie.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

04/11/25

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Michael P

A space station built to travel back and forth to a colony on mars has a critical failure after the discovery of a 4th person on board. Sounds interesting until you realize that for some reason nobody thought preparing for a situation with reduced oxygen would be a good idea.....that's it...that's the whole problem....they've managed to colonize mars but haven't figured out that space is dangerous. They didnt think having an extra O2 scrubber on board or extra oxygen might be beneficial. I am baffled at the laziness of Hollywood. We keep spare tires in our cars for crying out loud.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

04/10/25

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Stoner J

The movie is just riddled with weird, strange and stupid decisions, the director is obviously a complete novice! And the ending, what in the world! Nothing like having zero conclusion to a movie you’ve invested 2 hours in! Ridiculous. Bummer cause the premise is cool. Don’t waste 2 hours on this one.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

04/09/25

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Jason J

While not an Alien level film, I thought it was better than a 3 star. Easily a 4 star movie! Good story and a good ending.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/23/25

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Stowaway: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

On a mission headed to Mars, an unintended stowaway accidentally causes severe damage to the spaceship's life support systems. Facing dwindling resources and a potentially fatal outcome, the crew is forced to make an impossible decision.

Director: Joe Penna
Producer: Ulrich Schwarz, Maximilian Leo, Nick Spicer, Clay Pecorin, Aram Tertzakian, Jonas Katzenstein
Screenwriter: Joe Penna, Ryan Morrison
Production Co: Rise Pictures, Augenschein Filmproduktion, Phiphen Pictures, Black Canopy Films, XYZ Films, RainMaker Films, Stage 6 Films, MMC Movies, Yale Productions
Genre: Sci-Fi, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 22, 2021
Runtime: 1h 56m

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