Got it Where it Counts: ‘Star Wars: Skeleton Crew’ Season 1 Reaction

 

Star Wars fans are a hyperbolic bunch. Whenever a new project debuts – whether it’s a theatrical film or a streaming series – it’s either the best thing to happen to the franchise in years or it’s the catastrophic death knell for that galaxy far, far away. Admittedly, my reactions tend to be more positive when it comes to Disney’s near-constant output of Star Wars content. You can call me a shill if you must (it wouldn’t be the first time), but I was a kid during the “Dark Times” of the early-mid ‘90s when all we had were the original three films on well-worn VHS tapes, a handful of PC games and a stack of novels and comics of varying quality to satisfy our fervor for the Force. I’m OK with being spoiled with so many Star Wars stories these days, even if they don’t all hit the figurative two-meter thermal exhaust port.

But where does that leave Skeleton Crew, the eight-episode Disney+ pirate yarn featuring a Force-sensitive and swarthy Jude Law, a group of plucky young adventurers and a host of furry, feathery and sometimes squishy alien creatures? In short, it’s damn good.

 Skeleton Crew is a love letter to many things, namely 1980s Steven Spielberg coming-of-age stories, practical visual effects, swashbuckling adventure films and, yes, childhood. It all blends together to form the most accessible Star Wars streaming series since The Mandalorian’s debut season in 2019, devoid of required reading/viewing as long as you’re familiar with the basics of Star Wars (and who isn’t?). As such, I’ve been excitedly recommending this show to just about everyone, not only those who know the difference between a Mon Calamari and a Quarren.

Starring Jude Law as the mysterious Jod Na Nawood and a quartet of kid actors – Ravi Cabot-Conyers as the starry-eyed Wim, Ryan Kiera Armstrong as the headstrong Fern, Kyriana Kratter as the analytical KB and Robert Timothy Smith as the bashful blue alien Neel – Skeleton Crew features stronger performances than you might expect from what many perceive as a “kids’ show.” Joining the flesh-and-blood cast is the tough-as-nails droid SM-33 voiced by Nick Frost, who brings a lot of heart and humor to a broken-down bot with a rat living in its skull.

Series creators Jon Watts and Christopher Ford crafted this season alongside a murders’ row of directors, including Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (Everything Everywhere All at Once) and the always game Bryce Dallas Howard, who really needs to be directing Star Wars movies as soon as possible. It all comes to a close in satisfying fashion in this week’s finale, but there’s more adventure to be had with these characters if the viewership demands it. After The Acolyte ended after just one season, I’m not getting my hopes up too high but, as has always been the case with me and Star Wars, I’m choosing to look on the Light Side.

Expectations of Steel: First ‘Superman’ Trailer Reaction

 

There’s one North Pole resident who can fly around the world in a night dominating social media right now, and it ain’t Santa Claus.

DC Studios has given us our best look yet at James Gunn’s optimistic take on The Man of Steel with a new Superman teaser trailer that sent anticipation for the 2025 film up, up and away when it dropped on Thursday. With bright colors, big-time action and a fantastic cast – including David Corenswet as the titular Kansas farmboy-turned-demigod, Rachel Brosnahan as intrepid Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult as calculating “bald-is-beautiful” poster boy Lex Luthor – Superman looks like a lot of fun. Plus, we get a glimpse of the live-action debut for one of comic books’ goodest boys, Krypto the Superdog, who proves to be just as heroic as his nigh invincible owner.

If you know me, you know I have owned a LOT of action figures in my life, but one of my first was Kenner’s “Super Powers” Superman, who met an unfortunate fate when I accidently jammed him between the cushions of my mom’s Toyota Tercel – there was obviously some Kryptonite stashed in the glove compartment. Superman II was also one of the first movies I watched on repeat as a three-year-old, alongside Ghostbusters and The Empire Strikes Back. So yeah, me and Supes go way back.

I didn’t gel with Zack Snyder’s take on Superman in The Man of Steel or its sequels, and Bryan Singer’s 2006 Superman Returns hasn’t aged particularly well, so I’m excited for a film that seems tonally similar to the classic Christopher Reeve film while creating something entirely new. I’ll be looking up when Superman flies into theaters July 11, 2025.

Watch the teaser below!  

‘Clayface’ Movie Officially in the Works

As an in-the-weeds comic book fan, sometimes it’s hard for me to believe that most casual movie audiences have no idea that one of Batman’s most dangerous adversaries is a goopy, shape-shifting mud monster. Well, Warner Bros. Pictures’ DC Studios is changing all that with a standalone Clayface film, Variety reports. The horror/thriller/tragedy is set to hit theaters Sept. 11, 2026.

The film will be based on a script by Mike Flanagan (Doctor Sleep), and filming will begin next year. Details are scarce, but there’s no word as to whether Batman will appear. As we’ve seen with HBO/Max’s The Penguin series, The Caped Crusader’s villains don’t necessarily need to be squaring off with a billionaire in a bat suit to be compelling. That said, given the ice-cold reception to recent no-hero villain stories like Kraven the Hunter and Warner Bros. Pictures’ own Joker: Folie à Deux, sometimes you need a hero. I think there’s even a song about that.

As for me, I’ve been a Clayface fan ever since Batman: The Animated Series’ first season in 1992, which introduced legions of kids to the character with an exceptional two-part story called “Feat of Clay.” Even if you’re not into animation, I highly recommend checking that out on Max.

For the full Variety story, click here.