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Stowaway

Play trailer 2:21 Poster for Stowaway 2021 1h 56m Sci-Fi Drama Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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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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Stowaway

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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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Critics Reviews

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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 Full Review Charlotte O'Sullivan London Evening Standard Stowaway, it turns out, is just as intricate and immersive. Rated: 3/5 Apr 24, 2021 Full Review Bilge Ebiri New York Magazine/Vulture Just about every confusing plot point is overcome by a powerful human moment. Apr 23, 2021 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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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 Full Review Audience Member The film had a little promise at the start but quickly descends into monotony.....none of the characters impose themselves and you have no empathy with any character, quite frankly if they all died from radiation you wouldn't lose any sleep.....avoid like the plague. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 03/21/25 Full Review Ralph R Stowaway had a solid premise, but it didn’t quite reach its full potential. The story is simple but could have been executed better. The tension is there, and the stakes are high, but a lot of moments feel forced rather than naturally unfolding. It also has some pacing issues, making it feel slower than it needed to be. The moral dilemma at the core is interesting, but the depth of the story doesn’t hit as hard as it should. The directing is fine, nothing too special, but the cinematography and CGI are where things fall short. With the entire movie taking place on the spaceship, the visuals needed to feel immersive, but they just don't. The ship itself doesn’t look as real as it should, making some scenes feel like they’re missing that extra layer of realism. That being said, the performances were good. The cast did their job well, bringing emotion into the story, but even with solid acting, the script felt a bit weak. Some dialogue and situations felt unnatural, like they were trying too hard to create drama. The sound design and score are decent, nothing that really stands out, but they do their job in setting the tone. It feels like a lower-budget film compared to other space movies, and that shows in both the production and execution. It had potential to be something more intense and thought-provoking but didn’t quite get there. Not a bad watch if you like slow-burn space dramas, but it’s not one that leaves a lasting impact. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/05/25 Full Review Derek D Decent movie, but so frustrating to watch. Classic case of logical thinking vs emotional thinking. The answer to the “problem” in this movie is clear as day, yet we have to watch Anna Kendrick play a character whose emotions are so strong they blind her from the logical solution. It’s frustrating watching it play out. There’s also some really obvious common sense issues- such as not being tethered to the spacecraft while out space walking… and bringing in a METAL oxygen tank into a ship after it’s been through a deadly solar storm and obviously radioactive (for probably a thousand years). The pacing of the movie is uneven and made me want to fast forward several parts- although I didn’t. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/05/25 Full Review Andrew M Movies like this terrify me. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/05/25 Full Review Audience Member I wrote reviews for this movie but it got deleted after RT got bought by Fandango. I don't remember what I wrote, nor this movie so it must not have been that great. I recall it not being realistic. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/09/25 Full Review Read all reviews
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Movie Info

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
Phiphen Pictures, Augenschein Filmproduktion, Rise Pictures, XYZ Films, Yale Productions, Stage 6 Films, RainMaker Films, Black Canopy Films, MMC Movies
Genre
Sci-Fi, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 22, 2021
Runtime
1h 56m
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