What Is the Story About?
Caleb Channing is about to be relocated to an idyllic faraway planet Omega following his father’s death. To fulfill his dad’s last wish before leaving, he and his three best friends hijack a rover to explore a mysterious crater in Moon, that his father spoke to him about hardly three days before his departure.
Performances?
One of the prominent driving forces of the film is it’s young cast. They’re all so endearing and their journey to self discovery hit close to home. All of them phenomenal, especially Isaiah Russell-Bailey’s deeply internalised performance and Mckenna Grace’s sensitivity and camaraderie with the camera.
Analysis
Disney’s Crater directed by Kyle Patrick Alvarez and written by John Griffin is more like a coming of age movie that takes shape amidst a space-trip a group of teenagers take to discover a mysterious crater in Moon. As ambitious and sci-fi as it looks, Crater is a simple and tender film that would strike a chord with its core audience of children. Based in 2257, Crater takes us to a fictional situation where mankind has mined the moon for resources, following the failure to colonize it. The classist division of the capitalists and workers still exist and the miners are forced to work for 20 years before they are allowed to take a shuttle to colonize another planet called Omega. If someone die before their allotted years, their next of kin must fill out the remaining years plus their own 20 if they are over the age of 18. Our main protagonist Caleb Channing’s father, Michael, dies in a mining accident and this automatically leads to Caleb’s turn of being sent to Omega. A heartbroken Caleb who hardly has three days to be taken away decides to rover to the mysterious crater his father spoke a lot to him about. He gets his friends Dylan, Borney and Marcus on board. The groups recruits Addison Weaver, the daughter of a highly respected scientist from Earth on board to help them leave the base. She joins the group and they set out on an adventure of a lifetime. A journey that changes all of them for the better. The group eventually gets to know each other a lot better, their insecurities, strengths, pitfalls and worries and a lot more adventure follows them enroute. In short, Crater is a film that places the very universally loved coming of age template on a sci-fi set-up. A sight for the sci-fi junkies and a close-to-home self discovery meal for its intended audience comprising of rebels, dreamers and an emotionally overburdened generation. For sure, it is cheesy. It is corny. It is silly. But all that matters is that it explores emotions, insecurities and relationships tenderly. The young actors have all given such moving and evocative performances as expected from a film of this kind and often elevates a draggy screenplay with all their might. Crater definitely has all the pitfalls that come by a run-of-the-mill sweet as sugar Disney films, but one cannot ignore the heart and ambition director Kyle Patrick Alvarez has put into it. To cut it short, Crater is a one time watch with family. Especially for the dreamers and rebels of the current blooming generation of Kids.
Music and Other Departments?
Crater aims big and considering it’s target audience, flirts with the ambition and child-like curiosity effectively. Jas Shelton’s cinematography is arresting enough and Dan Romer & Osei Essed’s music serves right to the mood and setting of the film : the right mix of sci-fi and coming of age palette.
Highlights?
Ambitious concept Starcast Production Design Music
Drawbacks?
Disjointed Draggy Screenplay Forgetful writing VFX
Did I Enjoy It?
Yes, in few parts.
Will You Recommend It?
Yes. Especially the kids might have a good time watching this one.
Crater Movie Review by Binged Bureau
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