By The first two episodes of “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” is now up on Disney+ and reviews have started to come in for the show. As expected the series is a big throwback to 1980s Amblin movies, so much so in fact some of the criticism about the series is how slavish it is to those films.
With 28 reviews counted, the series currently sits at an 86% (7.2/10) on Rotten Tomatoes and a 72/100 on Metacritic – nothing that special, but solid ‘good’ numbers nonetheless. Critics were granted access to the first three episodes only.
The series follows four kids searching for their home planet after getting lost in the “Star Wars” galaxy, and the strange aliens and dangerous places they encounter on their adventure. Plenty of obvious comparisons are being drawn to classics like “The Goonies,” to the animated series “Star Trek: Prodigy” which boasted a similar premise (it got a 94% & 8.1/10 on RT, and a 68/100 on MC).
Here’s a sampling of review quotes:
“‘Skeleton Crew’ takes ‘Star Wars’ to new places only in the literal sense. But the show is able to nail its limited brief, and make a ‘Star Wars’ show that’s actually rooted in childhood rather than evoking memories of one’s own.” – Alison Herman, Variety
“Disney has made such a botch of Star Wars that it will take more than an adorable kids’ show to get it back on track. But Skeleton Crew succeeds on its terms as a rip-roaring Spielbergian romp.” – Ed Power, Daily Telegraph
“Star Wars: Skeleton Crew is beautifully-made and sweetly innocent, making it a radically rebellious take on a franchise that sometimes seems lost in its own lore.” – Meghan O’Keefe, Decider
“A solidly-crafted piece of all-ages entertainment, with good direction. It’s telling an actual story, and telling it well enough that it doesn’t feel like a glorified version of a Star Wars theme park ride.” – Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone
“Even though its influences are obvious and it all feels a bit like a Hollywood exec’s formula, Skeleton Crew takes a new, unchallenging angle on a beloved entertainment institution, and does it well enough that it could easily become the most universally popular Star Wars product since The Mandalorian.” – Garrett Martin, Paste Magazine
“This show will actually have to pay off its foreshadowed mysteries in a satisfying way if it hopes to leave us with something half as memorable as its inspiration, but the fact that there seems to be a story justification for the ‘80s nostalgia bait aesthetics it slathers on is a good sign for things to come” – Sam Bersanti, IGN
“What stands out most when watching the series is that it feels so very influenced; it’s not just a “Star Wars” series, it’s “Star Wars” plus something. It’s gimmicky and not just a little cookie-cutter in its expansion of the sci-fi franchise, which gets diluted the more shows Disney+ cranks out.” – Kelly Lawler, USA Today
“Star Wars: Skeleton Crew gets off to a depressingly familiar start, while bungling the introduction of its primary protagonists and generally plodding along until Jude Law pops up.” – Ben Travers, Indiewire
“That’s all that ‘Skeleton Crew’ offers: appropriation for a halcyon era of cinema and little else. Worse, the exceptional Spielberg-ian tenor of marvel and amazement is absent, leaving behind a mostly hollow, fairly unremarkable, forgettable product.” – Rodrigo Perez, The Playlist
New episodes of “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” will air weekly through to January 14th.
The post The “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” Reviews Are In appeared first on Dark Horizons.
