Reviews are out for Disney and Lucasfilm’s “Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord,” with the title drawing better numbers than most
With 25 reviews counted, the title sits at a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes along with a 71/100 on Metacritic with the latter in line with some of Disney’s live-action “Star Wars” efforts like “The Mandalorian,” “Obi-Wan Kenobi” and “Skeleton Crew”.
There’s a lot of praise for the show’s animation, leading man Sam Witwer’s performance, and the way it’s more accessible than some of the other “Star Wars” animated series.
Some have issues with the pacing and story though. Here’s a sampling of reviews:
“Visually stunning entry in the Lucasfilm Animation canon that explores the wrath and surprising vulnerability of one of Star Wars’s most intriguing characters, with a brilliant vocal performance from Sam Witwer and a lively cast of supporting characters.” – Molly Edwards, Games Radar
“It is in capturing this crime-story vibe that Witwer brings out a much more complicated layer to his performance as Maul, as well.” – James Whitbrook, io9
“Not only is Star Wars: Maul — Shadow Lord 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.” – Aimes Hart, Polygon
“Stands as the most action-packed series yet. With epic saber fights, massive laser battles, and crushing vehicle chases through the highways and byways of Janix, Star Wars animation just keeps getting better and better with each outing. Wow.” – Andrew Mack, ScreenAnarchy
“Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord offers fans a deep dive into this era of Star Wars and fans of the galaxy far, far away and of Maul himself will have a lot to enjoy with this series.” – Ricky Church, Flickering Myth
“‘Shadow Lord’ can capably move the ‘Clone Wars’ story forward, but it’s not yet ready to serve as a “Star Wars” standard-bearer on its own.” – Alison Herman, Variety
“Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord is spectacular… feels like something Michael Mann or Ridley Scott would have crafted.” – Alan Cerny, Vital Thrills
The first two episodes of “Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord” are now on Disney+ with double episodes airing weekly through May 4th.
