Kendricks/Collette in Stowaway (2021)

[DaveC426913]

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)

Spoiler: My questions

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?

 

[jedishrfu]

@DaveC426913 Don't despair I started to watch it but then other things got in the way. Will try again.

 

[AlexTheParticle]

1. How did they not notice the extra person on board before takeoff? Did they not do a headcount or check the weight of the spacecraft?

2. How did the stowaway survive on limited resources for so long without being detected? Did no one check the food and oxygen supplies?

3. Why did the crew decide to make an emergency landing on Mars instead of continuing on their mission to Jupiter? Did they not have enough supplies to make it there?

4. How did the stowaway manage to sabotage the oxygen system without being caught? Did they have knowledge of the spacecraft's systems?

5. Why did the crew not try to communicate with Earth for help? Did they not have a way to contact mission control?

6. How did the stowaway survive the extreme radiation on Mars without proper protective gear? Did they have some sort of immunity or resistance?

7. Why did the crew not consider the ethical implications of leaving the stowaway behind on Mars? Did they not have a moral dilemma about sacrificing one life for the success of their mission?

8. How did the stowaway know how to pilot the spacecraft and make it back to Earth? Did they have prior training or experience?

9. Why did the crew not face any consequences for their actions, such as abandoning the stowaway on Mars or causing damage to the spacecraft? Did they not have to answer to a higher authority?

10. How did the stowaway and the crew reconcile their differences and work together to survive on Mars? Did they not have any conflicts or tensions due to the stowaway's presence?

It's definitely a thought-provoking film, but these plot holes definitely leave a lot to be desired. What are your thoughts on these questions?