Crater, 2023.
Directed by Kyle Patrick Alvarez.
Starring Isaiah Russell-Bailey, Mckenna Grace, Billy Barratt, Orson Hong, Thomas Boyce, Scott Mescudi, Selenis Leyva, Hero Hunter, Carson Minniear, Viviana Chavez, Matthew Rimmer, Michael Papajohn, Brad Davidorf, and Dann Florek.
SYNOPSIS:
After the death of his father, a boy growing up on a lunar mining colony takes a trip to explore a legendary crater, along with his four best friends, prior to being permanently relocated to another planet.
Falling in line with a current Hollywood trend, even children have their own “eat the rich” film now, as Kyle Patrick Alvarez’s Crater (a wild 180 coming off of dark psychological thrillers such as The Stanford Prison Experiment) follows a group of young boys and one girl in the future living in a dome society on the moon, running off one night during a meteor shower (since no one will be around patrolling to bring them back inside), each with individual reasons, but primarily as an excuse to have some misadventures that John Griffin’s script revels in with childlike wonder (one of the first things the kids do on the lunar surface is play a dangerous game involving oxygen tanks boosting them off the ground).
Isaiah Russell-Bradley is Caleb, coping with the recent loss of his father (Scott Mescudi), a miner on the moon. There’s not much backstory here, but the gist is that the adults are overworked (and in many cases unfairly punished for things out of their control) in hopes of one day being able to take their families on a 75-year journey in cryo-stasis to a more advanced planet offering more opportunities to thrive. Due to his father’s tragic accident death on the job, Caleb will be sent to the new world. Still, he has mixed feelings, especially since he will be leaving behind his friends, the supportive Dylan (Billy Barratt), overthinking worrier Borney (Orson Hong), and the kind and thoughtful Marcus (Thomas Boyce).
Before their escape, they also befriend Earth girl Addison (Mckenna Grace) for easier access to certain supplies. This also means that in addition to Crater slowly functioning as a wake-up call for these children as to the injustices happening around them, it also allows a surface-level look at the benefits of getting to know and understand people from different walks of life. At one point, Addison puts together a baseball game on the moon to teach them about Earth.
Everyone also has something personal going on; Caleb is looking for a legendary crater that meant something to his dad and late mom, Addison is struggling to fit in following her parent’s divorce that ended up with her transferring to the moon with her father, Borney is looking to overcome his fears, those in charge have also screwed over Dylan’s family, and Marcus wants to have a good time without feeling like his asthma is holding the group back.
There’s nothing noteworthy or remarkable about the world on display or the effects, and while the kids occasionally make irritating choices (as children do), the growing friendship on display does feel sincere. More shockingly, the ending is quite emotional as it details what becomes of the friend group and how one night of fun changes who they are and what they care about. Crater is slightly more ambitious than the average family film, with an endearing focus on friendship with winning performances (the flashbacks between Isaiah Russell-Bradley and Scott Mescudi are moving) and an unexpected emotional punch.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
