Skeleton Crew may not have the pop culture footprint of fellow Star Wars shows The Mandalorian and Andor just yet, but the overwhelmingly positive first reactions to the new Disney Plus series might just mean it’s about to pop up on your radar.
Skeleton Crew, which stars Jude Law and sees a ragtag group of kids lost in the galaxy, is tied together in early social media responses by the f-word – fun.
“The first two episodes of #SkeletonCrew are so much fun! Think ’80’s Amblin adventure vibes with a sprinkle of early Mando,” writer Nicola Austin offered for a verdict. “The first episode admittedly takes a while to kick into gear though. I would genuinely do anything for Neel – what an absolute cutie!”
“The first 3 episodes of #SkeletonCrew are a lot of fun,” critic Mark Cassidy wrote on Twitter. “It’s exactly what you’d expect from the trailers – Goonies in space – but the kids are not annoying (my biggest concern), Jude Law gives good scoundrel, and Nick Frost’s droid is hilarious.”
Inevitably, comparisons are drawn between Richard Donner’s classic child adventure The Goonies, while much of the initial chatter gives a thumbs-up to reverting back to a more streamlined version of Star Wars.
“Set expectations for Goonies/ET vibes. It’s really enjoyable & Jude Law is fab! Takes me back to a simpler Star Wars era,” What’s on Disney Plus remarked after watching the first three episodes of Skeleton Crew.
Neil Vagg described the new Star Wars show as “a brilliant #StarWars introduction for any younglings in the audience” while Mark Newbold “couldn’t be happier” with what they’ve seen so far, adding that Skeleton Crew is “energetic, snappy, warm, genuinely funny, pacey, engaging.”
In fact, we haven’t even seen any room temperature takes so far, let alone hot takes. The likes of Chris Connor come closest to moving away from the breathless positivity that’s dotted around social media so far, but even he thinks it’s “pretty solid”, complete with a “great score” and “likeable” ensemble.
Skeleton Crew, then, may feel freeform and loose in its premise but, as Jude Law tells us, there are plenty of house rules in Star Wars to ensure canon is maintained in the fictional universe.
“No one tells you there are no buttons. That’s the rule – no buttons,” Law, who plays Jod Na Nawood said in an interview with GamesRadar+. “And no paper. There are certain rules.”
Law continued, “There are guys from Lucasfilm who are there to watch everything and they make sure. There are certain camera moves that you’re not allowed to do either. Because they all link back to what [George] Lucas did in [1977’s Star Wars].”
The first two episodes of Skeleton Crew hit Disney Plus on December 2 in the US and December 3 in the UK. For more on the show’s release plans, check out our Skeleton Crew release schedule.