I’m a lifelong Star Wars fan who knows that not every piece of new Star Wars content is meant for me. I don’t believe in gatekeeping and don’t think everyone needs to consume every piece of new material to be a huge fan. When the trailers for this show were released last year, it was immediately obvious that this would be the first live-action Star Wars show meant for kids. I hoped SKELETON CREW would offer something for fans of all ages, but the more it moves along, the less interested I become.
I didn’t particularly enjoy either E4 or E5 of SKELETON CREW. It’s well made, the kids are all a blast, the droid SM 33, played by Nick Frost, is always pretty funny, and I enjoy the Goonies-esque adventure it’s taking us on. YOU HAVE A LOT TO LEARN ABOUT PIRATES had moments that felt exactly stolen from THE GOONIES, which had moments taken from RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. I’m all for homage, but this was lifted right from the pages… Spielberg wrote the story THE GOONIES was based on and directed RAIDERS and worked extensively with Lucas, who created the STAR WARS franchise. Everything old is new again. Time is a flat circle. Kids who are now the same age I was when I saw THE GOONIES as soon as it opened probably haven’t seen that film or any of the Indiana Jones franchise. So I digress….
Jod (Jude Law) and his merry band of misfit children are hopping all over the galaxy, trying to find the right planet. It’s an adventure of the week, except some weeks are more adventurous than others. Find a clue, solve the clue, move on, and wait for the next episode. SKELETON CREW could have been a fun 2-hour film instead of eight episodes.
SKELETON CREW drops a new episode every Tuesday on Disney+.