Skeleton Crew serves up pirate action and '80s nostalgia with its enjoyable opening episodes

Being a Star Wars fan in the 2020s can feel like you need Jyn Erso constantly reminding you that "Fandoms are built on hope!" For every good show like Andor, there's an Acolyte, and for every project that gets made, there are at least two that were announced and have now disappeared without a trace.

So when it came to Skeleton Crew, I wasn't sure what to make of it. Coming out in the wake of The Acolyte, the first trailer didn't impress me much, but I have to admit, since then the marketing has gotten my hopes up. Maybe the show could be good. Nothing groundbreaking, maybe, but still good.

This show's influences have been well documented, so I've set myself the challenge of writing this review without comparing it to a certain 1985 movie starring Sean Astin and Josh Brolin. Even with that restriction, there are plenty of movies and shows that it could be compared too, pretty much anything set in the '80s which involves a group of kids going on an adventure, because that's exactly what Skeleton Crew is about.

This show is a child of the '80s, filled with all the tropes and trappings of the decade. The look of At Attin is just like suburban America, but with a Star Wars coating. The kids are a group of misfits who get thrown together. They all have their own interests which will no doubt prove useful later on. They ride bikes and, shockingly, make a discovery in the woods that changes their lives!

It's everything you would expect and want from something drawing from these influences, and it makes a lot of sense. The 1980s was a prime time for Star Wars, with The Empire Strikes Back kicking off the decade, and also a prime time for adventure movies, with Steven Spielberg's E.T. or Flight of the Navigator giving kids the idea that the weird and wonderful was waiting just around the corner.

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew reviews: Episodes 1 and 2, "This Could Be a Real Adventure" and "Way, Way Out Past the Barrier"

But just referencing other things isn't enough, a show needs to stand on its own merits. You'll probably hear the word "fun" being used a lot about this series, and it's a good word. It's not like there's anything really tense or explosive happening here, no quest to save the galaxy or take down the Empire, this is a small-scale adventure, which helps it to feel more relaxed. You could see a lot of people referring to it as their "comfort show" in future.

I think this simplicity will be the key to the show's success. There's (so far) no baggage to carry. No legacy characters to worry about. No risk of damaging the Jedi's reputation. It's its own show, standalone in almost every way, with just a small connection to the New Republic era of the Mandoverse.

It looks good too, once the kids are off on their adventure. I've always thought the New Republic was too sterile and clinical to be endearing, having neither the brutalist militarism of the Empire nor the real lived-in look of the Rebellion, just a sort of corporate middle ground. But here there be pirates, and plenty of grungy-looking aliens and beat-up tech. The clean look of the kids' NR school provides a good contrast, showing how detached they are from the rest of the galaxy.

We get to see this new, dangerous world through the eyes of the kids, who are on a quest to get home. There's some subplot that suggests their homeworld might not be everything it seems, but I'm not invested in that yet. I just want to see Jude Law and a bunch of kids go adventuring across the stars.

Verdict

So, is this the win Star Wars has been waiting for? Maybe. I think it would need to get a lot better to be counted a true success. If Skeleton Key had come out 10 years ago, it probably could have been a big hit, but now, I'm not sure the franchise has the reputation needed to get fans flocking to see it. But at the very least it's enjoyable. There's a sense of adventure and wonder, of going out and discovering the wider world, or rather galaxy. There's a hint of the Force, with the Jedi holding a legendary status for the kids, and there's always something going on to keep you interested.

Yes, it does lean on contrivance a bit, and there are certainly shows that have better opening episodes, but judged against other Star Wars shows, Skeleton Crew is pretty good. It's short on character development for at least two of the kids, but it's much better paced than is usual for these shows, with a steady sense of momentum and progression. The second episode kicks things up a notch, and you could say it's where the show actually starts proper. It's all well acted, and that little blue elephant steals every scene he's in.

What you get out of Skeleton Crew really depends on what you want. If you're expecting a show that fixes all of Star Wars' problems and opens the door to a new and brighter future for a galaxy far, far away, then you won't find it here. But if you want an enjoyable adventure that's inspired by great movies from the best decade in cinema which won't ask for too much from you, then you'll find that here by the pound. In fact, it kind of feels like what a big-budget Star Wars show might have looked like if it were made in the '80s, and while it might not be the deepest story you've ever seen, at least it's fun.

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