Review: 'Star Wars' goes all 'Stranger Things' in 'Skeleton Crew'

Why should the "Stranger Things" kids have all the fun?

That seems to be the thinking behind the latest Disney+ "Star Wars" series, "Skeleton Crew" (streaming Tuesdays, ★★½ out of four) which puts its own foursome of cute-as-pie preteens in all the sci-fi danger and mayhem they can endure, if things are a little less scary and bloody than in the popular Netflix horror series. Or maybe the inspiration was the classic 1985 film "The Goonies" (a key "Stranger" precursor, coincidentally), with its unlikely group of misfit kids on the hunt for pirate treasure.

"Skeleton" certainly has its fair share of pirates and treasure. But in the galaxy far, far away, these kids just want to get home.

Featuring Jude Law as a mysterious maybe-Jedi and set in the rough-and-tumble underbelly of the New Republic era (around the same time as Disney+'s biggest "Star Wars" hit "The Mandalorian" if you're not up with the jargon), "Skeleton" is sweet and fun, if also shallow and kind of forgettable in the first three episodes made available for review.

Its every frame is beautiful but familiar and derivative as crafted by creators Jon Watts and Christopher Ford (both of the recent Tom Holland "Spider-Man" films). It is uncomplicated and straightforward, which sometimes serves the story and at times hinders it. Its stars are kids, and its prime audience will probably be the same. If you're looking for "Andor" levels of mature and complex storytelling, you'll be sorely disappointed.

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Of all the "Star Wars" series, "Skeleton" has the easiest plot to explain: Four kids from a wealthy yet boring planet accidentally jettison into the galaxy only to discover everybody they meet thinks their homeworld is a fairytale, and they're hopelessly lost. Good thing an irreverent droid (Nick Frost) and Law's Jod Na Nawood step in to literally steer the ship and help them get back home. Although Jod Na might be out to con the tykes and maybe steal from them, too, he's mysterious and enigmatic like that.

All the elements of "Skeleton" feel straight out of a Hollywood assembly line, especially the characters. The kids fall into familiar types: The rebellious and clever girl, Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong); the intelligent skeptic, KB (Kyriana Kratter); the adventurous boy lacking forethought, Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers); and the comic relief, alien Neel (Robert Timothy Smith). They all have worried and misunderstanding parents back on their home planet who are fruitlessly trying to find them in the vastness of space (including Oscar nominee Kerry Condon as Fern's mother, a waste of her talents). Each child has something important to learn or prove − or both.

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Law's maybe-good-guy-maybe-ruffian Jod Na is also a very certain type, the kind of ruggedly handsome reluctant hero who is going to show his real heart of gold in the end (just a prediction). Remind you of a famous "Star Wars" character, perhaps played by Harrison Ford? He's Han Solo with some Force sensitivity and a British accent.

After years of larger-than-life "Star Wars" planets and spaceships, it's a bit hilariously jarring to start "Skeleton" in essentially, the galaxy's suburbia. It looks just like the real thing, only with a lot of mid-century modern homes with automatic doors and rounded corners. But once the kids get up and running on their adventure with Law's mysterious pirate captain, there's a lot of fun to be had. Fun that is, if you are of a certain age and/or interested in family programming. The jokes are based on gross-out food, after all.

It seems almost overdue for "Star Wars" to make a story specifically targeted at kids, considering it is this younger demographic who put all the money-making Baby Yoda toys on their Christmas lists. But loading up your previously adult-themed franchise with cute kids and twee jokes can be a disaster. Remember the fan reaction to young Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd) in 1999's "The Phantom Menace"?

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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.

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To sustain itself beyond three lightweight episodes, "Skeleton" will have to delicately balance its kid-friendly tone with enough "Star Wars" lore and flair to make it feel like it's really a part of this ever-expanding universe.

Otherwise, it's just "The Lost Boys" or "Stand By Me" with a very expensive special effects budget.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Star Wars: Skeleton Crew' review: Kid-friendly and fine