Since Disney began dabbling in live-action Star Wars TV shows with The Mandalorian, their success rate has gradually started to become more hit and miss with each new project. From the incredibly underwhelming The Book of Boba Fett to the overwhelmingly praised Andor, it's easy to see how mixed they have been received by general audiences. However, one of the benefits of these shows is that it allows the creators to attempt different tones and genres within the Star Wars universe and Skeleton Crew is probably the clearest example of this.
Skeleton Crew looks to inject the feel of 80s, Amblin-style adventure movies such as The Goonies, Stand By Me and E.T. into the world of Star Wars, which includes everything from a group of budding young kids ready for exploration to the space equivalents of pirates and unknown treasures. For the most part, the show succeeds in this approach. Any reservations that may be had about these two styles clashing should be put to rest as they actually compliment each other better than expected. Though the image of a futuristic American suburb can take a bit of getting used to, everything else absolutely works in the show's favour.
The show does fall into some of the clichés one would expect from a coming-of-age adventure, but that's to be expected with this type of story and these tropes are handled with a certain sense of self-awareness that they aren't too distracting in the long run. The way the show is written also presents possibilities for subverting audience expectations within this defined style. The second episode alone starts raising questions that will challenge the characters perceptions of what they think they know and if the rest of the season carries on in this manner, then it could lead to some genuinely exciting narrative decisions by the finale. Plus, the very idea of this exploration quest story allows the show to dive further into new alien worlds and their inhabitants — which is one of the many things that makes Star Wars so enthralling in the first place.
However, the show wouldn't work as well as it does if it wasn't for its main cast of characters. The four kids at the centre all fantastic and immediately share great chemistry with each other that only gets better with each passing moment. Ravi Cabot-Conyers and Ryan Kiera Armstrong in particular are the two spearheads of the group as Wim and Fern respectively, bringing some much needed rivalry and banter to the proceedings. You also have Kyriana Kratter as the intelligent hacker KB and Robert Timothy Smith as the ever adorable Neel, both adding their own variety to the group dynamic.
Plus there are plenty of well established actors in the fray who all do great jobs in their roles, even if some are given more to do than others. Nick Frost adds a bullish naivety to droid SM 33 which has him going from threatening to endearing between scenes which makes him just that more compelling. There is also Jude Law who plays Jedi turned pirate Jod Na Nawood. Not much is revealed about his character to begin with, but Law brings a needed feel of uncertainty and mystery to Jod that hopefully is delved further into as the season goes on.
Skeleton Crew also boasts an impressive list of directors for its 8-episode run. You have the likes of Jon Watts, David Lowery, Bryce Dallas Howard, Lee Isaac Chung and even Best Director winners The Daniels at the helm. So to say this show doesn't have talent behind the camera is an understatement and the opening two episodes prove this, as Watts and Lowery bring their A-game here and clearly show a lot of love and respect for both Star Wars and the 80s films they are paying homage to.
This show clearly knows what it wants to do and commits to it as much as it can. The sense of adventure is something most people would say has been lacking in Star Wars projects recently and thankfully Skeleton Crew brings it right back. From the strong cast of characters to the stunning mix of practical creatures and visual effects courtesy of Industrial Light and Magic, everything about this show will send a kick of nostalgia running through your veins and will most certainly capture the attention of Star Wars fans old and new.
The first two episodes of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew are now available to stream on Disney Plus.
