Netflix new release: Stowaway keeps the tension high from start to finish

This weekend, the movie landscape is heavily focused on Mortal Kombat but Netflix also has a good new release with a strong cast. Stowaway takes place in outer space and we know in space movies you’re always waiting to see what goes wrong.

In this case, we already know one thing that goes wrong from the title. After launch, the crew realizes that there is an extra person on board and this creates a ton of issues that the crew must work to figure out as they go along.

One of the main things Stowaway has going for it is the cast. Starting with Oscar nominees Anna Kendrick (Pitch Perfect) and Toni Collette (Hereditary), we only see four people in this movie. LOST alum Daniel Dae Kim rounds out the planned crew while Shamier Anderson (Goliath) plays the stowaway.

Collette plays the tough Captain Barnett and Kim plays the scientist, David Kim. Anna Kendrick plays the young doctor Zoe Levenson who applied to go on this mission as a joke but ended up being chosen.

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The movie starts with their launch and we get to meet the three as they embark on a two-year mission to Mars. Zoe is the young fun one while Collette has to be the more serious member of the crew while not being too hard. Kim is there for his research and the three have a fine dynamic for a group of smart people flying through space. The harmony doesn’t last long though as Collette finds random blood drops before opening a panel and finding their unexpected guest.

I made the conscious decision of watching the movie without seeing the trailer so I had no idea what to expect from the movie and I think that was the right choice. From moment one this extra body on the ship is a problem.

First, you need to figure out why he’s there. Not knowing the tone of the movie, I wasn’t sure if he boarded intending to cause harm or not. You get your answers pretty quickly as to how and why he was there and the rest of the movie is waiting to see what will go wrong next and how. I am withholding that information so you can enjoy that ride like I did.

Stowaway uses a great score and perfect pacing to keep the tension high

One aspect of the film that really makes the tension work is the score. It’s not overly dramatic but it’s dramatic enough to keep you alert from moment to moment.

In space, things can fall apart very quickly and that definitely happens here. With so little room for error, we know that an additional body on the ship can’t be good and we soon learn that the place where Shamier’s character, Michael, was stowed was where their carbon-monoxide filtering system was and that system is now damaged. Between the extra body and the damaged air filtering system, oxygen will soon become a problem for the crew.

My favorite thing about Stowaway besides the great score is the pacing. While there are some great character-building moments, the movie doesn’t go very long without a new piece of information that adds to the drama.

The film starts with an intense launch sequence. The crew settles in, we get to know them briefly, then Captain Barnett finds Michael. We spend some time getting to know Michael and how they’ll adjust to him, then we find out how bad the filter is broken, then we have to figure out what the solution is, and so on. There is very little room for error in space and this mission is in a tenuous position from the moment Michael is discovered.

You can watch the trailer below:

Stowaway does a great job of avoiding being dramatic for the sake of being dramatic. The drama is in the humanity of the characters as they work to find solutions to their problem. They are in a tin can floating through space and their options for fixing their issues are few and far between.

How will these people survive this mission? Are these scientists prepared to kill if they have to? Is there any way all four make it out of this alive?

If you’re looking for an action-packed space adventure, this isn’t it. This isn’t a thriller or horror movie, it’s a drama. Stowaway is more in line with Matt Damon’s The Martian where you have people in space trying to survive.

There are many tense moments and they do make good use of their setting but most of the space problems are at the very beginning and the very end. If you’re up for a human survival story that just so happens to take place in space, you’ll enjoy Stowaway.

Stowaway is currently streaming on Netflix.