65
Metascore
13 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 83Original-CinOriginal-CinDirector Kyle Patrick Alvarez and screenwriter John Griffin’s Crater is a sweet story about friendship lasting a lifetime but set in the year 2257. Kinda like Stand by Me, but nicer… and in space.
- 75The PlaylistNick AllenThe PlaylistNick AllenEveryone knows what a Disney+ movie like this can and can’t do with its young characters, but Alvarez and team push the limits just enough, giving “Crater” a sense of gravity that might just surprise viewers of all ages.
- 75RogerEbert.comRobert DanielsRogerEbert.comRobert DanielsCrater might be too dark on a thematic level for some tweens, but the light it brings into the genre makes Alvarez’s film a soul-stirring escapade, one that introduces young audiences to ways to reform the fractured world they call home.
- 70The New York TimesBrandon YuThe New York TimesBrandon YuMost of all, the film is surprisingly nimble at incorporating an emotional core that makes its story more interesting than the adventure itself.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckThe Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckWhile the disparate thematic elements don’t mesh together seamlessly in Crater, the film offers enough fun and thrills to swell the ranks of aspiring astronauts.
- 63New Orleans Times-PicayuneMike ScottNew Orleans Times-PicayuneMike ScottFor a movie about the value of memories, it won’t go down as particularly memorable. Ten or 15 years ago, its visual effects might have been something approaching stunning. Today, they — like the dialogue, the pacing and pretty much every other element of the film — are only just good enough to allow audiences to suspend their disbelief.
- 60VarietyMichael NordineVarietyMichael NordineIt’s sci-fi informed by a Gen-Z sensibility, with a particular focus on those Zoomers who can’t imagine a bright future on the planet they actually inhabit — an ever-expanding demographic, one imagines.
- 59Paste MagazineTara BennettPaste MagazineTara BennettBecause the script never lightens up on these non-stop angst moments, Crater suffers from a case of tonal whiplash. One entertaining set piece of jet-pack play or a scene with the kids binge-eating a stash of never-before-eaten foods can’t possibly overcome the tsunami of melancholic moments the adult filmmakers can’t seem to stop indulging in.
- 42IndieWireSamantha BergesonIndieWireSamantha BergesonIt’s believably fun, but best suited for the age group the actors embody. Any older audience member will surely roll their eyes at the spoon-fed cuteness. Yet for a 12-year-old, “Crater” just might feel like shooting for the moon.
- 38Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger MooreKids may get a little something out of it thanks to its various “Young Adult Fiction” types and tropes. Maybe they’ll enjoy pondering if low gravity could be the thing that “saves” baseball. Anybody old enough to drive will be bored.