Crater Parent Guide

After the death of his father, Caleb (Isaiah Russell-Bailey) is informed that he has a spot on the next transport off the lunar base to the planet Omega. Scared to leave his friends and the only life he’s ever known, Caleb plans one last adventure: a rover road trip to a distant crater that his parents used to frequent.

The trip won’t be easy, as teenagers aren’t permitted to take rovers out for joyrides. Plus, they’ll have to take a lot of oxygen tanks to survive the journey. But with the help of new girl, Addison (Mckenna Grace) who just arrived from Earth, Caleb and his friends set out to fulfill his dad’s dying wish, and maybe discover something more along the way.

One of the greatest indicators of the quality of science fiction is the world building. The world needs to be believable within the confines of the reality of the story, but still be imaginative and original. I really enjoy Crater’s worldbuilding. The lunar colony makes logical sense, the premise is original, and the fictional world has something to say about our real one.

As a production, Crater is of slightly higher quality than the usual Disney Channel Original Movie. It also has a more serious tone than I expected, and deeper themes. The characters grapple with injustice, familial problems, grief, and taking charge of their destinies. That’s not to say this is an Oscar-worthy film, but it is far from the fluff one would expect from a straight-to-streaming teen flick.

There is very little to mention as far as negative content is concerned, aside from a couple of mild curses and a few uses of terms of deity, making this a great choice for most audiences. Children and teens will appreciate the well-written science fiction, as well as the interesting themes and character struggles. Yes, there are some annoying side characters and corny acting, but that’s to be expected from this studio. Overall, Crater is an adventure that’s out of this world.