Star Wars: Skeleton Crew is riding the recent 80s nostalgia wave of the Spielberg/Amblin Entertainment family adventure era which started with the massive modern success of the throwback series Stranger Things. This coming-of-age Disney+ series is set in the Star Wars universe and follows four children, lost in the universe after a secret discovery on their home planet sends them off-world with no way home.
The series is set during the post-Return of the Jedi timeline inhabited by The Mandalorian and its spin-offs and hails from Spider-Man: Homecoming duo Jon Watts and Christopher Ford. Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers), Fern (Kiera Armstrong), Neel (Robert Timothy Smith), KB (Kyriana Kratter) are a mismatched group of classmates living in a futuristic yet suburban town, reminiscent of 80s America. Wim’s yearning for adventure is the catalyst that starts the kids-on-bikes (or hoverbikes) exploits that bring the group together and the story in motion. The young actors are all endearing in their own ways, despite being predictable character archetypes of this type of tale.
The early episodes take some time to get interesting, but once they get past the nostalgic vibes, things get wild and exciting in a hurry, revealing itself as a Star Wars pirate adventure. Picture The Goonies, but instead of just finding One-Eyed Willy’s pirate ship, the kids got to sail with him in all manner of dangerous debauchery in space. That’s the vibe of the first three episodes of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew that critics received and it’s an entertaining, if uneven, ride.
While that’s certainly a fun premise, the real selling point of the series is Jude Law as the mysterious Jod. Is he a Jedi? A pirate? Both? Or something else? That mystery will most likely play out in the remaining episodes, but Law is having the time of his life. His exuberance is infectious and his facial expressions/body language have superb comedic timing. He has great chemistry with the kids and it is clear the series needs him to anchor the cast since the show finally comes alive when he’s finally introduced.
The kids also have another great scoundrel (?) to play off of with the decaying first-mate droid SM-33 (voiced by Nick Frost) from the ship with the coolest new name in Star Wars: “The Onyx Cinder.” SM-33 is the first truly memorable character the audience meets before Jod in Star Wars: Skeleton Crew and his crusty demeanor and burgeoning relationship with the children are quite enjoyable.
Star Wars fans should also prepare themselves for a different tone than what we’ve seen in any of the recent movies or The Mandalorian franchises. The story can be silly and aimed at younger viewers and then will shift hard into unexpectedly mature PG-13 behavior i.e. scary moments, drinking, etc…and then you meet a talking space owl. Yep, that’s the kind of thing you’re in for with the series. For my money, I’m glad Disney is experimenting with new corners of the Star Wars universe and Skeleton Crew takes a unique premise in some interesting directions that should keep fans coming back to its swashbuckling adventure and unraveling mysteries.
Score: 3.5 out of 5