By George & Josh Bate
The following is a NON-SPOILER review of episodes 1-8 of Maul – Shadow Lord
Who would have ever predicted that a character with just three lines of dialogue and who was killed by bifurcation in a movie that was released over a quarter of a century ago would one day headline his very own television series?
That’s the appeal of Maul, the tattooed Zabrak Sith lord who became the face of the Star Wars prequels before miraculously returning in The Clone Wars and playing a key role in Star Wars Rebels. Maul’s journey may have chronologically concluded with the brilliant episode “Twin Suns,” but important gaps in his story and enduring fandom surrounding the character meant that Lucasfilm simply could not turn down the opportunity to give fans what they desperately wanted – more Maul. Enter Maul – Shadow Lord, a new Disney+ series that brings Star Wars animation into darker and more stylized territory than ever with a noir-soaked crime epic.
Maul – Shadow Lord takes place approximately one year after the events of The Clone Wars Season 7. Maul (Sam Witwer) found a way to escape the clutches of the Republic by taking advantage of the chaos of Order 66 and has since set his sights on exacting revenge against those who wronged him, beginning with the crime syndicates that abandoned him and his Shadow Collective on Mandalore. This pursuit takes him to Janix, a neon-colored metropolis and refuge for a young Jedi named Devon Izara (Gideon Adlon), who may be the key to Maul’s success.
Just moments into the first episode, alterations to and refinements of Lucasfilm Animation’s trademark style of animation become clear. Rather than near ever closer to feeling like live-action Star Wars, the new series embraces the imperfections, distortions, and rough edges of animation. Close-ups of Maul’s face look like they’re hand drawn and painted, lightsaber duels lag and feature bursts of blinding white light, and environments creatively integrate computer animation with matte paintings. This approach results in a show that isn’t aspiring for photo-realism, but, rather, a more stylized, even anime-inspired aesthetic that feels more expressive and less mechanical than The Clone Wars or The Bad Batch.
Unlike other Star Wars movies and shows, which sprawl across various planets and systems across the galaxy, Maul – Shadow Lord takes place almost exclusively on Janix. The planet has visual parallels to Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, although it feels distinct in the extent to which it is soaked in blue neon and decidedly Star Wars-coded. Restricting the story to a single planet gives the series a more claustrophobic atmosphere than previous Star Wars shows. The culture and people of Janix aren’t developed to the point where the planet feels like a character unto itself, but watching a story involving multiple moving parts unfolding within a more confined location affords the series with added layer of tension and intimacy.
The seedy primary setting and edgier animation nicely couple the darker tone of Maul – Shadow Lord. Unlike virtually every other Star Wars movie and show up until this point, the new series is almost entirely devoid of humor. Even the series’ main droid character Two-Boots does not provide the comic relief fans have come to expect from droids like C-3PO, BB-8, and K-2SO. This means that Maul – Shadow Lord does not deliver the levity many expect from Star Wars stories. Tonally, this is far more akin to, and perhaps even more deprived of comedy than, Andor than it is The Bad Batch or The Clone Wars. This tone, decidedly more serious and intense than previous stories, matches the aggression and inner turmoil of its titular character and, as such, never feels forced or ill-fitting.
Of course, Maul – Shadow Lord stands apart from every Star Wars movie and show that has come before it in positioning a bad guy as its protagonist. Star Wars stories have obviously explored the descent of good people into the depths of evil (e.g., Anakin Skywalker in the prequels) and featured morally questionable characters in key roles (e.g., Kylo Ren in the sequels), but no Star Wars story to date has been as bold as to make a villain the lead character. Thankfully, the series never tries to excuse Maul’s prior wrong-doings or redeem him in any way, as is the case with the many stories that put a villain front-and-center.
Maul – Shadow Lord takes some time to deliver on the promise of a Maul series. For much of the first eight episodes, Maul hovers in the background of the story as new characters Devon Izara and Brander Lawson feature more prominently. The incomparable Sam Witwer chews up the scenery with every word he utters as the iconic character, but the show, up until around Chapter 7, offers very little new information or sides of the character beyond what we’ve already seen. While the story proves compelling and the new additions are characters worth investing in, it’s a shame that the series takes so long to get inside Maul’s head – to peel back the layers of his tormented psyche and add newfound complexity to his desire for revenge. All of this eventually arrives (and will presumably be expanded upon in the final two episodes), but the wait to get there can test your patience. That being said, it’s certainly interesting to see Witwer take on a more methodical and reserved version of Maul, a stark contrast to the rageful former Sith lord from The Clone Wars.
While relentlessly pursuing those who did him wrong, Maul sets his sights on a target that will help achieve his ultimate goal of killing Palpatine and overthrowing the Empire. Devon Izara, a pink/red-skinned Twi’lek Jedi, emerges as a key player in the series and the object of Maul’s fixation. Some of the best moments of the early episodes come in the form of conversations between Devon and Maul, the latter of whom takes a page out of Palpatine’s book in seducing and manipulating the young Jedi to win her over, just like his former master did with Anakin. These discussions are fascinating in the ways in which they pinpoint the fallacies of the Jedi and the parallels between Maul and a survivor of Order 66. The show does well to not rush Devon’s changing perspective, instead allowing her mentality to subtly and organically shift with each and every interaction she and Maul share.
In Devon’s other ear is her master, Eeko-Dio Daki (Dennis Haysbert). Daki exists alongside Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and Sol as characters with undeniable warmth and wisdom that exudes Jedi in the best possible way. The scenes with Devon and Daki highlight how two Jedi from the same Order differ in their perspective on the role the Jedi should play in an Imperial-led galaxy, and interestingly contrast Devon’s talks with Maul.
Early scenes with Devon and Daki also add a different dimension to the suffering of the Jedi following Order 66. Most Star Wars stories set after Episode III depict the struggles of the Jedi as being viciously hunted by Inquisitors, but Maul – Shadow Lord highlights that the Jedi suffer in more subtle, day-to-day ways. Existing in a galaxy that has branded them enemies means that the Jedi struggle to have their basic needs met, including securing food. While not as visceral of a threat as an Inquisitor running at them with a red lightsaber, this representation of Jedi suffering sheds newfound light on the depths of the Jedi’s struggles and how, even if the Empire are nowhere to be seen, Palpatine’s actions forever changed how they are perceived and treated in the galaxy.
Academy Award nominee Wagner Moura, meanwhile, plays another major new character in the series. Captain Brander Lawsen is a lawman who begins to investigate Maul’s presence on Janix and the bodies he’s leaving behind. From appearance to demeanor to morals, Lawsen feels and looks like the Star Wars equivalent of Jim Gordon. Moura’s incredible voice lends a weight to a character, who is determined to uphold the law while avoiding Imperial overreach.
With Lawsen after Maul and Maul after Devon, the series progresses as a pulpy cops-and-robbers story for its earlier episodes. There’s interesting twists and turns and plenty of stylized action sequences to admire before this narrative gains momentum after Chapter 4 and the series considerably improves overall. The writing may be on the wall regarding Maul’s pursuit of Devon as an apprentice, and yet the show remains engaging with danger lurking around every corner and intriguing through allusions to Maul’s mysterious grand plan to take down the Empire.
VERDICT: 7.5/10
Dark, vicious, and stylized, the new Disney+ series Maul – Shadow Lord triumphs in telling a more serious Star Wars story that positions a bad guy as its protagonist. The show makes refreshing alterations to Lucasfilm Animation’s trademark style by embracing the imperfections and rough edges of animation, rather than aim for photo-realism. The more expressive and less mechanical style of animation results in intense, visceral lightsaber duels and environments that beautifully integrate computer animation with matte paintings. The seedy setting of Janix and edgier animation nicely couple the darker tone of a series that is almost entirely devoid of humor and matches the aggression and inner turmoil of its titular character. The incomparable Sam Witwer excels in a role that he has mastered for over a decade, chewing up the scenery with menace and charm. Unfortunately, the series takes a while to live up to its promise as a Maul series as it relegates him to the background for much of the early episodes and does not offer a ton of new insights into his psychology or motivations until later on. In his place are two compelling new characters – Devon Izara and Brander Lawsen, the former a Jedi that Maul wishes to make his apprentice and the latter the de facto Jim Gordon of the Star Wars galaxy. The trio of leads drive forward a pulpy cops-and-robbers story that gains momentum after Chapter 4 and proves most interesting when focusing on philosophical conversations about the Jedi, their role in the galaxy, and the similarities between Maul and a former Order 66 survivor. A year after the release of Andor Season 2, a new animated Star Wars series arrives that mirrors the drama and seriousness of the critically acclaimed show, while leaning into conflicts between mysticism and mechanism, restraint and violence, and masters and apprentice. As such, Maul – Shadow Lord is another resounding win for Lucasfilm.
Maul – Shadow Lord premieres April 6 on Disney+ and concludes with its final two episodes on May the 4th
