Skeleton Crew review: Young cast steal the show from Jude Law in joyful Star Wars series

That's the set-up of Skeleton Crew, the new coming-of-age series from Spider-Man duo Jon Watts and Christopher Ford - but, of course, it's not quite that simple.

Very much inspired by stories like The Goonies (which you can tell from the off), Skeleton Crew follows a curious and boisterous child named Wim, who dreams of being a Jedi - but on his planet, At Attin, being a data analyst like his dad is the more likely path.

That's until he and his friends find an abandoned starship and accidentally fly off into the galaxy for adventures unknown. We've all been there.

Jude Law doesn't enter the fray until mid-season, and it's difficult to believe that this is his first foray into the Star Wars world. He gives his best Ewan McGregor with his new character, Jod Na Nawood, who's been described as a "Force user" (not quite as a Jedi).

Rumours are already flying about if Law's character will turn out to be someone we're already familiar with in the Star Wars canon – but whether they're true or not, mystery is the name of the game with him from the off.

While he gives a convincing performance, it's the young cast who steal the show and where the focus rightfully lies. Each young actor is given their time to shine, most prominently Ravi Cabot-Conyers as Wim, the boy who is determined for an adventure - and gets more than he bargained in this regard.

Ryan Kiera Armstrong also shines as Fern, the more adventurous (at least on the surface) one of the pair, and she has fabulous chemistry with her on-screen mother, played by none other than Kerry Condon (who, at least in the three episodes available for review, is criminally underused).

Although Kyriana Kratter (KB) and Robert Timothy Smith (Neel) get a little less of the focus, they round out the crew nicely, becoming, respectively, the brains of the operation and the comedic heart of the gang.

Safe to say, while Law may be the draw of the series, by the time he arrives, you'll have been well and truly won over by the young cast.

Together with droid SM-33 (voiced by Nick Frost), they accidentally shoot off into the galaxy, before struggling to find their way home. By the middle of the season, multiple questions arise about their home planet and their place in the world, providing genuinely intriguing mysteries.

The series is well-paced and full of heart, providing tension alongside genuinely funny moments. From a Star Wars nerd point of view, it's actually exciting to see moments of "mundanity" in the galaxy, as Wim and co head to school in the first episodes.

It feels like it expands the galaxy in a way that other Star Wars projects obviously can't, and, thanks to the charm of these scenes, at no point is it boring.

There are a fair few elements of Skeleton Crew that might seem A Bit Silly, and of course you'll have to suspend your disbelief a little. It can't promise the heights of Andor or the all-out action of Ahsoka - but if you're looking for that, you're in the wrong place with Skeleton Crew.

But if you want an adventure to take you back to childhood, something that feels a bit nostalgic and a bit of escapism amid the general state of the world in the lead-up to Christmas, give it a go.

After all, the show does the job and does it well. Is it perfect? Nah. Is it the best Star Wars show of all time? Nope! But is it a lot of fun? Absolutely.

The first two episodes of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew are now streaming on Disney Plus. Sign up to Disney Plus from £4.99 a month.

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