(series review) - Skeleton Crew

So, when I think about my era when growing up, I think about the films I was too young to watch, but they were a product of that era. I think of the cartoons I really enjoyed, they too were a product of that era. I also think about the family/kids films I watched on repeat which were also a product of that era. 'Goonies', 'Flight of the Navigator', 'ET', 'Star Wars!' Let us not forget that Star Wars has ALWAYS been a "family"/children's movie. Times have changed and what we deem appropriate for children back in the day is NOT appropriate now. An example of this is when I was younger and I went to the park to play on the swings, slides and roundabouts, the ground in which these things were placed/mounted/on, was concrete. Nowadays, it is a bouncy tar-like substance and before then it was wood chips. I say that to say this, children's shows have changed a lot and whilst there may be people, some, who say Star Wars is too kiddy, newsflash, it has always been for kids, it's just that the dynamics of that has evolved and quite arguably, there is more of a sliding scale to what is deemed for kids, children, teens and young adults. The people complaining Star Wars is too kiddy have grown up with Star Wars their entire lives, just like the kids now who are doing the same. I have mentioned a couple films in previous reviews and in this series, where this show takes influences from, all in all, Disney has successfully stuck the landing on this series and I can quite honestly say, I really enjoyed Skeleton Crew.

Wim is a young imaginative child who dreams of the stars in the sky, the battles heard in the legends, the good guys, the bad guys, and Jedi, but when he stumbles across what he believes is an old Jedi tomb, Wim and his best friend Neel seek the tomb out, only to discover it is an old spaceship with a droid on it, that takes off and leaves his planet of At Attin taking the pair and a couple of stragglers Fern and KB with them into the vast unknown of space. The kids have to find their way back to At Attin, well if At Attin is even a real place.

As the show progresses, the kids learn more about the galaxy beyond their planet. They learn that there are many worlds, cultures, aliens, and creatures, along with good and bad people. This show depicts the innocence of youth. The children learn from each other, about each other, and about themselves as they are pushed to make choices that could save or end their lives. The galaxy can be a very dangerous place.

The show is jovial, pleasant and charming. I think the things that attracted me to this show and kept me watching week after week were the layers, what the showrunner was trying to do and how the main focus was always centred around the kids and their perspectives. When you watched The Goonies, it was about the kids going on an adventure to find 'One-Eyed Willy' and his buried treasure. Whilst you could call this show "Goonies in Space" ultimately, it is about a child and his friends who are trying to find their way home after having got lost in space, but Pirates are the ones trying to find the "buried" treasure. The show also did not feel like adults pretending to be kids and the dialogue did not come across as childish, they are children. They are children so they should think, act and behave as such. So being a fully grown adult watching this and rolling your eyes at some of the things they do, you need to understand, that these ARE indeed, children. "Unclaimsies" has to be one of the most childish things to say, but it works. There are a few telegraphed twists, but for the most part, the show keeps getting you to ask questions and slowly giving you a reveal later as the show goes on.

The show commits to its swashbuckling pirate theme and tone throughout which is surprisingly "on brand"? or do I mean it simply fits? Considering Star Wars is a Space Samurai movie as a Western or is it a Space Western with Samurais, a Space Pirate show with Samurais just fits in. It is not the first time we have seen Pirates in Star Wars as they are dotted about in 'The Clone Wars' series as well as the 'Rebels' series, 'The Mandalorian' series etc, but the music, the score, all lends to the swashbuckling adventure these children are on whilst still sounding like Star Wars in a galaxy far far away and it does not seem out of place.

As for the music, I loved it. The special effects? Money was definitely put into this project and it shows. A mixture of practical and special effects. The acting was also great because it brought these characters to life. Wim's dad seemed a bit wishy-washy at the beginning as they should have delved deeper into his background with a few lines or so, but towards the end, his story -arc got better. As for the children they were all great. Wim was annoying at first but being the dreamer, his personality made sense (he was the Luke Skywalker of the bunch). The same with Fern and KB. My favourite character was Neel and what I liked that they did with each child, was they gave them an arc from the beginning of the show until the end. They all had meaningful conversations that changed them going forward juxtaposing Jod who accompanied the children and had the most rapport with them, but stayed true to who he was as a person throughout. SM-33 (the droid) had to be one of my favourite characters and Nick Frost did an amazing job with the voice work. He was a very interesting character, in some cases, powerful and intimidating, but also very funny.

If you are open to Star Wars or 80s nostalgia, I could not recommend this more as not only does it deliver that feel of movies from the 80s, but the show is wholesome fun with a few dark spots here and there. The show felt a lot like Star Wars but on the other side of the galaxy. It did not feel small by including all these things we know from Star Wars, such as Jedi, Light sabre fights, the Millennium Falcon or other bits. Some of these things were mentioned which simply helped with the world-building, like seeing familiar alien types but that was fine. When this was first announced, I was dubious and we did not hear much about it, but now that I have watched the series, I can confirm, that this is a very good watch and entertaining.

(trailer review) - Daredevil: Born Again

Before anyone even cared that Disney was putting together a streaming service, fans across the globe were wondering if there was going to be another season of Daredevil. A Season 4! And if that was just as great a seasons 5, 6, 7 and Infinity! The Daredevil series was just so good even though it did have the finest of budgets. However, when the rights went back to Disney, fans wanted the Daredevil show they knew and loved back. Not partly back. Not just Charlie Cox and nobody else back. Not both Charlie Cox and Vincent D'onofrio back and nobody else back. Not just all the main cast back and nobody else...they wanted EVERY ELEMENT that made the Netflix 3 seasons back, everything...because that is what worked. There was even a petition to have Charlie and Vincent back! When we saw Daredevil in She-Hulk, although it was good (well, I thought it was good and entertaining, but received some backlash) then seeing him pop up in Echo, was much better. As for this official trailer, are they now telling us what we are going to get? And if I can speak for the Globe right now, THIS! THIS IS IT! DISNEY, WELL DONE!

This trailer gives us the feeling that we are simply continuing a few years after season 3 of the Netflix Daredevil series, as not only does Kingpin address a previous meeting with Matt Murdock, but he alludes to his other identity. We get quick shots of Bullseye and an interaction with Frank Castle. We are back with Karen and Foggy, so it all looks good. The fighting scenes, the choreography, the brutal takedowns, all looks good, no blood, but looks good. The atmosphere and dark moodiness of the Netflix series, all looks good, even the different Daredevil masks shown alluding to other fights, experiences etc, all looks good. But mostly, it is the combination of all the above accompanied with the usual great dialogue, it seems we are back to where we were and I can honestly say, while I have heard there are more episodes and longer episodes than Disney's current and previous shows, Star Wars or Marvel, this is something the fans have definitely been waiting for. So let's see if Disney has made us happy.

(series review) - Squid Game

First of all, I am very aware I am late to the party with this one. Where was I? I was enjoying life! I am joking. I think, by the time I heard about Squid Game and the series taking the world by storm, I was episodes behind and I wanted to get into it, however, it just slipped past me. Weeks became months, became years and I even tried to start the show before the real-life gameshow started and the second season, but there is so much to watch and, well...here we are, a few weeks after the second season and I have binged this in a few days. Now that I have finished the show, maybe an hour ago now, I am actually still buzzing from what I have experienced. I never understood the "hype" or why people liked it or the reason why people were watching it. And sure people will have their own reasons, but for me, something that started quirky, colourful, and somewhat comedic in places that gradually turned into something dark, well...I say gradually, but that first death does not fail to shock you so by the end of the series, the show will have you react like, "Wait, what?"

Seong Gi-hun comes across as a down-on-his-luck absentee father to his 10-year-old daughter and lives with his mum. He does a little work here and there, but nothing consistent or permanent. It is implied he is a heavy drinker and gambler and he owes a huge debt. He is always asking his mother for money as she is the only person in their home consistently working, so when Seong Gi-hun is troubled for the money that he owes, he decides to take up the offer of participating in a game to win a lot of money when he is approached by a mysterious salesman so he can repay his debts and provide more for his daughter. However, there are rules to the game and consequences for those who lose or fail. People will be eliminated from the game and will not go home with the cash prize.

As the episodes go on, you are first introduced to Gi-hun, his life and what is happening in it, but there are a few other characters you also follow learning more about, their backstory and what is going on in their life.  There is the pickpocket, the accountant, the gangster, the old man, the police officer and the lonely woman among many others. Everyone owes money, so everyone has that common objective/goal, but when the game designers start to raise the stakes, this is when everyone realises, that it is every man/woman for themselves, but you also need to work as a team in some games so tension is running high.  The Police officer's story is different to the rest of the contestants in the game due to his own motives which become clearer as the episodes go on.

So going in, I had an idea about the series, I mean of course I did, I am very late in watching the show, but simply watching the show puts things into perspective about how brilliant the show is and how weird and diabolical the gameshow these people are participating in is. The first episode hooks you immediately and the next few shows are simply an introduction to the other characters and their backstory with a sprinkling of the games. There are a few cliffhangers but the twist at the end is something that really caught me off-guard, actually, there are a few twists. There might have been an episode or three that was really emotional. I even tweeted (or X'ed) that episode, because I really was caught up in my feelings. Some characters were 'done dirty' and although I understand the game at this point, but damn, people can be ruthless to meet their own ends.

The characters are great, the acting (and voice acting [since it was dubbed]) was great, and the storyline had me hooked and intrigued. You get to grow with these characters and although it IS dog-eat-dog, some of the participants formed a little, family/group, strictly to survive to the end, but when it is all said and done, there can only be one winner and brutal doesn't even quite cut it. The side plot with the doctor was also a little flimsy at first but I understood it at the end, but all in all, a very entertaining show with a great soundtrack/score. I am really interested in a second series because of how this show ended, it would be very intriguing to know where we go from here.