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Whenever a ship is launched into space—whether with or without a crew—it’s the culmination of years of planning, engineering, training, and preparations. So in Netflix’s sci-fi thriller Stowaway, when a Mars-bound crew is faced with something completely unexpected, the entire mission is thrown into chaos.
Stowaway takes off on a two-year mission to Mars with a three-person crew. Shortly after leaving Earth behind, though, Commander Barnett (Toni Collette) discovers an unconscious engineer hidden behind a panel. Though Zoe (Anna Kendrick) stitches him up, everyone is surprised when Michael (Shamier Anderson) survives. He settles in, taking on the responsibility of assisting botanist David (Daniel Dae Kim) with his research. But when Commander Barnett is informed that some equipment is damaged, leaving them with enough oxygen for just two of them to survive the journey, the crew faces some difficult decisions.
From the beginning of the mission, as the crew braces for a shaky take-off, nearly everything about it seems tense and uncertain. So much on a mission like this one can go wrong—no matter how careful the planning—but finding an extra person hidden away inside the ship’s workings isn’t the kind of mishap that you’d probably expect. And it seems strange that the explanation for Michael’s presence on the ship is quickly explained away before the crew just accepts it and moves on.
For just a short time, audiences get to catch their breath—to get to know the characters, their personalities, and their relationships. While the Commander tends to remain separate, maintaining her all-business attitude, the others are a little more relaxed, and we get to know Zoe’s heart and playfulness, David’s love of jazz, and Michael’s dramatic history. So by the time the Commander breaks the news that they have no chance of getting the entire crew to Mars, viewers will feel attached to all of them.
As the time passes for this doomed crew—and they try to find any possible way to increase their hope of survival—the tension grows to levels that will sometimes take your own breath away. They embark on dangerous missions that will provoke all kinds of fears and phobias that you never even knew existed. And it’s sure to keep you holding your breath until the final scene.
Stowaway is anything but an easygoing sci-fi adventure. It’s simple but suspenseful—and it’s loaded with the kind of tension and drama that will leave you feeling like you’ve just spent a couple of hours fighting for survival.
For more information, visit Netflix.com/Stowaway.
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