‘Crater’ Is A Bittersweet Sci-Fi Journey – Review
By Ricardo Carlot
The new Disney+ original film, Crater, is a sci-fi adventure film directed by Kyle Patrick Alvarez. The film does a lot of good things, but the writing can be a bit lackluster. Is Crater worth the watch? Well, you’ll have to read the rest of the review to find out.
Crater is a coming-of-age tale that follows Caleb Channing (Isaiah Russell-Bailey), a kid that was raised in a lunar mining colony. Caleb will be relocated permanently to a faraway planet after the death of his father (Scott Mescudi). Before leaving the lunar mining colony, Caleb will be fulfilling his father’s last wish and will be going on one final adventure with his friends, Dylan (Billy Barrat), Marcus (Thomas Boyce), Borney (Orson Hong), and a newcomer from Earth, Addison (Mckenna Grace). After hijacking a rover, they go on a journey to explore a mysterious Crater.
The film had a lot of solid writing when it came to the characters. What the movie does well is being able to help the audience understand the characters’ places through dialogue. For example, even though Caleb is the only one with flashback scenes, the film aids you in understanding his friends’ place as well. This fostered a dynamic between the characters that worked well and cemented everyone’s place within the story.
The film has a great cast. I was impressed by the natural chemistry between the actors all the actors. The highlight and standout from the cast for me was Isaiah Russell-Bailey. There’s no mistaking he will surely be a breakout star in the future!
Regarding the story, although it’s a straightforward plot, at times, it can be lacking. The film feels like it’s missing a lot of details in the story that I believe could have helped to fill in the blanks had they been added. Even the ending (which I won’t spoil) made me go: “Wait, huh?” The plot could have improved with some much-needed additions to the storytelling. It would’ve helped the film a lot, and even though the film has a bittersweet ending, the abruptness of it, unfortunately, took me out of it.
The best thing about Crater was how well the film was produced. A lot of the set designs, VFX, and camera shots, looked great. I was in awe of many of the scenes throughout the movie, and it made me think that Crater would’ve looked amazing in theaters. This was easily my favorite part of the film overall.
Where Crater lacks in the story, the other elements of the film help it find its legs. From the cast, production, and character developments, Crater is a solid sci-fi adventure movie. If you’re into sci-fi or have kids that are also into the genre, Crater would be a fun film to watch.
Rating: 7.5/10
Crater is now available to stream exclusively on Disney+.
