Common Sense Media Review
By Alistair Lawrence
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Low-budget sci-fi has violence, peril, and some language.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Prospect
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
PROSPECT follows a teen girl, Cee (Sophie Thatcher), and a ruthless prospector, Ezra (Pedro Pascal), who are thrown together to form an unlikely team that must navigate the perils of an alien moon.
Is It Any Good?
After a slow start, this sci-fi adventure establishes itself as a modest but lovingly crafted "Western in space." Though her central character feels underdeveloped, Thatcher does a decent job of carrying Prospect, as Cee tries to survive an alien moon with harmful spores in its air and dangerous inhabitants threatening do one or more of kill, rob, or enslave her. Along with a sparse but convincing backdrop, Pascal's performance is another of the movie's strengths. He seems to relish delivering Ezra's wordy, rhythmic dialogue alongside Thatcher.
Together the two leads keep things watchable, despite the movie not always having enough plot to sustain Cee and Ezra's journey. The technical limitations of the filmmakers and their budgets are laid bare with a final action sequence that never really fights its way out of muddled and murky lighting and camera work. But Prospect is far from a cinematic failure. It's a decent interplanetary escape story given a boost by a small but stellar cast.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the violence in Prospect. How did it make you feel? Did it glorify it? Does exposure to violent media desensitize kids to violence?
The movie was made on a relatively low-budget. How did it compare to other sci-fi movies you may have seen? What were the main differences?
Talk about some of the language used in the movie. Did it seem necessary or excessive? What did it contribute to the movie?
Talk about Cee's relationship with Ezra. How did he change over the course of the movie and how did that impact their relationship?
What were some of the motivations of the characters? Did you sympathize with any of them? If so, who and why?
Movie Details
- In theaters : November 2, 2018
- On DVD or streaming : March 8, 2019
- Cast : Sophie Thatcher , Pedro Pascal , Jay Duplass
- Directors : Christopher Caldwell , Zeek Earl
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Latino Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Gunpowder & Sky
- Genre : Science Fiction
- Topics : Adventures
- Character Strengths : Courage , Teamwork
- Run time : 100 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : some violence/bloody images
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate