Ryan Shoots First: Skeleton Crew (Premiere)

Star Wars is back in an all-new but very familiar way. Have you ever thought what would happen if The Goonies happened in space? Or if those classic coming-of-age Amblin movies were in a Galaxy Far Far Away? Well, that is very simply the elevator pitch to Skeleton Crew. The answer to, What if Steven Spielberg made a Star Wars movie in the 80s? 

Skeleton Crew feels familiar and formulaic but in all the best ways. It is a simple tried and true formula placed in one of the best-suited universes for it. 4 youngsters, some seeking adventure, some seeking belonging, and some just along for the ride, find themselves way in over their heads in the adventure of a lifetime. They really nailed the tone of the show and as the second episode unwinds we find out there may actually be more to the mystery of the ho-hum town than we know. Jon Watts off his wildly successful control of the MCU Spider-Man movies takes his turn at Star Wars telling a classic story with a Star Wars twist, it has suburbs, pirates, skeletons, and more practical aliens than we have maybe seen in one location in decades. The second episode of the premiere is loaded with amazing alien designs that feel like original trilogy callbacks. I like the alien designs in the Disney era but these all have that kind of gimmicky feel of those aliens we saw in Mos Eisley all those years ago. Crab dude is by FAR my favorite. The ferryman is up there too. 

The show feels loaded with heart, care and fun. It feels like the people making it put the effort to bring that form of story into this world in such a convincing way. The derelict ship the kids find themselves on is full of character and surprises and the droid they find rotting away has a fantastic pirate name and is voiced by none other that Nick Frost doing his best pirate voice. The anchor of the cast outside the kids is Jude Law who isn’t featured much in this premiere but will be a key player going forward. As for the kids they usually make or break a show or film like this and they all play their archetypes so well. Again no one is breaking the mold but its a proven formula that feels fresh in this environment. We have the scrappy kid, the adventure-seeking kid, the nerdy kid, and of course the fat friend who steels the show in Neel. The kids were pretty much asked to carry these first two episodes and did so well. I can’t wait to see what else they get up to as their story is just beginning. For god sakes someone protect these kids and don’t let them on Twitter. 

Observations

• Oh yea, this is going to be fun
• That’s clearly Ethan Hawk
• I love the idea that after the empire pirates thrived in the vacuum
• Womp womp
• The pat on the back haha
• Love it playing with figures of Jedi and sith
• Star Wars-ified Suburbs look awesome
• NEEL!!!
• An RX droid!
• Be a shame when we find out the First Order nuked this planet
• Star Wars Etch a Sketch!
• Awww Neel has a crush
• Oh I love his music, def an 80s Amblin vibe. 
• Neel’s parents!
• I know where you can find some power converters….
• This kid is in need of an adventure
• Their little hoverbikes are so cool
• Oh I thought that cavern was much deeper. 
• Dropped a Wizard… well done. 
• Neel is the best. 
• HAHA, that was a funny bit and something kids would totally do. 
• I love how each kid is so distinct in personality. 
• His eyes when he saw the flashing green button
• Crazy that they have never seen stars. 
• Great first episode, a proven formula but done well. 
• SM33 or Smee is brilliant
• This is like me trying to play Star Citizen for the first time last week
• The logo being Star Wars mixed with some Stephan King font is cool.
• Yeah something is up with that planet.
• Me scanning all the ships for Easter Eggs
• That’s cool, I like the idea of ferries where they can’t have docks
• Just tipped that dude like 20 grand
• I love this port. 
• Strip Club joke, I love it
• Crab guy is awesome
• These alien suits are amazing
• Get em SM33!
• “Did I do that?”
• Dang, well that’s it for SM33
• So is he really a Jedi or not? A Jedi turned pirate?