Stowaway Review: Solid Premise, Ultimately Unfulfilling!

Stowaway is the 2021 science fiction thriller from Netflix that tells an unlikely story of launch engineer Michael who, after being knocked unconscious, accidentally stows away aboard an important two-year mission to Mars. Upon his discovery, the crew must navigate all the usual problems of having an unexpected extra crew member on board while Michael comes to terms with actually having to live in space with no training whatsoever.

Related: Must-Watch Sci-Fi Movies on Netflix

Once the initial drama is unveiled in Stowaway, nothing happens for a while. The main story is that with a critical system damaged, the captain (Toni Colette) summarises only three of them can survive the journey. This is where things get a bit weird, and while questionable decisions are made, it ultimately comes down to them having to complete a dangerous task to ensure they all survive.

A task that the bosses on the ground explicitly advise against. However, it feels like when this dramatic finale happens, it seemed quite simple. This film is, however, gorgeous to look at. Despite the convenient artificial gravity keeping the budget down, the scenes in space were all beautifully done.

All four actors in Stowaway had good performances but not a lot to work with script-wise. The most frustrating thing was the ending. Michael is built up to be the audience’s hero, the one we can all relate to, and the one that you hope will have his moment and make a real contribution to the crew and perhaps even save the day.

Well, you can keep hoping… the ending was very abrupt and did not fit with the rest of the story. It needed an extra 10-15 minutes to show what happens after that moment, and what effect it has on the crew. Instead, the credits instantly roll. Very frustrating. Still worthy of a three out of five though I believe. Watch ‘Stowaway’ on Netflix here.

Rating – 3/5 | Grade – B

Review by dmeeks
Follow dmeeks on Instagram – @meeksatthemovies


Team JFMF

Recent Posts

Snow White Review: Yet Another Sterilized Disney Remake!

So this is the infamously “lowest rated movie of all time”; a movie that is… Read More

4 days ago

SXSW 2025 Review: “Hallow Road” – A Twisted Road Trip!

What often works for stage productions or television, one setting films can be a difficult… Read More

4 days ago

The Diplomat Review: Flawed But Watchable!

Shivam Nair’s The Diplomat aims to be a gripping political thriller, diving into the high-stakes… Read More

5 days ago

Mad Square Review: A Spirited Yet Slightly Inferior Sequel!

Kalyan Shankar’s Mad Square, the sequel to the 2023 hit Mad, carries forward the same… Read More

5 days ago

SXSW 2025 Review: “Together” – Incredibly Bold!

Relationships are hard. This is a common idea that our parents and loved ones have… Read More

6 days ago

Sikandar Review: Outdated and Uninspired!

A. R. Murugadoss’ Sikandar promised to be a high-octane action drama with Salman Khan in… Read More

6 days ago

We use cookies, just to track visits to our website, we store no personal details.