Kendricks/Collette in Stowaway (2021)

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SUMMARY

The film "Stowaway" (2021), featuring Anna Kendrick and Toni Collette, is compared to "Gravity" and "The Martian" in terms of its space survival narrative. The discussion emphasizes that despite the film's apparent technical inaccuracies and plot holes, the premise is accepted as plausible under the assumption that the writers conducted thorough research. The conversation reveals that the plot holes are integral to the story's progression, suggesting that they are not merely flaws but essential elements of the narrative structure.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of space survival narratives in film
  • Familiarity with the works of Anna Kendrick and Toni Collette
  • Knowledge of common cinematic tropes in science fiction
  • Awareness of audience expectations in storytelling
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  • Analyze the narrative structure of "Stowaway" and its reliance on plot holes
  • Research the portrayal of space travel in films like "Gravity" and "The Martian"
  • Examine audience reception and critique of science fiction films
  • Explore the role of technical accuracy in cinematic storytelling
USEFUL FOR

Film enthusiasts, screenwriters, and critics interested in analyzing narrative techniques and the impact of plot holes in science fiction cinema.

DaveC426913
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On a whim, I stumbled across this film STOWAWAY on Amazon Prime and decided to watch it.

It's kind of "Gravity"/"The Martian" but with Anna Kendricks and Toni Collette.

If you have seen it, I have some questions.

OK, I'm going to make this real easy (or hard, depending on your personal agenda). I am going to grant by fiat that the writers and their consultants are infinitely knowledgeable, researched everything, made no technical compromises for the sake of story-telling, and that everything that the film says happened is possible, logical, wise and adhere to proper protocol.

That wipes out all the several dozen plot holes and implausibilities. What we are left with is plot holes so gaping - that without them - the story could not have happened. In other words, these plot holes are the story.

My big questions are: (seriously SPOILERS from here on in)
  1. Why did Kendricks have to do her final EVA in the middle of the CME? Colette said it might last "hours". Do they literally have only a few hours of oxygen left??
  2. Was that one tank, (with its 500 PSI) going to make up for it? (A scuba tank is 3000PSI, and it'll last 45 minutes for one person.)
  3. And make up for what, exactly? They have an entire return journey to live through!
Is it just me or does the entire final act of the movie come down to:
  1. "All our oxygen producers are dead. We will suffocate in the next few hours if we don't get more oxygen."
  2. "There! Now we have one tank of oxygen. That will last all three of us to get to Mars and then the entire journey home - i.e. several months."
Did everyone just forget that the mission (granted, including time spent orbiting at Mars) is two years?
 
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