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The devilish Darth Maul has been a legendary figure of the dark side since the character appeared in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace way back in 1999. Now, after decades of new (and revived) baddies, Maul is back with his own animated TV series on Disney+ — Maul – Shadow Lord.
Episode 1 and 2, "The Dark Revenge" and "Sinister Schemes," premiered today, and already it's been described as "triumphant" and "promising."
Across 10 episodes, Maul - Shadow Lord, follows the villain after the events of The Clone Wars during the reign of the Empire. He is rebuilding his crime syndicate on a planet outside of the empire's clutches when he crosses paths with a disillusioned young Jedi Padawan. Is she the apprentice he's seeking to aid him in his pursuit of revenge?
As an avid Star Wars fan who's watched it all and played all the games, it's exciting to get a new story within the universe, but rarely have critics been over the moon about what Disney has come up with, aside from Tony Gilroy's Andor. And with skepticism over Maul, it's unclear if the new show will join the stack of unnecessary spinoffs or stand up on its own. Creator and executive producer Dave Filoni has his share of fans and critics.
Having watched the first episode myself, the calm and well-spoken Maul (Sam Witwer) is seriously creepy as he plots and waits in the shadows, and the atmosphere and style are certainly much darker than other shows like The Clone Wars and Bad Batch. It swaps out stormtroopers and politicians with malicious evildoers wielding lightsabers, shadowed in black and red.
So far, the reviews are positive.
Polygon writes that it's "a stunning and compelling homage to the pulpy neo-noir genre set in a galaxy far, far away, but it also reaffirms what attracted fans to Darth Maul years ago: his relentless refusal to surrender in a galaxy where he’s destined to fail again and again."
Variety says that "the 'Blade Runner'-like cityscape of Janix is arresting, as are the various lightsaber battles. But the character design can alternate between the unattractively blocky—as with Moura’s police captain Lawson, who’s trying to do his job without the intrusion of the Empire—and the striking, like the paintbrush-like effects on Maul’s close-ups.
"Fortunately, the first eight episodes of Season 1 are able to weave together an exciting narrative that places as much importance on the new supporting cast as it does Maul himself," IGN writes.
Awards Radar says "there’s an obvious love for the material that won’t work for regular fans, but die-hard fans will soak up every minute. For a more casual fan, the tense and dark tone is a welcome change of pace, delivering real excitement.
Regardless of where you fall on Maul - Shadow Lord, it's already been confirmed for a second season!
For now, you can watch new episodes every Monday on Disney+:
April 6:
"The Dark Revenge"
"Sinister Schemes"
April 13
"Chapter 3: Whispers in the Unknown"
"Chapter 4: Pride and Vengeance"
April 20
"Chapter 5: Inquisition"
"Chapter 6: Night of the Hunted"
April 27
"Chapter 7: Call to the Oblivion"
"Chapter 8: The Creeping Fear"
May 4
"Chapter 9: Strange Allies"
"Chapter 10: Finale"