Star Wars: Skeleton Crew - Episodes 1-3

10-year-old Wim lives a seemingly idyllic life, but for him it's anything but perfect. His workaholic father never has time for him and his motivation to study dwindles when his hidden adventure stories - dreamy tales of Jedi and pirates - offer so much more adventure! One day his dream comes true when he, along with three other kids from the neighbourhood, find a secret ship that takes them to a galaxy far, far away and becomes part of an unforgettable adventure.

We'll see how unforgettable Disney's new Star Wars venture Skeleton Crew will be once we reach the finale early next year. I've seen its first few episodes and my impressions so far mirror my reaction to recent Star Wars series: Why wasn't Skeleton Crew just a film from the start? Let me explain what I mean. Series creator Jon Watts, who is behind the recent Spider-Man films among others, has tried to recreate the magic of Spielberg classics like E.T. and The Goonies by shining the spotlight on a group of kids forced to go on a dangerous treasure hunt, but in space. However, that witty Spielbergian 80s magic is hard to capture in a TV series that stretches out the story over eight episodes and so far I'm not fully on board.

The whole thing smells of Treasure Planet, but the excitement and inspiration from childhood sources of inspiration is lacking due to the episodes' protracted storytelling. The child actors are good, but they lack the biting personality and authentic energy found in the greatest of these coming of age stories. The child characters don't have enough spark to create any exciting dynamics between each other and it all comes across as harmless, middling, and safe in a way that takes away from the excitement of being young and lost and having to grow up to reach your goal.

Here, the adults in the room (Nick Frost and Jude Law) provide the character sparks, with Frost playing a boxing robot pirate whose one eye socket has become home to space rats and Law entertaining as a mysterious conman who can use the Force. I also like the growling wolf pirate who seems to be the show's main antagonist, but otherwise I'm mostly wondering why this is even a Star Wars story. Seeing a Star Wars-ified suburban neighbourhood makes the story feel mostly tacked on to the sci-fi universe, and although the production quality itself is great, it's a little too digital and slick in places.

Three episodes into the series, there is also the question of who the intended audience is. The children in the household are likely to be bored by the long episode format, while the adults are unlikely to get much from the nostalgia factor so early in the series. Since I've only had access to the first three episodes, it's difficult to determine how well Jon Watts managed to land this spaceship in the end, but so far it feels far from original. However, if you're looking for some harmless The Goonies-like nostalgia, this could certainly appeal.