Movie review: ‘Stowaway’ heads to Mars slowly and dramatically – Gwinnettdailypost.com

What sort of outer space movies are you a fan of? The action-packed, big-budgeters that have the word "Star" in the title, as well as either "Trek" or "Wars?" The message-heavy ones such as "2001: A Space Odyssey?" (yes, some of those messages were perplexing), or the cerebral ones like Andrei Tarkovsky's "Solaris" and Steven Soderbergh's remake of that film? (and in both of those cases, by "cerebral," I mean "boring").

"Stowaway" doesn't fit neatly into any of those categories. There are some good visual effects, but they're limited in number. There isn't a dull moment in it. Its main message is more on the order of "what would YOU do" if you were in this situation.

The plot starts out as a simple one. A three-person crew is being sent to Mars on a two-year mission that has to do with maintaining and sustaining long-term life there. The commander is Marina (Toni Collette), the doctor is Zoe (Anna Kendrick), the scientist is David (Daniel Dae Kim).

There's the loud and shaky lift-off, the docking with the space station where they'll live and work, the settling in, and the scraps of personal information (this is Marina's third and final mission, Zoe and David have brought their good-humored Harvard-Yale rivalry into space).

But about 15 minutes in I started wondering about the title. Where could someone be hiding out? How could anyone survive the takeoff if they weren't strapped in and had a personal oxygen supply?

Three minutes later, Marina sees a splotch of blood on the floor, unbolts a ceiling panel, and is fallen on by an injured and unconscious man. The scene is shocking and nicely done. The first line of dialogue is apt: "Who the hell is this?"

We soon find out he's Michael (Shamier Anderson), a launch support engineer who somehow got stuck on the ship (sorry, no explanation of how it happened is forthcoming). Since it's only 12 hours after launch, he pleads with the crew to turn it around and bring him back home.

Nope, that's not going to happen, says the practically inaudible radio voice of mission control - not NASA, but some corporation called Hyperion - to the commander. Keep going to Mars. Make do with the situation.

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And so the difficulties begin to pile up. The commander's left arm is broken due to Michael falling on her. The craft's Life Support Assembly was damaged. David's main science experiments - one of the major components of the expedition - are likely compromised. There's plenty of food onboard for an extra person, but that might not be the case as far as oxygen. And there's one other detail. This voyage to Mars was initially intended for two people, but the bean-counters at Hyperion figured out a method of retooling things to make room for three, at very little additional cost. It may not show, but some of the work is, shall we say, on the shoddy side. So, a ship that was made for two is now carrying four. And the sudden oxygen shortage is not helping matters.

The second half of the film deals with Hyperion simply not giving a damn about the crew, and ordering them to continue on with the mission, while the astronauts try to devise a method of survival. They know that if they can make it to Mars, where there is already a colony, they'll be OK. But the odds are against that happening, and there's quiet talk among the three actual crew members of continuing on without Michael.

So, there's that "what would you do in this situation" component.

"Stowaway"

Written by Joe Penna and Ryan Morrison; directed by Joe Penna

With Anna Kendrick, Toni Collette, Daniel Dae Kim, Shamier Anderson

Not Rated

It's a tough emotional grind for Marina, Zoe, and David, and that's amplified when Michael catches wind of what's going on. The situation seems impossible, but since this is science fiction, there's also a possible solution, one filled with risks and with no guarantee of succeeding. But it adds some good drama - and those visual effects - to the film.

A dangerous space walk includes a "ticking clock," tense music, spirit, bravery, and selflessness, all leading to an eerie, haunting, really moving ending.

"Stowaway" is now available on Netflix.

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Movie review: 'Stowaway' heads to Mars slowly and dramatically - Gwinnettdailypost.com