Cautious optimism is the best one can muster nowadays when it comes to new Star Wars projects. Having viewed the early episode of Skeleton Crew, I'm about ready to dump the "cautious" bit solely on the strength of nostalgia – not so much for Star Wars but for that beloved staple of 1980s cinema, the kids/teens/tweens adventure yarn.
From E.T. to Joe Dante's Explorers to Nick Castle's The Last Starfighter to Richard Donner's The Goonies and all points in between to the least fantastical but arguably the best, Stand By Me, such films have left indelible marks on many a filmgoer's imagination, heart and soul.
Skeleton Crew harks back to these beloved tales, as a group of misfit kids takes off (literally) on a wild adventure.
Coming to us via MCU Spider-Man architect Jon Watts and frequent collaborator Christopher D. Ford, Skeleton Crew begins on a neatly compartmentalised, if dull, planet named At Atan which seems to be one giant administrative complex and suburb.
Wide-eyed dreamer Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers), his best buddy Neel (Robert Timothy Smith), feisty Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong, the Firestarter remake) and the analytical KB (Kyriana Krater) discover something very old in the woods – and before you can say "Are you an angel?" they find themselves whisked off to a wretched hive of scum and villainy that makes Mos Eisley look like Disneyland. Wait a minute...
Anyway, toss in a rogueish Force adept named Jod Na Nawood (Jude Law), rusty but badass droid SM 33 (winningly voiced by Nick Frost), and a horde of angry pirates led by an angrier werewolf (oops, a Shistavanen apparently), and you have the ingredients for a rollicking chase/adventure.
Oh, there's also the weird way in which assorted unsavoury types start drooling and rubbing their hands (or tentacles) at the mere mention of the kids' home planet. Yay, an underlying mystery about their very own (boring) home!
With hair's-breadth escapes and brewing mistrust of Jod and his intentions, mainly seen from the pre-teen protagonists' viewpoints, Skeleton Crew evokes a sense of wonder that has long been absent from both the franchise and viewers' experience of it.
The young ensemble is on point, with Law's grey-tinted guardian (bordering on scoundrel) providing just the right amount of potential jeopardy without making him an outright moustache-twirling baddie.
It's also welcome to have an adventure with very personal stakes (the kids just want to get home) for a change, instead of tiptoeing around things with possible galaxy-wide repercussions. Could this be the one to bring balance to the fans? Fingers and lightsabres crossed.
New episodes of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew arrive on Disney+ Hotstar weekly.
Summary:
Goonies never say die!
