Crater – A Decent Version of Goonies in Space

Outside the MCU, Star Wars, and Pixar content across film and television, the Disney+ Original library has been pretty scarce. With the steaming service lacking those other originals as of late, the few that have been released have been, for the most part, fairly horrendous. These films and television series have ultimately fail to consistently capture audiences’ attention, resulting in some highly forgettable projects. At this rate, viewers are due for a half decent Disney+ Original. Here comes Crater, an original film that promises to offer a fun teen adventure in space and surprisingly, it works. Its childhood adventure story and themes will easily draw comparisons to such classic films as The Goonies or Stand by Me. It delivers some wholesome fun, boasting stunning set design and visuals that will appeal to one’s sense of wonder, strong writing, and compelling performances.

Crater follows Caleb Channing (Russell-Bailey) as he is about to be relocated to an idyllic faraway planet following his father’s (Scott Mescudi) death. Fulfilling his final wish, Caleb and his three best friends, Dylan (Barratt), Borney (Hong) and Marcus (Boyce), along with a new arrival from Earth named Addison (Grace) steal a rover and embark on a journey to explore a mysterious crater. In the end, the film’s crowning achievement is its deep characters, each with tragic backstories. Tackling some heavy themes in a grounded way, it strengthens the connection between viewers and the characters over the course of their respective arcs.

The friendships on display are incredibly endearing and made better by the young casts’ brilliant performances. Russell-Bailey, Barratt, Hong, Boyce and Grace, all deliver powerful performances. The endearing nature of the film lies heavily within the stellar chemistry amongst its cast as they are so fun to watch together. The moments over the course of the film where the characters either bond, let loose, or just have a grand old time, are infectious and will no doubt put a smile on faces. Though the film may ultimately not live up to films like The Goonies in terms of quality, its fun and sweet nature shares so many parallels with that film that Crater can essentially be described as The Goonies in space. 

However, its story, while simple, holds the film back and is as predictable as nearly every other teen adventure film that came before it. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it fails to bring enough to the table to make it feel fresh, original or memorable. Recovering from a rough start pacing-wise, using a series of poorly-conceived flashback sequences for which viewers will inevitably have some difficulty deciphering the information being presented in order to make sense of what is happening on screen as it attempted to develop the characters and setting, the film eventually found its groove from there and wildly improved as a result. 

At the end of the day, Crater is a fun and heartfelt film and a huge surprise, featuring a space story with endearing characters, brought to life by simply stunning CGI. Unfortunately, that same story is also an uninspired one, brought down by a sloppy first act bogged down by rushed pacing and disorientating flashbacks that keep it from being a must watch. All things considered, it is still a sweet film that will undoubtedly bring smiles to those who decide to go on a journey with it and its characters. In what will surely appeal to fans of This Goonies and/or similar films, this film may not reach those heights but is still a decent watch.

*still courtesy of Walt Disney Studios*

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Olly Dyche

Journalist, Writer, Film Critic and Professional Nerd. You will probably find Olly at the cinema chomping down on some popcorn and taking in the glorious visuals of the latest theatrical release.