r/StarWars • u/fatogres • 7h ago
Skeleton crew amazing TV
Skeleton crew is actually amazing, not because of the plot or characters, even though I do love the story, it is something that we haven’t seen in Star Wars in a long time.
But you can tell whoever made it actually cared about it, and it actually has a competent director and cinematography, with good cgi while not overusing it. There is a consistent tone, and the world feels lived in and thought out. It just feels very different from shows like the acolyte, kenobi, book of boba, etc, where every character looks like a cosplayer (where did all the money go?? lol) and there is minimum effort put in the important parts of filmmaking, that’s why they feel so cheap.
Disney needs to keep making shows like this, since they are very capable. They just need to hire the right people and not the idiots who made the other shows.
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u/Bloodless-Cut 4h ago
I agree that Skeleton Crew is good, but you lost me with your second paragraph.
You're just another person who can't seem to praise that which you like without also, for some weird reason, shitting on that which you don't.
It's also kind of shitty of you to imply that just because you didn't like something, that must mean the cast and crew didn't care about what they were doing.
You might not like OWK, BoBF, or The Acolyte, but I can 100% assure you that the cast and crew of those projects cared just as much about what they were doing as the folks who made Skeleton Crew. Assuming otherwise is, frankly, absurd. Especially given the ample evidence to the contrary.
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u/QouthTheCorvus 1h ago
People are just describing how they feel. Those shows all feel pretty same-y and have a very soulless feel to them, even if the people involved supposedly did care.
I think the lack of stylistic flair is a case of them not being PASSION projects. Obviously all creators care about their work, but The Acolyte didn't exactly give me "the creator had a vision" feelings. Versus something like Andor, where Gilroy ended up becoming extremely invested in his idea. Or this show, where there's a clear desire to make "what if Star Wars was an Amblin production?"
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u/citizen_x_ 7h ago
Acolyte didn't feel cheap or cosplay-y. But I would agree that the Kenobi and Boba series suffered from bad pacing and writing. Boba suffered from looking like a fanfilm in terms of production. Production quality for Kenobi was solid but the camera work and writing was what failed it.
Haven't seen Skeleton Crew but I'm a bit skeptical that people are viewing through the lens of 80s nostalgia rather than accurately comparing these things on objective criteria.
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u/justblais 6h ago
FWIW - I’m 32, don’t have the 80s nostalgia or any of the nostalgia for the Goonies. Came into Skeleton Crew expecting to not really be interested, and I think it’s tied with Mando S1 for my favourite live-action series.
I do have a bias towards non-Jedi media, but honestly - it’s just a good show. Good story, paced well, looks great on screen and in movement. Can’t wait for it to wrap up next week!
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u/citizen_x_ 6h ago
I haven't seen it yet so I'll take your word for it.
What did you not like about Acolyte though? I thought it had some of the best production and writing of the shows so far. Obviously Andor would rank higher imo but I thought it was better than the other shows
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u/fatogres 6h ago
Best writing? Cmon man be for real, can you give an example?
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u/citizen_x_ 6h ago
Yes. The entire show utilizes unreliable narration to misdirect the audience then recontextualizes it by showing the same events through different lenses.
The heroes and enemies are all complex and not simple archetypes or black and white good and evil types. It fits into the existing lore while expanding on it.
The characters have relatable, realistic motivations and dilemma. And it makes use of showing, not telling well. That's actually a bit of a problem with the audience with a lot of people lacking the media literacy to not misunderstand the show. Granted some people were motivated to not try to understand the show because they went in with their mind made up and then were not able up be good faith in their engagement with the show.
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u/justblais 5h ago
FWIW - as an Acolyte enjoyer, while the latter was absolutely true, it's important to understand that someone can have media literacy and still have gripes with the show and its execution. Understanding and enjoyment are separate things. There are people who went in with their minds made up and didn't like it. There are people who went into the show and did! I have friends who aren't Star Wars people who watched the show pretty objectively and had valid criticisms of it.
There was definitely a lot of loud bad-faith griping about the Acolyte from the loudest, most toxic, rage-peddling parts of the online fandom, but be careful to not just dismiss all criticism as bad faith or lacking media literacy. Media is rarely infallible, and misses that don't matter much to you might hit for someone else harder (or vice versa).
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u/citizen_x_ 5h ago
They can, I've just yet to meet those people. When the show first came out it was a topic of discussion all over the internet. I talked with a lot of detractors at the time and overwhelming they missed details or misunderstood things.
If you have a specific legitimate criticism I'm happy to entertain it. I think you assume because I like it that I've unfairly dismissed the arguments of detractors rather than me arriving at my position FROM engaging with the detractors to understand what their issues were
I also never said the show was infallible. That would be a strawman.
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u/justblais 5h ago
If you haven't ever listened to it, I highly recommend the podcast "A More Civilized Age." I think their Acolyte episodes might unfortunately be Patreon-only (although based on the way you're articulating your points, I think you'd like the podcast anyways, so might be worth a go!), but it's an excellent example of four people who are extremely media-literate, who do not engage with media in bad faith, articulating many things they don't like about the show (not all of which I agree with - but if you haven't experienced that type of interaction, it might be worth a go!)
Some of my interpretation of your comment is likely just because of your initial response to my comment, where you immediately assumed I did not like the Acolyte (which, again, is definitely not true!) because I had a couple things I rated higher than it. I often find that people who jump so quickly to the defense of something, even when it isn't mentioned, are doing what I described above (which may not be the case here - much like you, it's just from my personal experience!)
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u/citizen_x_ 5h ago
Well in this case do you think it's possible I jump to that assumption based on the deluge of people who did hate brigade the show on bad faith?
Granted I think I took your response to my initial response into consideration, no? Was has the same chain of responses where I said I haven't seen the show but I'll take your word for it? Genuine question, I lose track of these things.
Valid criticisms I've seen of the show are that the main actress was a bit wooden at times, the chant the witches did was indeed corny and kind of breaks immersion. One I've had that I don't see others mention is I don't like the way mind erasure was depicted. For such a power and how it was used, you'd expect it would require more time and effort to isolate memories and erase them. That part seemed flippant. And the Yoda cameo being unnecessary.
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u/Stagnu_Demorte 4h ago
Isn't it weird how many people have to rush to the defense of critics every time they mention the acolyte?
I too have yet to hear valid criticism of the show beyond the minor things you've mentioned. I've heard a lot of criticism that demonstrates that the critic didn't understand the plot.
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u/Stagnu_Demorte 4h ago
Yes. The entire show utilizes unreliable narration to misdirect the audience then recontextualizes it by showing the same events through different lenses.
Thank you. This is exactly what I love about the writing but you said it better.
The heroes and enemies are all complex and not simple archetypes or black and white good and evil types. It fits into the existing lore while expanding on it.
Also true.
The characters have relatable, realistic motivations and dilemma. And it makes use of showing, not telling well. That's actually a bit of a problem with the audience with a lot of people lacking the media literacy to not misunderstand the show. Granted some people were motivated to not try to understand the show because they went in with their mind made up and then were not able up be good faith in their engagement with the show.
Absolutely. Nailed it.
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u/justblais 6h ago
I liked Acolyte! I didn’t love the pacing and a couple small writing things but there was lots I really enjoyed. I just liked that other stuff more! Andor is sort of in a league of its own and I have a lot of fondness for Mando S1, that’s all.
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u/DorkyMoneyMan 7h ago
It’s top tier