Short Film Spotlight: DARTH MAUL: APPRENTICE

Welcome back to another installment of SHORT FILM SPOTLIGHT.  This week, we take a look at the brilliant Star Wars fan-film... DARTH MAUL: APPRENTICE.

Last weekend, the people over at T7 Production released this amazing short film, and took the Internet by storm.  Entertainment sites everywhere were covering this story, and for good reason.  This is, by far, one of, if not the best Star Wars fan-film I have ever seen.

Darth Maul: Apprentice takes place before the events of The Phantom Menace, showing Darth Maul training to be the Sith Lord fans have grown to love.  A group of Jedi arrive unexpectedly, and in order to keep his master's plan a secret, Maul must seek them out and destroy them.

This is only the second short film for director Shawn Bu, who also makes his writing debut, and boy, what an amazing job he's done.  Everything about this film is fantastic, right from the beginning.  The visual effects and cinematography were stunning.  I was taken aback by how well they were done, from the makeup and costuming, to the SFX and scenery.  Almost nothing looked fake.  I particularly liked the way they visually showed the force being used.

The best parts of the film, however, were the intricate, expertly choreographed fight scenes.  These were so much better than the Darth Maul fight scenes from The Phantom Menace, which felt more like a well choreographed dance.  These scenes were raw and visceral.  There was emotion behind the fighting, and it kept you on the edge of your seat. These are the kinds of fight scenes I want to see in future Star Wars films.

This film felt as much a part of the Star Wars universe as any of the actual films have, maybe even more so, in some cases.  Everything, from the visuals, to the fighting, even down to the score, seemed to fit together perfectly.  I truly look forward to what this team brings us next, and personally I hope it's more from the Star Wars universe.  Perhaps a Darth Revan or Darth Nihilis film?  A man can dream, can't he?

Let me know your thoughts on the film, and what you'd like to see next.

If you have a short film or know of one you'd like to see featured on SHORT FILM SPOTLIGHT, please EMAIL me and don't forget to like and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!!