This review was made possible by Popped receiving advanced screeners for the first eight episodes of Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord.
Set after the events of The Clone Wars, Maul plots to rebuild his criminal syndicate on a planet untouched by the Empire. There, he crosses paths with a disillusioned young Jedi Padawan, who could be the apprentice he is seeking, that will aid him in his relentless pursuit for revenge. Maul: Shadow Lord pulled me back into Star Wars animation in a way I didn’t expect. I didn’t really stick with The Bad Batch, but I loved The Clone Wars and Rebels. So it was genuinely exciting to be hooked on an animated Star Wars show again. There must be something that Dave Filoni laces his TV series with, because this is so good.
The story is very tight. It all takes place across what feels like a few days, maybe a week. It doesn’t jump around. It doesn’t feel like separate adventures. Instead, it plays like one long story split into chapters — because of this, the planned two-episode weekly release will work really well. Each pair of episodes feels like its own small, isolated arc, yet everything connects when you look at the bigger picture. And at around twenty minutes each, the pacing stays strong. It never drags. This will be a really good binge-watch later on, and definitely a series I look forward to revisiting, especially if it heads in the direction I think it is going, 8 episodes in.
This Star Wars Series Is The Most Fascinating Maul Has Ever Been
Maul is the key to why this works. Prior to the events of the show, we’ve seen him as a straight villain. We’ve seen him broken, desperate, clinging to relevance. Here, he has intent. He’s actively searching for an apprentice, while circling the larger goal of striking back at the Empire and, ultimately, the big man himself, Darth Sidious. What makes him such a fascinating character is that he sits in this interesting space between antagonist and anti-hero. He hasn’t softened. He’s still brutal. Still volatile. We see him as this smart mastermind once again, where he’s being strategic, he’s planning, he’s not completely lashing out like he used to.
Maul would not be the character he is without Sam Witwer, who continues to completely inhabit the role. What’s striking is the control. He can dial Maul down to something cold and measured, then push him into full theatrical fury in a heartbeat. When Maul raises his voice — and trust me, he does — It’s heightened, almost Shakespearean, but deliberately so. It suits a character who sees himself as tragic, mythic, and larger than life. Witwer has been doing this for years, but here he sounds more comfortable, more confident, and frankly more dangerous than ever. I can’t believe we’ve had almost 15 years of Witwer voicing the character… long may it continue, into Season 2 and onwards.
‘Maul – Shadow Lord’ Has A Mixed But Interesting Supporting Cast
The series also follows Devon Izara, a Jedi in hiding after Order 66. She’s clearly meant to be a big part of the story, though she isn’t quite as interesting as Maul. Her storyline runs alongside his, and helps widen the scope, even if Maul is always the main focus. By her side, is Master Eeko-Dio-Daki. Both hide in the shadows towards the start of the series, though Maul quickly senses their presence and pivots his criminal plans to intercept them, in the hopes of gaining a new apprentice. Eeko-Dio-Daki adds a lot of moral weight to Devon’s storyline; Whilst Maul offers a darker path for Devon, similar to how we see his relationship unfold with Ezra in Rebels, Eeko-Dio-Dani offers the light side alternative.
Following on from his recent Oscar nomination, Wagner Moura is one of the standouts as Brander Lawson. He’s a detective trying to keep order on Janix without involving the Empire, and that idea works really well. He knows bringing them in will only make things worse, so he’s constantly walking a line between doing his job and protecting the planet. It gives his character a bit more depth than you might expect, and he ends up being one of the more grounded voices in the show, especially when he and his son, Rylee, are thrown into the middle of Maul’s crime plans.
Alongside Lawson is Richard Ayoade’s droid Two-Boots, who works alongside him. Two-Boots is more hit or miss in comparison to Lawson. The character is intentionally strict and completely by-the-book, which is clearly the point, but it also makes him irritating at times. It’s hard to tell whether that’s down to the writing or just personal taste with Ayoade’s voice, but either way, he’s probably the most divisive part of the supporting cast. He does serve a purpose though, especially when his rigid behaviour pushes events into a serious issue for Lawson, later in the series. There’s also Maul’s own droid, which brings some lighter moments without breaking the tone. It refers to the Empire as “Impys,” makes small jokes about their puniness, and leans into slightly slapstick humour at times.
‘Maul -Shadow Lord’ Has Some Of The Coolest Lightsaber Sequences In Star Wars
The lightsaber fights are easily one of the best parts of the show. There are loads of them, and they all feel different. Some are proper duels. Others are Maul cutting through crime syndicates as he builds his Shadow Collective. The fights are incredibly aggressive and fast, and there’s even a sequence that feels similar in tone to the hallway scene in Rogue One, with Maul tearing through enemies in a brutal way. The pressure from the Empire also helps raise the stakes. We also get to see Maul meditate, training how he fights, and even duelling with his own demons, caused by the returning threat of an old rival.
Any good show requires antagonists, and the inclusion of Marrok and Eleventh Brother means Maul is constantly being hunted while trying to build power. They represent the Empire closing in, and more importantly, the shadow of Darth Sidious hanging over everything. You can feel that weighing on Maul around the midpoint of the season as the climax builds up. Even when Sidious isn’t directly involved, the idea of him pushes Maul forward and feeds his obsession. The end result is one of my favourite moments from the entire season, peeling back some context to the psyche of Maul.
Visually, the show looks similar to The Clone Wars, but with a rougher texture. Everything feels a bit more rugged. Some scenes even lean toward the kind of lighting people have compared to Arcane. It’s darker overall, and it fits the tone. The lightsabers are the biggest change. Almost all of them have an unstable look, similar to Kylo Ren’s blade. They flicker and crackle instead of being clean, and it makes the fights feel more intense and contain that much more sauce!
‘Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord’ – Final Thoughts
If you’re already invested in Maul, this really works. It’s focused, darker than most Star Wars animation, and packed with great lightsaber action. The story moves quickly, the tone stays consistent, and Sam Witwer holds it all together with one of his best performances as the character. It might not be the easiest entry point for newcomers, but for fans, this is easily some of the most engaging animated Star Wars in years.
The first two episodes of Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord are now streaming on Disney+, with two episodes being released each week until May 4. Check out the trailer below:
