WHEN SITH'S COLLIDE! THE 'SHADOW LORD' MEETS HIS MATCH!

He's back, and badder than ever in Maul - Shadow Lord's gripping opening season finale.

It was the showdown worldwide Star Wars fans always wanted to see made a reality away from prior comic interpretations, as a non-speaking Darth Vader, a Sith Lord with slaying on his mind, menacingly took on the renegade Darth Maul, now out to build a new criminal enterprise for himself across the galaxy, and his reluctant fugitive comrades (including two runaway Jedi), all of them trapped within the jungle outskirts of the planet Janix, a world to which there now looked like no escape from. The confrontation/unleashing of Vader, returned to welcome animation form, was a big surprise and it proved a stunning action sequence to watch, certainly earning its place in the Saga's pantheon of classic scenes. It was a fine and exciting finale to Maul - Shadow Lord (one clearly acting as a tribute to a similar, if smaller in number, duel partaken by Vader against Luke and Leia on Mimban during the climax to 1978's Splinter of the Mind's Eye novel - the first Expanded Universe tale), whose opening season I thought started off quite dull, littered with mostly uninteresting supporting characters (who could have been in any bland police procedural drama ) and a thin overall story arc. Thankfully, as ever, Vader knows how to save the day and the streaming ratings! 

I'm sure the majority of fans will completely disagree with my assessment of the show as it so far stands. Nonetheless, as we all await the eventual second season, I hope it will ultimately prove more inventive in further showcasing one of the Prequel saga's greatest villains beyond the small-time criminality prior watched, and more of his fight against his once Sith Master whilst his own so far struggling empire builds further. Will there possibly be a Vader re-match? 

Scene Breakdown: Darth Vader Duels Maul | StarWars.com

One against many, but Vader will always get the upper hand!

Duelling in the forest of doom.

'

To slay a Jedi!

The clash continues!

The grip of evil!

Great character poster art promotion for the season finale.

THE 'AFICIONADO' REVIEW: 'THE MANDALORIAN & GROGU' - NOW IN CINEMAS!

Together again for the big screen, in friendship and danger!

Today at 12.15p.m. I settled down in a lovely comfy seat at the Odeon Leicester Square and saw The Mandalorian & Grogu, the first Star Wars film of the Disney era since 2019, in a gorgeous Dolby Atmos sound and picture presentation (my preferred choice in seeing blockbuster films these days). I enjoyed a lot of the film, seeing it as a fun adventure within the confines of the George Lucas created vision of the saga, for families to especially enjoy (notably kids between the ages of 6 and 9). It was by no means one of the great Star Wars cinematic adventures, however, due to a thin story (which may, or may not, have been culled together from the scrapped fourth season of The Mandalorian TV series) full of unmined potential over 2 hours and 12 minutes (of which an appearance from the much-missed Gina Carano could have been a major boost), and despite the many lively action set pieces (notably the pre-title sequence, featuring twenty minutes of James Bond-esque knockdowns by our duo against an escaping Imperial remnant) and a cast of creatures that would keep fans of Return of the Jedi's and the Prequel era's weird and wonderful grotesques dizzyingly happy.

And The Mandalorian and Grogu has been made by top-tier talent, many of them returning veterans after seven years away from the big screen (including the likes of John Knoll and Phil Tippett), of which there's some fine motion control model work and lovely production design, though I felt that the CGI was of varying quality (notably with the Hutt villains and Rotta the cage fighter, the latter all grown up and rather a nice chap caught in a bad scenario). Adding a further plus, Oscar-winning composer Ludwig Goransson brings another innovative score. In front of the camera, selivering the drama and humour, the guest cast of the film are fine if a little under-used (special mention to Sigourney Weaver, who looks great piloting a New Republic fighter), and there are some fun cameos here and there (Martin Scorsese finally joins the Star Wars universe - now its Coppola's turn!) in a fun alien cameo that's perfect for the edgy, diminutive director! The primary focus of the film, however, is the delightful relationship between the Mandalorian (played once again by Pedro Pascal, as well as other stunt men who are deservedly credited) and cute Grogu (still expertly puppeteered). But this emotional quality between them that would make the early seasons of The Mandalorian such a success sadly remains the same from what's been previously established - there's no further growth between them when this film really needs more impact in their unique character arc. Perhaps their ongoing potential is being saved for future tales in film and/or TV. but the idea of a Mandalorian & Grogu film bringing its unique universe of characters together (like Avengers Assemble) now seems unlikely - a shame, really, as this was what we should have had in the first place, cinematically!

All-in-all, there's some great visual flourishes from Favreau, lovely cinematography, and some fun Easter Eggs (enjoy the Dejarik fight made real!), but the film ultimately can't shake away its TV roots, try as it might (there's at least three episodes pulled together). But don't let that TV translation problem  put you off from seeing it. Favreau and Dave Filoni are not hacks (as they've often unfairly been called by some critics during the run-up to this film's release) - they love the Star Wars legacy that they grew up with, and they are clearly having a great time bringing this film to audiences. There's a lot in this film that works well, despite not earning classic status... 

AFICIONADO RATING: It's not perfect, it has a bit of an eclectic mixing of elements at times, but if you get a chance to see the film on a big screen, take it. It's overall worth the trip, and better than the majority of episodes within the prior TV series' under-whelming third season. 3 out of 5

Art by Paul Shipper, but where were the TIE fighters in the film?

OUT THIS MONTH - 'THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU'

Latest official movie poster.

We're only a few weeks away until the latest Star Wars Disney movie arrives in cinemas, of which its stars have been eagerly travelling the world so as to promote it. 

Here's some of the latest images and footage...

Can our TV heroes lure viewers back to the cinema?

On the wild streets, and back in danger!

Jon Favreau talks Mandalorian!

Taking on the AT-AT convoy!

Sigourney Weaver jumps franchises!

Grogu meets the Anzellans.

A fractured Empire wants revenge!

Expanded art by Matt Ferguson.

'THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU' - THE FINAL IMAX TRAILER DEBUTS...

More Sigourney Weaver, more Zeb, more villains, more X-wings, more Walkers! The final IMAX trailer for the TV series to film transfer, The Mandalorian and Grogu, is here, as the Jon Favreau directed adventure approaches its May 2026 release date at cruising speed. Fingers crossed that it all works for cinema audiences!

Art by Matt Ferguson.

'THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU' - MARCH 2026 UPDATE

Only two more months to go until fans and box office receipts decide whether the unique pairing of the small screen's famous Disney+ era Star Wars heroes' transition to the big screen ultimately works...

Additional new snippets of footage in the IMAX trailers...

New merchandising stills from the movie.

Rotta the Hutt, now a gladiator!

The recent EMPIRE film magazine cover and inside shoot, exclusively taken by Robert Ascroft.

Empire’s The Mandalorian And Grogu Covers Revealed

The Mandalorian And Grogu Marks ‘A Completely Different Era Of Star Wars’

COMING SOON: 'MAUL' GETS NASTY!

The fans' second favourite George Lucas created iconic villain, Darth Maul, returns to his animated series home this April 6th, 2026, exclusively on Disney+. And here's the latest trailer to enjoy from Filoni and company's fine team...

'THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU' - TRAILER 2 HAS ARRIVED!

Just what we needed to see after the prior and controversial Superbowl advert, this new trailer for the galaxy's most unusual pairing will hopefully catch the worldwide Star Wars fan families' support this coming May 21st, 2026...

'THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU': ON THE TAUNTAUN EXPRESS!

The latest ultra-cute younger audience friendly promotional spot for the upcoming film (coming May 22nd, 2026), as seen amongst the plethora of all-new film/TV trailers aired during this year's Superbowl experience.

THE MAUL LEGACY!

That infamous former Sith bad boy is back in his own eagerly-anticipated animated series, forging his criminal empire across the galaxy and taking on a new Force apprentice (clearly, Dave Filoni is going back to the original concept Lucas had for the Disney sequels, of which Maul was to have been the central villain). Enjoy the new trailer!

COMING SOON: 'STAR WARS: MAUL - SHADOW LORD'

The Clone Wars Animated Series may be gone but its legacy lives on within numerous recent Dave Filoni overseen iterations. And now comes the eagerly anticipated Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord in 2026, as our favourite lethal and vindictive former Sith assassin turned ambitious crime lord, Darth Maul, finally gets his own well deserved showcase, voiced once more by Sam Witwer. The series is expected to lead-in to the history/events of Solo: A Star Wars Story and the villain's eventual demise in Rebels, as well as touching on themes created by the much-missed George Lucas for his sadly never made Episodes VII - IX, which featured the return of the Sith in a big way! 

'THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU' - THE FIRST TRAILER DEBUTS!

The official teaser poster art composition by Daniel Landerman.

It's been a while now, but that dedicated Mandalorian Din Djarin and his beloved intergalactic foster child in Grogu are back for more diverse adventures, alien encounters, and battles against various Imperial Remnants within realms post Return of the Jedi. The first new Star Wars movie since 2020, this early trailer for The Mandalorian and Grogu certainly looks like a fan pleaser after the underwhelmingly received third season of The Mandalorian, but fingers crossed that it will also attract the all-important general audiences worldwide at the same time...

Mandalorian & Grogu Trailer: Pedro Pascal, Sigourney Weaver Star Wars Film