Star Wars: Skeleton Crew: Review

There's a distinct Amblin-esque flavour to Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, a family-led romp through a galaxy far, far away.

Focusing on Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers), a kid whose schooling is taking a backseat to his love of adventuring, this latest trek into the Star Wars world is set in a time of piracy in the hyperspace corridor and post the fall of the Empire.

When Wim stumbles across what he believes is a Jedi temple in the woods on the way to his school, he - along with a group of friends and frenemies end up lost on an adventure they'd not expected.

There's an innocence to Star Wars: Skeleton Crew that's sweet and not too cloying to make this a family-style watch that would appeal to fans who adored the Ewoks world. That's not to say it's annoying, more that in its format, it zips along with a pace that's likely to engage some and enrage others.

From a blue-skinned elephant type creature Neel that's Wim's classmate in dreaming - and is the more uptight of the pair - to two girls that accidentally fall into the romp too, the kids are alright in this series.

Things come alive a little when Jude Law's charismatic and ambiguous character Jod Na Nawood arrives and the danger levels step up. There are elements of his character in Peter Pan and Wendy that Law mines for this - but there's a great deal of charm and raffishness that Law provides on screen and it's an enticing, intriguing proposition that he provides. (Though over the course of three episodes which were provided for review, there are more questions than answers).

But the children are also good bedfellows for this adventure. The friendship between Neel and Wim is adorably cute and relatable for both parents and younger viewers. And the slight friction between the girls Fern and KB and the boys is also highly familiar.

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew stays just the right side of family-friendly fare, set in an overly familiar world. Whilst there's just the right amount of setup for the adventure, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew offers an intriguing course into the middle ground of family entertainment. Not too babyish for some and not too terrifying to alienate others, the clever combination of the avuncular but mysterious Law with a bunch of kids proves to be the kind of catnip that perhaps the franchise has hitherto been missing.

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew premieres on Disney+. Three episodes of the show's eight were made available for review.