Disney+ has scored another hit with the critics with the release of Maul: Shadow Lord on the streaming service. The series is a sequel to Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) and focuses on Darth Maul, a Sith lord first introduced in The Phantom Menace, whose role was subsequently expanded following his popularity.
Maul: Shadow Lord Is A Critical Darling
Rotten Tomatoes has given Maul: Shadow Lord a 100 score, meaning all the critics on the aggregator website so far recommend the show. The critical consensus says:
“An inspired look into the depths of an iconic character, Maul once again proves that through kinetic, vibrant, and engaging animation, the Star Wars saga can continue in masterful spades.”
Randy Myers of the San Jose Mercury News gave the series a glowing review, calling it “a model of efficiency” and praising the first season’s tight pacing without it sacrificing character development in the process. He called the show “instantly bingeable” and considered it even better than some of the Star Wars live-action films.
Amon Warmann of Empire magazine praised both Maul: Shadow Lord and the earlier Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series for expanding on Darth Maul’s character beyond the one-off villain he originally was in The Phantom Menace. He considered the decision to give Maul his own show to be a “choice that pays dividends”. Warmann was also impressed with the dynamic Maul developed with the show’s deuteragonist, Jedi Padawan Devon Izara.
Rendy Jones of RogerEbert.com also praised the show but was more skeptical of the Star Wars franchise’s overall direction. While he praised the animation quality and its moment-to-moment pacing, he found Maul to be a shallow character and expressed concern that Dave Filoni’s leadership of Lucasfilm might sideline bold storytelling in favor of pleasing the fanbase.
Maul: Shadow Lord Plot
Maul: Shadow Lord is the first major Star Wars project to debut since Dave Filoni took over Lucasfilm and is a sequel to 2008’s Star Wars: The Clone Wars, an animated series that Dave Filoni also helmed.
The storyline follows Darth Maul and is set on the planet of Janix, which hasn’t yet been occupied by the forces of the Galactic Empire. Instead, the planet is dominated by ruthless crime syndicates, including the Shadow Collective, which Maul is in charge of. However, Maul’s ambitions go far beyond being a mere crime lord, as he seeks to regain his lost glory and take his vengeance on the people who’ve wronged him.
While feuding with the rival crime lord Looti Vario, Maul attacks Janix’s local prison, where he comes across the dispossessed Jedi Padawan Devon Izara. Maul’s encounter with her convinces him that she could become a valuable apprentice, and the rest of the series focuses on developing their master-apprentice relationship.
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