Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord Review
Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord is spectacular. This Disney+ show feels like the answer to a few complaints from much of the Star Wars fandom, to find the “grim and gritty” aspects of the franchise, but while Maul: Shadow Lord is darker than other entries, it feels like a piece of the saga very much, both in tone and in story. It’s action-packed and wears its influences on its sleeve, but viewers may be surprised at those influences this time around.
Maul: Shadow Lord feels like something Michael Mann or Ridley Scott would have crafted had they been given the reins to Star Wars; much of Maul: Shadow Lord is lit like Mann lights Los Angeles in movies like Heat or Collateral, or the Los Angeles of the Blade Runner films, and the action is unflinching like the action in Mann’s and Scott’s work.
Star Wars may still be for kids, but Maul: Shadow Lord tests that at several points. Even the animation feels different from, say, The Clone Wars; while reminiscent of that show, it has an energy and a color palette that are strikingly different and unique to Star Wars. It pops off the screen, and it’s hard to take your eyes off it.
When Darth Maul met his unceremonious “end” in Episode I: The Phantom Menace, cut in twain by a lightsaber wielded by Obi-Wan Kenobi, most of the fandom assumed that that was the end of that character. No one expected that the saga would spend the next 27 years trying to fix that moment. One can imagine George Lucas, watching audiences react enthusiastically to Darth Maul at those screenings and previews, wincing and thinking to himself, “Maybe I shouldn’t have done that.”
It was a bit of a stretch to bring back Maul in The Clone Wars, but something happened to Maul as a character that was unexpected and a welcome shift in perspective – while Maul is still very much a villain of the Star Wars saga, he became something more; surprisingly sympathetic, and with deeper resonance than just another bad guy with a red laser sword. Maul was just as manipulated by Darth Sidious as Anakin Skywalker was, but while Anakin became the favored apprentice and Sith Lord Darth Vader, Maul was cast aside and left to rot.
Maul, as voiced by Sam Witwer, has become one of the most rewarding characters of the saga. Star Wars has always had its share of compelling villains, but Maul is especially fascinating because he is complex and without remorse. Maul’s arc, from beginning to end, has been revealed across the shows and films, but a few middle chapters have been unclear – until now.
Maul: Shadow Lord takes place one year after The Clone Wars. That series ended with Maul defeated at the hands of Ahsoka Tano and forced to rebuild everything after being driven off the planet Mandalore. The Empire is ascendant, and Maul can only watch from afar as his former master rules the galaxy with a brutal hand.
Disillusioned, Maul can only hope to gain whatever scraps of power he can by being a formidable presence in the criminal underworld, with his crew of Zabrak warriors and his Mandalorian second-in-command, Rook Kast (Vanessa Marshall). But Maul cannot forgive or forget.
His quest for revenge brings him to Janix, a world that has so far evaded the Empire’s unflinching gaze and has, as a result, drawn the attention of various criminal agencies. All this crime seems too much for Brander Lawson (Wagner Moura) to handle, and he and his droid partner Two-Boots (Richard Ayoade) have their hands full keeping track of the syndicates who use Janix as their illicit stomping grounds.
When Maul arrives, Two-Boots thinks that the Empire should be told, and that they are not equipped to handle this new, fierce opponent. But Lawson knows that opening that door means that it will be impossible to close again, and inviting the Empire to Janix would be disastrous. But he may have little choice.
Maul has come to Janix for revenge and to consolidate his power, but when he arrives, he senses a presence that makes him consider his future outside of crime, specifically, Jedi Master Eeko-Dio-Daki (Dennis Haysbert), and his Padawan, Devon (Gideon Adlon). In Devon, Maul sees a pathway that he hadn’t considered before – a Force wielder that he could turn to the Dark Side as his apprentice. Maul must play a cat-and-mouse game with his criminal opponents, the security forces on Janix, the Empire, and these Jedi in hiding to achieve his goals.
The action of Maul: Shadow Lord is relentless and non-stop. For one thing, this is a cast of new characters, and we grow attached to them very quickly, so there is a sense of risk and danger that isn’t as present when we have characters we are more familiar with. Anyone could die. Indeed, the violence of Maul: Shadow Lord is much more abrupt and cruel than fans may be used to; there’s nothing inappropriate for pre-teens or teenagers, but parents of younger children may want to take heed before letting them watch.
The animation is gorgeous. Lucasfilm has come leaps and bounds from The Clone Wars, and Maul: Shadow Lord looks unlike any of the previous entries. It has real artistry, and the eye-popping visuals serve the darker mood. This is one of the very best-looking Star Wars shows, without a doubt.
The pacing is such that when the show takes a breather, you are still compelled to watch because these characters are multifaceted and worth spending time with. I especially liked Moura’s Detective Lawson, who is in over his head but stubbornly refuses to quit, even when his job and his child are put at risk.
His son Rylee (Charlie Bushnell) feels alone while his father chases bad guys, and his mother is offworld working for the Empire, but he is also dragged into the fray. Richard Ayoade’s Two-Boots makes a good partner with Lawson, reminding us of many cop movies from the 1980s, and Two-Boots and Lawson have a fun banter together. But Two-Boots also believes that the situation demands the Empire be brought in, and Maul: Shadow Lord has an interesting juxtaposition with current events in that regard.
Those who don’t want politics in their science fiction/fantasy/war show probably won’t like what Maul: Shadow Lord has to say about how the rise of fascism is dependent on the complicity of those they would savagely oppress, and much like Andor, isn’t exactly shy about how it goes about it.
As for Maul himself, Sam Witwer, with his deep knowledge of Star Wars and experience with the character, takes Maul to unexpected places rich in motivation and pathos. While Maul is unrepentant, we also understand why he acts as he does, and, as antiheroes go, Maul is complex and even elicits sympathy. Maul knows he’s a discarded tool, and he wants to be more, even as he still feels wounded over Darth Sidious’s betrayal.
In Devon, Maul senses that he may have someone who understands him and can help him achieve his vengeance. Gideon Adlon is also game for the dance between her character and Maul, and while she loves and is loyal to her Jedi Master, it’s difficult for her to deny that Maul has valid points, and that Master Daki may not see the reality of the galaxy under the Empire.
I was only given access to the first 8 episodes, so I do not know how this will play out, but how Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord subtly plays up the temptations of Devon to the Dark Side is very well done and even illuminates how Anakin was himself manipulated by Palpatine.
Dave Filoni is a great storyteller. His love for Star Wars is genuine, but he also has the temperance and patience needed to see his stories through to satisfying conclusions. As Maul – Shadow Lord has just been given a second season, it’s apparent that Lucasfilm and Disney are confident in where this story will go.
However, you may feel about the last few years of the saga, Maul – Shadow Lord suggests that this ship is in good hands. As a long-time Star Wars fan, I always love it when the creative forces behind these shows and films bring diverse influences to enrich these stories in different ways.
Maul – Shadow Lord pulls from all kinds of stories – from films like Heat, Sword of Doom, even films like To Live and Die in L.A., and the Warner Brothers gangster movies from the 1930s and 1940s. It’s a deep ocean, and we all get to dive in. Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord is top-tier Star Wars.
STAR WARS: MAUL – SHADOW LORD REVIEW RATING: 9 OUT OF 10
Lucasfilm Animation’s Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord will premiere on Disney+ on April 6, 2026. Two episodes will premiere each week, with the final two airing on the ultimate Star Wars holiday, May the 4th.
