It’s been a rough couple of weeks for Disney+. First, The Mandalorian saw a significant decrease in viewership for its third season, then Peter Pan & Wendy (2023) bombed in the reviews, and most recently, it was announced that the platform lost 4 million subscribers in India. And now their latest original movie isn’t the out-of-this-world hit they were hoping for. While Crater (2023) tries to be something more than just another sci-fi, this space coming-of-age film falls flat in its execution.
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On paper, Crater (2023) sounds like a futuristic Stand By Me (1986) as it centers around a group of kids who set off on a journey to discover the meaning of growing up. Where the film suffers is the overuse of its awareness. In other words, characters constantly talk about the future and how they miss things from the old days. Comments like “I haven’t seen real chocolate in years” and “Road trips are something we used to do on earth” feel forced, hammering the point that this takes place on the moon. The audience doesn’t need to be reminded, and it’s a point that could have been covered without saying.
When the movie doesn’t point out its surroundings, it feels like there could have been something worth saving here. The film does feel like a classic coming-of-age story in a new setting that viewers haven’t seen before. It’s almost like an updated version of Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century (1999), where teenagers deal with teenage things but with futuristic elements. Unfortunately, the plot is all too familiar. The idea of going on a road trip to honor your father’s dying wish isn’t something new. The story sometimes adds some exciting elements, predicting what the future could look like if humanity ever discovers a new planet to live on.
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Crater (2023) is a good-looking movie, and the editing isn’t bad either, as it plays around with time nicely. Kid Cudi’s character comes in and out through flashbacks, but they are inserted at the right moments. The cast of young actors isn’t the worst, but none of their performances stand out besides Mckenna Grace. The movie had the potential to be the next Stand By Me (1986), but sadly it gets boring at times and would have made for a better Disney Channel Original Movie.
With streaming services being so competitive these days, it would be in Disney’s best interest to produce movies that audiences are going to remember instead of the recent disappointments they’ve been putting out lately.
Have you seen Crater (2023)? Let us know what you thought of it in the comments.