Crater is basically The Goonies in Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar

“They just don’t make ’em like they used to” is a common complaint about movies, TV, and everything in between. Many people have a fondness for the movies and TV shows they watched as children. This has led to a whole genre of reboots, remakes and sequels that are based on nostalgia. And new releases that aren’t directly tied to an old, beloved franchise are just as likely to be projects like Stranger ThingsThis film, which is an evocation of a whole subgenre from 1980s television and media uses the setting to sell its product.

But Disney Plus’ Crater does something that’s fairly rare: It has all the hijinks, heart, and even the formula of an ’80s kids adventure like The GooniesThe following are some examples of how to use Stand by MeThe story is fueled by a huge adventure. Its sci-fi backdrop allows writer John Griffin and director Kyle Patrick Alvarez the opportunity to explore more complex themes. It’s familiar, without being cliche or tied to any existing media. At the same time, it’s innovative, in a way that celebrates its familiar genre tropes, instead of snarking at them.

In the far future. Crater takes place on a lunar mining colony. Caleb, the teenage protagonist (Isaiah Russell Bailey), has been left orphaned by his father’s death (Scott Mescudi aka Kid Cudi). With both parents dead and Caleb too young to work in the mines himself, he lacks any form of support, but a clause in his parents’ contracts says he’ll be provided for on the paradise world of Omega — a journey that involves being put in cryo sleep for 75 years and leaving his best friends behind. With the shuttle to Omega leaving in just a couple of days, Caleb and his friends decide to have one last adventure, hijacking a lunar rover to visit a distant crater on the moon’s surface — a location Caleb’s father insisted that he see someday.

The DNA Crater shares with ’80s kidventure flicks is apparent from the get-go. Casting is probably the most noticeable element, as they all fit the archetypes. Caleb is the main character, but he’s more thoughtful and introverted than his best friend Dylan (Billy Barratt), the group’s confident leader. There’s Borney (Orson Hong), the studious worrywart who frets over Marcus (Thomas Boyce), the gentle giant who needs special medication because of his overly large heart. (A condition, the characters tell us, that happens to people who’ve only ever lived on the moon.)

Addison is the last character in the cast, McKenna Grace, who was just recently moved to the lunar surface from Earth and so seen as an earthling and spoiled brat. But surprise! She proves she’s just as ready for adventure as the group of boys.

Image: Disney

This could all feel like an enormous cliche, particularly because the children never subvert these molds. They capture the archetypes perfectly and bring nuance to characters that could have been one-note. The characters end up grounding this story and making it feel relatable.

If there’s one thing Alvarez doesn’t quite nail, it’s transitioning smoothly between flashbacks and the present day — the movie kicks off with an awkward flashback to just a couple of hours before the present, then flashbacks within that flashback. But because the actors do such a brilliant job in each scene, it’s easy to forgive the clunkier transitions. Barratt perfectly captures the iconic Leader of The Pack character. This charming man with a plan, who loves and adores his closest friends while maintaining a positive mindset despite past struggles is portrayed by Barratt.

Alvarez weaves in heavier science-fiction themes to this well-known coming-of-age story. In this case, it’s not just the concept of Caleb possibly going into cryo sleep and waking up 75 years away from everything he’s ever known — it’s also the idea that for every glorious and golden space haven, there are people left behind, scraping by and clinging to their unattainable dreams, like the lower-class characters in dystopian stories like Elysium, Alita: Battle Angel“ Snowpiercer. The movie doesn’t flinch from the realities of life on the lunar mining station, and Alvarez seamlessly weaves the ramifications of corrupt futuristic capitalism into the characters themselves. This isn’t a movie where the kid stars break into a space station to save everyone on the moon; it’s just five kids on one last adventure together. The setting of the film is integral to their character, and it becomes an examination of worker exploitation.

Image: Disney

Coming-of-age stories like Crater Often, the themes of class equality and class struggle are discussed. Crater again does something rare by capturing the issues so common in a specific type of movie and updating them in a seamless and refreshing way — without being cynical about it in a way that modern updates tend to do. This is a perfect example of combining two different genres. They are similar in that they both often deal with idealistic versus realistic situations and have protagonists dealing with unknowns. Coming-of-age stories are, after all, very often about loss — loss of innocence, loss of childhood, loss of golden days gone by. Similarly, many reflective sci-fi works look ahead at the possibilities of the future, while also ruminating on what humanity might’ve lost along the way. Griffin’s script blends the two in such a synergistic way, giving viewers a chance to really appreciate what makes each genre shine and how well they work when they come together.

Crater Disney Plus has it now.