CRATER (2023) – Review

With schools finishing up for their big Summer break many of those kids are dreaming of getting away for a while. How about the ultimate “getaway” from …the planet? It’s not that wild of a fantasy, as this new Disney+ adventure flick offers a look at a colony, almost a small city, on the moon, our big destination for over 50 years now. But how do the kids living up there take a break from the indoors (with plenty of oxygen)? Well, for the five kids in this story, they’re itching to sneak away for a fun frolic at a nearby (it’s not really a walk) CRATER.

When the film begins, those kids are sneaking around the transport bay under the dome of an underground lunar colony in the not-too-distant future. The loudspeakers are blaring out an alert that a meteor shower is imminent so everyone needs to seek shelter on the lowest levels. So, why aren’t they taking that express elevator? It all starts with a recent event in the life of one of them, Caleb (Isiah Russell-Bailey). After his widowed father perished in a recent mining accident, Caleb met with one of the colony’s supervisors. Because his pop had amassed enough work hours, Caleb can now be on the next relocation flight to the distant outpost of Omega. It’s a seventy-five-year journey, so he’ll be in suspended animation (think Captain America), and he’s got no choice in the matter. Caleb’s BFF Dylan (Billy Barratt) is crushed by the news but decides he needs to give his pal a great send-off. Along with their buddies, the twitchy, nervous Borney (Orson Hong) and the (literal) big-hearted Marcus (Brady Noon), they’ll “borrow” a land rover and head to the special crater Caleb’s pop had planned to visit with him (he even has the map). That Omega flight is just days away, so they’ll need to go during an upcoming meteor shower alert (which never affects them). But they need the special door access codes, so they’ll have to befriend a new arrival from Earth named Addison (McKenna Grace) whose dad is the new security chief. She agrees only if she can be part of the “expedition”. With scant seconds left, they leave the colony right before total lock down. Now if they can just make it to the crater and back before being caught, or running out of fuel or air. And just what has Caleb’s papa hidden there?

The engaging chemistry of this quintet carries this otherworldly concept. The anchor, and instigator of the action, is Russell-Bailey as Caleb who tries to shield his sadness and put on a brave happy face for his buds who’ll soon be a hazy memory. But it creeps through his eyes especially when the “adult in charge’ delivers the gut punch on top of his loss that he’s out of there much sooner than he thought. Grace continues to impress with her assured line delivery as the “voice of reason” Addison, who secretly aches for connection while not letting the guys think that she’s easily manipulated, so she’s not a “tool for the caper”. Plus she’s a terrific verbal 9and maybe romantic) sparring partner for future “bad boy” Riley played with great charm by Barrett projecting a “super cool” attitude to diffuse his inner heartache. Hong is the group’s comic relief as the easily-spooked jittery whose mind has been filled with wacky lunar legends thanks to a sneaky older brother. Luckily he’s distracted by his concern for Marcus who is given a warm persona by Boyce as he balks against the concerns over a chronic health condition (“I took my pill, okay!”). Plus Scott Mescudi is quite effective as Caleb’s caring dad in the flashbacks.

Director Kyle Patrick Alverez has crafted an engaging pre-teen space opera from John Griffin’s script that evokes memories of the Little Rascals (I can imagine the hand-painted label on their rickety wood-barrel rover) mixed with the mildly tense action of THE GOONIES mixed with the “back story” pathos of THE BREAKFAST CLUB. These are great kids, who are doing something a bit naughty and very dangerous. This idea is best illustrated by an action set piece involving an extra oxygen tank, a long “tie line” and the low, low surface gravity (we know that the fun will soon cease). Plus some of the travel sequences had a nice retro feel, foregoing a lot of CGI for some miniature work that feels like a nice nod to the Gerry Anderson “Supermarionation” ala THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO. After a nice side trek, the final stop makes for a sweet third act which leads to a heartwarming though melancholy yet hopeful epilogue. Some of the scenes might be too scary for the lil’ tykes, but older kids should enjoy sharing a ride with these explorers to discover the wonders of the CRATER.

2.5 Out of 4

CRATER is now streaming exclusively on Disney+