Le cratère

I was wondering if there is no friends of the people who were involved in this production. Why is it with a low evaluation. Its 4,7 when I write this.

It its a Disney production with a beautifull coming of age story. There are the elements of drama and comedy and a family like story, that can atract a public of young age and adults.

Some picky adults will complain about some sciency inacuracy in some sequences. But it serves the script.

I am not an English native, so, pardon my mispells or another errors. I could use some translation tools, but I chose not to.

Those were a light almost 90 minutes of leisure.

I have to admit that I was actually harboring some expectations to this 2023 Disney family sci-fi adventure titled "Crater" from writer John Griffin and director Kyle Patrick Alvarez. Sure, I had never heard about the movie prior to sitting down to watch it, but with it being a Disney movie, then I figured chances were good of it being an enjoyable movie.

Talk about a swing and a miss. I managed to endure close to an hour of the 105 minute runtime that "Crater" ran for, and then I gave up out of sheer and utter boredom. The storyline in "Crater", as written by John Griffin, had the appeal of wet cardboard. It was so difficult to get submerged into the storyline and finding anything to enjoy. And it didn't help one bit that the characters in the movie were every bit as bland and irrelevant as the storyline itself. In fact, my 13 year old son, whom I sat down to watch "Crater" with, he gave up on the movie not even 20 minutes into the ordeal.

I wasn't familiar with the cast ensemble in the movie, but it was a shame that the actors and actresses were literally given nothing worthwhile to work with and to bring to the screen. I am sure that there were some good talents among the cast ensemble, they just didn't get to shine on the screen at the hands of director Kyle Patrick Alvarez.

Visually then "Crater" was good. It being a Disney movie does have its perks, and a proper budget for proper effects is one of those things. And it shows, because the CGI effects and special effects in "Crater" were good, realistic and added something good to the movie. Ultimately, the special effects could only do so much to alleviate for the movie's shortcomings in every other department.

"Crater" came and went without leaving as much as a ripple. And believe you me, when I say that I have zero interest in returning to the movie and attempt finish watching it. I just simply cared nothing about the flaccid and nearly non-existing storyline, nor of the one-dimensional character gallery.

This was a big disappointment of a movie, I have to say that much.

My rating of "Crater" lands on a very generous three out of ten stars.

Initially, this reminded me of one of those stories that might have been written by Enid Blyton and made by the Children's Film Foundation. It's starring children and it's, primarily, for children too. After the death of his father in the lunar mines, "Caleb" (Isaiah Russell-Bailey) is to be shipped to the ultimate "Omega" colony were he is to be fostered in luxury. He's not keen, and when chatting with his three friends they decide to pinch a rover vehicle and go for a joyride outside of their base. They need a code to open the doors though, and that's where "Addison" (Mckenna Grace) comes in - and off they go. At times the rest of this is quite entertaining - the kids get to be kids in space suits with oxygen tanks as propulsion units and foolery ensues. Sadly, though, the writers can't resist and the melodrama soon comes bounding over the crater and sinks the whole thing. It can't quite decide if it's an adventure film or a drama, and sadly falls between both stools. The actors are quite good, and I think had they been left to deliver an action film as they explore the Moon having fun and mishaps along the way, it would have been very much better. As it is, the soft-focus father/son reminiscences just clogged the whole thing up, dragged the pace down and left me a little bit bored. It's watchable though, just not memorable.

This film offers a charming, albeit familiar, adventure that's easy to enjoy but hard to love deeply. The story follows a group of kids on a lunar journey, and while it hits the right notes of friendship and discovery, it doesn't push the boundaries of the genre. The visuals are decent, and the lunar landscapes create a sense of wonder, but the plot doesn't break new ground-it's the kind of story you've seen before. The characters are likable, though some lack the depth that would make their journey truly resonate. There's heart here, and the film's intentions are good, but it never quite reaches the emotional highs it aims for. Crater is a pleasant watch, especially for a younger audience, but it's not a film that will stay with you long after the credits roll.

'Crater' works, I enjoyed it.

It's nothing out of this world (...), though what Kyle Patrick Alvarez & Co. Managed to create here does the job, in my eyes anyway. A decent plot is held together well by good acting, solid music and serviceable effects. There are naturally some issues, most notably the arguments between the characters are a bit forced/overly dramatic. Still, it comes together nicely and I found the ending to be rather sweet.

A shame that Disney quickly removed this from their Plus streaming service, seemingly through no fault of the film itself - it merits way more eyes on it.