47/41
Four kids make a mysterious discovery on their home planet that leads them to become stranded in a strange and dangerous galaxy. Jude Law in “Skeleton Crew” and other stars from a galaxy far, far away. The holographic circus that entertains Neel’s younger siblings is the same one the Chewbacca family watches in the infamous El especial navideño de la Guerra de las Galaxias (1978). Featured in AniMat’s Crazy Cartoon. Cast: Silly Old Deadly Bear (2022). Like most 80s kids, I have fond memories of The Goonies, but I’d be lying if I said that’s the direction I desperately wanted for new Star Wars content. I mean, after the disappointment of the sequel trilogy and so many others – all of Disney’s live-action content except Andor, Rogue One, and the first two seasons of Mando I’d rate as mediocre to bad – I’m just starved for quality, epic, mature Star Wars content. Give me an Andor-type show set in the Old Republic with Jedi, Sith, and Nick Gillard as the stunt coordinator for the lightsaber fights. HOWEVER… to be fair, I’ll say Skeleton Crew is okay. It’s not offensive or poorly done; it’s not blatantly cheap like The Book of Boba Fett; it’s not aimless like Mando season 3; it’s not a departure from history like the sequels and Kenobi; not tone-deaf like The Acolyte. Hooray? It’s basically Star Wars Goonies, a cute little story about a group of kids having an adventure in the Star Wars universe. The writing so far (as of Episode 4) is decent: the special effects, costumes, and locations are superb: the whole thing has a certain charm. I suspect that this, like Andor, is a passion project for its creators and was considered a minor side project by the higher-ups, who therefore didn’t bother getting involved, which is a blessing at Lucasfilm these days. So far, so good. 7.5/10.. “One Hundred Years of Solitude” is one of the biggest TV and streaming premieres this month. Check out our December calendar for more!