Someday civilians might go to Mars as easily as they fly from New York to Tokyo now. That will combine all of the problems of normal travel with the issues of being in space. Before that dream is possible, though, mankind will have to send highly skilled astronauts to the Red Planet first. But what if the unthinkable happens? What if someone accidentally snuck onboard before takeoff? That’s the premise for Netflix’s upcoming sci-fi film Stowaway. And the film’s first trailer presents an impossible answer for that possibility: not everyone will make it to Mars alive.
From the film’s official logline:
“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.”
This is a good trailer. It’s intense, interesting, and the movie looks great visually. Plus it has a great cast. However, there are some obvious issues with the film. It might be hard to suspend our disbelief that a multi-billion dollar mission to Mars wouldn’t have basic failsafes. You know, the kind of meticulous checks that make sure a human didn’t accidentally remain on the ship before takeoff. Or that the whole mission wouldn’t immediately be aborted, rather than go on a two-year journey where all of the food, fuel, and supplies are carefully planned for just three people.
Netflix
But assuming we can get by those peculiarities, the film does present an intriguing premise. It certainly begs the questions: What would highly trained astronauts do in that situation? And what do they owe one person versus all of mankind?
We really do want to find out. Just in case we someday have the opportunity to fly to Mars ourselves.
Joe Penna, who co-wrote the script with Ryan Morrison, directs. The film stars Anna Kendrick, Daniel Dae Kim, Shamier Anderson, and Toni Collette. Stowaway arrives at Netflix on April 22.
Featured Image: Netflix