Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord Review

Apr 6

Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord is a strong new chapter for Star Wars animation.

*Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord*. Courtesy of Lucasfilm / Disney+

Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord is the latest animated series from Dave Filoni and Lucasfilm on Disney+. It’s a ten-episode serialized story, with two episodes premiering each week. I haven’t seen the full body of Star Wars animation—only Rebels, Resistance, and a handful of episodes from other series—but so far, Maul is my favorite of the bunch, thanks to its mix of genres, strong writing, and excellent performances.

Maul takes place soon after The Clone Wars, finding former Sith lord Maul (Sam Witwer) on the planet Janix plotting to rebuild his criminal empire and take revenge on the former allies who betrayed him. The series folds in elements of a police procedural, with detective Brander Lawson (Wagner Moura) and his droid partner Two-Boots (Richard Ayoade) trying to capture Maul before the Empire intervenes. At the same time, Twi’lek Jedi Devon Izara (Gideon Adlon) and her master Eeko-Dio-Daki (Dennis Haysbert) are pulled into the conflict when Izara crosses paths with Maul and draws his attention as a potential apprentice.

The pacing gives the characters room to breathe and lets us really spend time with them. Izara wrestles with whether to follow her master’s Jedi path or align with Maul against the Empire. Maul is haunted by the trauma of his past. Lawson risks everything, breaking protocol to do the right thing while raising his teenage son. That thread deepens with the reveal that Lawson’s estranged wife now works for the Empire on Coruscant. He’s shaken enough by what that represents to fracture their marriage, yet he still shields his son from the Empire’s true nature. Strong performances across the board keep the drama grounded, giving these characters weight beyond simply moving the plot forward.

The animation is top-notch. Lucasfilm continues to evolve its painterly style, with rough, textured environments and expressive lighting. It even uses visible brushwork to render depth-of-field blur, a small detail that adds a surprising amount of character to the image. It’s consistently impressive to watch.

I’ve seen the first eight episodes and am eager to finish the final two on Star Wars Day, May 4. There isn’t quite the same depth as Andor, still the best thing the franchise has produced in decades, but it’s far more mature than the action-figure playset feel of The Mandalorian. There’s plenty to love, and it certainly shows that Filoni is doing right by Star Wars.

Available on: Disney+ (streaming)
Release date:  April 6, 2026. Two new episodes each week.

Final Verdict:

Recommended