The Legend of Vox Machina

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For the Vox Machina campaign of Critical Role, see Critical Role (campaign one).
The Legend of Vox Machina
The Legend of Vox Machina title card 2021.jpg
Screenshot of title card
GenreFantasy
Action
Adventure
Created byMatthew Mercer
Based onCritical Role (campaign one)
Voices of
ComposerNeal Acree
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes12
Production
Executive producers
  • Chris Prynoski
  • Sam Riegel
  • Travis Willingham
  • Brandon Auman
  • Laura Bailey
  • Taliesin Jaffe
  • Ashley Johnson
  • Matthew Mercer
  • Liam O'Brien
  • Marisha Ray
  • Brandon William Thomas
Running time24–28 minutes
Production companiesCritical Role Productions
Titmouse, Inc.
Amazon Studios
Production Reve
DistributorAmazon Studios
Release
Original networkAmazon Prime Video
Original releaseJanuary 25, 2022 (2022-01-25) –
present

The Legend of Vox Machina is an American adult animated fantasy streaming television series produced by Critical Role Productions, Titmouse, Inc., and Amazon Studios, which premiered on Amazon Prime Video on January 28, 2022. It is based on campaign one of the Dungeons & Dragons web series Critical Role. The series stars Laura Bailey, Taliesin Jaffe, Ashley Johnson, Matthew Mercer, Liam O'Brien, Marisha Ray, Sam Riegel, and Travis Willingham reprising their roles from Critical Role's first campaign.

The first season consists of twelve episodes.[1][2][3] Ten of the first season's episodes were funded via a Kickstarter campaign. In November 2019, the series was renewed by Amazon for a second season, ahead of the series premiere.[4]

Premise[]

Setting[]

The series is set in Exandria,[5][6] a fictional world created by Matthew Mercer in 2012 for his personal Dungeons & Dragons campaign which then launched as the actual play web series Critical Role in 2015.[6][7][8] Most of the story takes place on the continent of Tal'Dorei in locations such as the metropolis of Emon and the city-state of Whitestone.[5][6][9]

Synopsis[]

The first two episodes of the series[10] depict "an all-new story about the seven-member Vox Machina team at D&D Level 7 on their first 'grown-up' mission, which occurs prior to Critical Role’s first RPG show".[4] The series then adapts the Briarwood arc from the original web series,[6] "in which the Vox Machina crew avenge the murder of the rulers of the town of Whitestone and most of their offspring by the evil Lord and Lady Briarwood".[4] The series will also adapt "other classic Vox Machina story arcs"[11] such as the Chroma Conclave arc.[12]

Cast[]

Main[]

  • Laura Bailey as Vex'ahlia "Vex" Vessar: a member of Vox Machina, and the twin sister of Vax'ildan. She is a half-elf ranger[13] who has studied dragons in the hope of eventually finding the one that killed her mother. Vex feels a pain in her head whenever a dragon is close by.
  • Taliesin Jaffe as Percival "Percy" Fredrickstein Von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III: a member of Vox Machina and a human gunslinger.[13] Percy's family were once the rulers of Whitestone – a city within Tal'Dorei. He barely escaped alive from a coup d'état lead by the Briarwoods, and now seeks vengeance for the murder of his family. Jaffe also voices Percy's father, Lord de Rolo.
  • Ashley Johnson as Pike Trickfoot: a member of Vox Machina. Pike is a gnome, and a cleric[13] of the goddess Everlight.
  • Matthew Mercer as Lord Sylas Briarwood: the self-proclaimed caretaker of Whitestone, Percy's home city. It was he, along with his wife Delilah, who overthrew and killed the de Rolo family several years prior. Mercer also voices Vex's bear companion Trinket, the shadow demon Orthax, and other background characters throughout the series.[14] A character based on Mercer's likeness appears in every episode of the show as an Easter egg.[15]
  • Liam O'Brien as Vax'ildan "Vax" Vessar: a member of Vox Machina, and the twin brother of Vex'ahlia. Vax is a half-elf rogue.[13] The mother of Vex and Vax was killed by a dragon before the events of the series.
  • Marisha Ray as Keyleth of the Air Ashari: a member of Vox Machina. She is a half-elf druid[13] who is currently undergoing her Aramenté – a quest which acts as the Ashari trial of leadership.[16]
  • Sam Riegel as Scanlan Shorthalt: a member of Vox Machina. Scanlan is a gnome bard.[13]
  • Travis Willingham as Grog Strongjaw: a member of Vox Machina. He is a goliath barbarian.[13]

Guest[]

  • Stephanie Beatriz as Lady Kima of Vord:[17][18] a member of the Tal'Dorei Council.
  • Khary Payton as Sovereign Uriel Tal'Dorei:[17][18] the ruler of the kingdom of Tal'Dorei.
  • David Tennant as General Krieg:[17][18] a member of the Tal'Dorei Council who leads the military, and is secretly the evil blue dragon Brimscythe.
  • Indira Varma as Lady Allura Vysoren:[17][18] a member of the Tal'Dorei Council.
  • Grey Griffin as Delilah Briarwood:[17][18] the ruler of Whitestone alongside her husband Sylas, who seized power after they violently overthrew the de Rolo family. She has necromantic abilities granted to her by her patron, "The Whispered One."
  • Sunil Malhotra as Shaun Gilmore:[17][18] the owner of the magical shop Gilmore's Glorious Goods who is friends with Vox Machina, specifically Vax.
  • Eugene Byrd as Jarrett Howarth:[17][19] captain of the Arms of Emon.
  • Darin De Paul as Kerrion Stonefell:[17][18] the Briarwoods' captain of the guard in Whitestone.
  • Rory McCann as Duke Vedmire:[17][18] the Briarwoods' Goliath enforcer.
  • Stephen Root as Professor Anders:[17][18] Percy's former tutor who is in league with the Briarwoods.
  • Dominic Monaghan as Archibald Desnay:[17][18] a Whitestone rebel leader and Percy's childhood friend.
  • Gina Torres as Keeper Yennen:[18][19] a religious leader in Whitestone who secretly supports the rebellion.
  • Esmé Creed-Miles as Cassandra de Rolo:[18][19] Percy's sister who is under the care of the Briarwoods.
  • Tracie Thoms as the Everlight:[18] the goddess of healing and Pike's patron deity[20]
  • Kelly Hu as Dr. Anna Ripley:[17][18] one of Percy's family's murderers who turns against the Briarwoods.

Episodes[]

No.Title [21]Directed byWritten byOriginal air date [22]
1"The Terror of Tal'Dorei – Part 1"Young HellerBrandon AumanJanuary 28, 2022 (2022-01-28)
The failure of multiple mercenary groups to defeat an unidentified beast burning the farmlands leads the Tal'Dorei Council to publicly advertise a substantial reward for the death of the beast. This draws the attention of Vox Machina after a barfight emphasizing their lack of funds. Following a musical introduction by Scanlan, only General Krieg argues in favor of giving Vox Machina a chance. Sovereign Uriel entrusts the task to them because he is impressed with Vex's bear, Trinket. The group is taken to the Shalesteps where the creature was seen last. Following a lead from a village child, Vox Machina then encounters the creature – the blue dragon Brimscythe. A battle ensues; Brimscythe leaves after nearly killing the adventurers which leaves them reluctant to continue with their quest. Vex reveals that a dragon killed the twins' mother when they were young; she also informs the group that she sensed something draconic when they met with the Council. On their way back, they once again pass through the Shalesteps only to find the village destroyed and its inhabitants killed. Feeling guilty over the deaths of the villagers, Vox Machina resolves to kill Brimscythe or die trying.
2"The Terror of Tal'Dorei – Part 2"Alicia ChanBrandon AumanJanuary 28, 2022 (2022-01-28)
A battalion of Emon soldiers are swiftly wiped out by Brimscythe; General Krieg is among the few survivors. When updating the Council, Vex surmises that Sir Fince may be in league with the dragon based on her dragon sense. At Gilmore's Glorious Goods, Vax and Pike ask Shaun Gilmore if he knows anything about dragons. While flirting with Vax, Gilmore reveals a bit of cryptic poetry on blue dragons from a book. Scanlan and Grog stealthily follow Fince to Krieg's mansion. Vox Machina breaks into the mansion and confronts Fince before he is killed by Krieg. They follow Krieg through a portal into a cavern, where Krieg reveals that he is Brimscythe as he shifts forms. During the battle, Vax realizes that the poetry indicates the dragon's weakness is its neck — the group comes together to allow Grog to land the killing blow. The council rewards Vox Machina with honorary titles and the keys to their own keep in Emon, along with an invitation to an upcoming banquet of important people from across Tal'Dorei. Meanwhile, Lord Sylas and Lady Delilah Briarwood are ambushed by bandits while traveling to Emon. Sylas brutally slaughters the attackers before the couple casually continues their journey.
3"The Feast of Realms"Stanley Von MedveyEugene SonJanuary 28, 2022 (2022-01-28)
Settled into their new keep, Vox Machina is informed that the banquet is to be held the following evening. At the banquet, Percy is shocked at the arrival of the Briarwoods; Percy informs the group that they are the ones who violently deposed his family to take control of Whitestone. Vax volunteers to infiltrate the Briarwoods' suite. During the meal, Sylas magically charms Uriel into ignoring any suspicious activity coming from Whitestone, while Delilah claims that they took control after the de Rolos abdicated in shame. Percy publicly accuses Delilah of lying before the Briarwoods retire. In the suite, Vax discovers a hidden book that mentions the Whispered One. When the Briarwoods catch Vax, Sylas displays vampiric qualities before Vax escapes. The Briarwoods' pursuit of Vax draws the rest of Vox Machina into a battle with the couple in the courtyard, while Scanlan distracts the banquet guests with a musical performance. Although the Briarwoods outmatch Vox Machina, the couple focuses on escape, leaving their coachman Desmond behind. Percy, enraged and overtaken by a shadowy force, shoots Desmond and attempts to question him about the Briarwoods, but is interrupted by Sovereign Uriel, who orders the arrest of Vox Machina.
4"Shadows at the Gates"Young HellerAshly BurchFebruary 4, 2022 (2022-02-04)
Sovereign Uriel orders Vox Machina to be arrested for disrupting the banquet and for assaulting the Briarwoods' coachman. Lady Allura manages to temper Uriel enough that Vox Machina is placed under house arrest at their keep, rather than jailed immediately. Throughout the same night; undead beings risen and controlled by the Briarwoods attack the keep with the intent of retrieving Delilah's book and eliminating Vox Machina. With Pike's connection to the Everlight broken, her magic is unavailable to help in the onslaught. After fending off the incursion; Jarrett, the sole survivor of the city guard detail tasked with detaining Vox Machina, allows the group to escape after they promise to avenge his men and free Sovereign Uriel from the magical charm of the Briarwoods. Pike chooses to stay behind, feeling it necessary to visit a temple as part of the process of rebuilding her connection with the Everlight.
5"Fate's Journey"Alicia ChanJennifer MuroFebruary 4, 2022 (2022-02-04)
After getting supplies from Gilmore, Vox Machina sets out to Whitestone. Along the way, Vex attempts to help Percy express his emotions while Grog is depressed by Pike's departure. The group is then attacked by undead monsters sent by Delilah to retrieve her book. Scanlan, holding the book, is taken by the creatures but the group manages to save him at the cost of losing the book as well as their supplies and transport. While resting for the night, the group tells stories and jokes while Vax and Keyleth slowly bond, despite Vex telling her brother not to do so. Percy does not participate in the revelry and later lies awake spinning the barrel of his gun; five of its six chambers are engraved with the names of people involved with overthrowing his family. Meanwhile, Pike stays at a church in hopes of connecting with the Everlight. The group arrives at Whitestone which is now a desolate slum with many of its citizens hiding indoors. They come across the Sun Tree at the center of the city and are horrified to find villagers, including children, hanged from the tree dressed like Vox Machina.
6"Spark of Rebellion"Stanley Von MedveyMae CattFebruary 4, 2022 (2022-02-04)
Several members of a rebellion against the Briarwoods, led by Percy's old friend Archibald Desnay, are captured by Captain Stonefell. After a failed interrogation led by himself and Duke Vedmire, Stonefell orders Archibald to be executed the following day. Vox Machina agrees to help rescue them after learning this from Keeper Yennen, a religious leader who supports the rebellion. After breaking into the prison the group manages to free the rebels and Archibald, only to be caught and surrounded by Stonefell and the guards. The rebels and Vox Machina fight the guards and slowly retreat, while Percy stays behind to confront and execute Stonefell, whose name is magically erased from Percy's gun upon his death. While escaping and burning down the prison, Archibald informs Percy that his sister Cassandra is alive and under the Briarwoods' care.
7"Scanbo"Young HellerSam Riegel and Travis WillinghamFebruary 11, 2022 (2022-02-11)
A flashback shows Professor Anders tutoring Percy and Cassandra on the powers of residuum – a mineral which can enhance arcane powers and is refined from whitestone rocks. The children witness an argument between Anders and their parents as they deny his request for a residuum refinery. Having rescued Archibald in the present, Vox Machina return to a resistance basement hideout. Vax, Vex and Scanlan confront Percy about pointing his pistol at allies during the prison break. Percy explains how the plans for his pepperbox pistol came to him in a revenge-fueled dream. The tension is diverted to Keyleth when she accidentally starts a fire whilst trying to heal the Sun Tree – the roots of which partly come through the wall of the building. The next morning Vox Machina and Archibald plan a rescue of Cassandra. Scanlan proposes he provides a distraction in a solo mission to burn down Duke Vedmire's house. The other members of Vox Machina doubt his ability, yet reluctantly agree to his offer. With Scanlan's distraction successful; Vox Machina move on Professor Anders' house – only to find they have walked into a trap. Anders cuts Cassandra's throat in front of Percy.
8"A Silver Tongue"Alicia ChanMarc BernardinFebruary 11, 2022 (2022-02-11)
Professor Anders attacks the group and then attempts to escape after slitting Cassandra's throat; Keyleth saves her with druidic healing. Vox Machina's pursuit leads to a fight where Anders uses magic to take control of Grog, Vex, Keyleth and Vax to force them to try and kill Percy. Percy’s eyes flicker black as he figures out how to ricochet a bullet through Anders' mouth disrupting the magic. Percy then puts on his plague mask and becomes wreathed in black smoke as he uses the Pepperbox to kill Anders, horrifying his friends and Cassandra; Anders' name dissipates from Percy's gun barrel. Vox Machina finds evidence for an upcoming ritual on the solstice but do not know what it could be. Keyleth creates the crest of De Rolo in the sky, and in response, Delilah Brairwood casts a spell to summon zombies to attack. Elsewhere, Pike tries to reconnect with the Everlight and attempts to find balance between her faith and her friendships. Scanlan encounters the zombies and rejoins his friends.
9"The Tide of Bone"Stanley Von MedveyKevin Burke and Chris "Doc" WyattFebruary 11, 2022 (2022-02-11)
In a flashback, Delilah makes a deal with the Whispered One to keep a dying Sylas by her side; he is restored as a vampire. Back in the present, the safe house that Vox Machina and the surviving resistance members are hiding in is attacked by the undead. Pushed on to the streets, Archie is killed by Vedmire during the onslaught. Percy is convinced by Cassandra to take up the mantle of leadership, and he rallies the people of Whitestone to join the fight. Vax confesses his love to Keyleth while Vox Machina and the resistance prepare to make a last stand at the Sun Tree, only for an astral projected Pike to appear and bless everyone's weapons with the power of the Everlight, allowing them to defeat the horde of undead. Vedmire is killed by the townspeople, and Vox Machina proceed to the Briarwoods' castle, entering through a secret tunnel to the dungeons. There they find Dr. Anna Ripley imprisoned, who offers to give them information on the Briarwoods in exchange for her release, but Percy holds her at gunpoint with black smoke emerging around him.
10"Depths of Deceit"Young HellerJennifer MuroFebruary 18, 2022 (2022-02-18)
A flashback reveals Ripley's role in the murder of the de Rolo family and Percy's subsequent torture under her hands. In the present, Percy holds Ripley at gunpoint, but Keyleth stops him. Pike examines Percy with divine magic and sees a demonic force clouding his soul. After a tense negotiation, Vox Machina agrees to have Ripley lead them to the ziggurat. The party eventually makes its way to the residuum refining room. Percy notices Cassandra's name appearing on the barrel of his gun as Cassandra hits a button to trap Vox Machina and Ripley in the room; only Vax is able to slip under the descending transparent walls. However, Sylas is once again able to charm him. When Percy demands answers from Cassandra, her eyes reveal she is also charmed as she states she is part of the Briarwood family. As the Briarwoods walk away with Cassandra and Vax, the room rapidly fills with acid. Scanlan uses magic to hold the party above the acid and Vex slaps Percy to get him to focus; together, the group determines how to switch off the acid. Vox Machina then races towards the ziggurat. Meanwhile, Delilah notes to Sylas that they have two potential sacrifices as the four ascend the steps of the ziggurat.
11"Whispers at the Ziggurat"Alicia ChanEugene Son and Travis WillinghamFebruary 18, 2022 (2022-02-18)
Vox Machina and Ripley continue to chase after Cassandra, Vax, and the Briarwoods. Meanwhile Delilah and Sylas are preparing for the ritual dedicated to the Whispered One. Once Vox Machina reaches the ziggurat, Ripley flees, taunting Percy that he is unable to shoot her without alerting the Briarwoods to the group's presence. A battle between the two groups ensues, in which Vex and Percy try to subdue their enthralled siblings while Keyleth, Pike, and Grog fight Sylas, with Keyleth eventually killing him by channeling the power of the Sun Tree. A devastated Delilah flees into the ziggurat and tries to complete the ritual early, mortally wounding Keyleth when Vox Machina enters to stop her. The ritual seemingly fails because it was performed before the solstice, summoning only a spinning black orb in place of the Whispered One. Distracted by this, Delilah is shot twice in the back by Percy. Pike tries to heal Keyleth but her astral projection is interrupted.
12"The Darkness Within"Stanley Von MedveyBrandon Auman and Sam RiegelFebruary 18, 2022 (2022-02-18)
The twins attempt to save Keyleth, but a healing elixir has no effect. Scanlan deduces that the spinning black orb is blocking all nearby magic, including Pike's astral projection. The party leave the ziggurat, dragging Delilah behind them. Grog retrieves Sylas's sword, which seems to whisper to him. Back in the refining room, Vax and Scanlan heal Keyleth the same way she healed Cassandra. Percy is fully taken over by the smoke demon Orthax, who reveals that he gave Percy the idea for the pepperbox, and that he was feasting on the souls of those Percy killed with it. Percy is nearly tricked into killing his friends but eventually wins out, shooting through his own hand and seemingly dispelling Orthax. Delilah attempts to escape, but Cassandra kills her. Thinking the demon is gone, Percy goes to recover the pepperbox, but Scanlan stops him and throws it into a pool of acid. An effigy of Orthax rises momentarily from the gun as it melts. Percy leaves Cassandra in charge of Whitestone, and Vox Machina depart for Emon. Reunited with Pike, they are summoned by Sovereign Uriel to an abdication speech in which he cedes the government to the Tal'Dorei Council. Suddenly, four dragons are spotted flying towards the city.

Development[]

Kickstarter[]

On March 4, 2019, the Critical Role cast launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for a 22-minute animation called Critical Role: The Legend of Vox Machina Animated Special.[23] The animated story was to be set just before the streaming portion of the campaign started—when the players were around level seven—during a time when, canonically, there is an in-game period of roughly six months when the members of Vox Machina were not all together at the same time. The cast projected a cost of US$750,000 for a single 22-minute animated short, fulfilling the other campaign rewards, and the fees associated with a crowdfunding campaign. Not knowing how long this would take to raise, the campaign length was set at 45 days.[24][25]

Within an hour of launch, the Kickstarter had reached more than $1,000,000.[24] At the end of the first full day, all of the announced stretch goals had been unlocked, and the total had reached more than $4.3 million.[24][26] With four 22-minute episodes funded in the first 24 hours,[24] additional stretch goals were added, expanding the project into an animated series. The first two episodes would cover the pre-stream story arc. The subsequent episodes would adapt the Briarwoods' arc, also from the Vox Machina campaign. By March 18, 2019, eight 22-minute episodes had been funded.[27][28][29] Finally, on April 4, 2019, the last published stretch goal of $8.8 million was reached during the airing of episode 57 of campaign two, pushing the total length of the animated series to ten episodes. A "secret" $10M stretch goal of Willingham being filmed going around a haunted house was reached April 16.[30][31] The final total raised by the Kickstarter when it closed on April 19, 2019, was $11,385,449 with 88,887 backers.[32][33][34] When the campaign closed, it was one of the most quickly funded in Kickstarter history, and was the most funded Kickstarter for TV and film projects.[35][36]

Production[]

The Critical Role cast reprise their respective Vox Machina roles, with the exception of Orion Acaba.[37][38] The animated series was written by Jennifer Muro and others[24][39] with Brandon Auman as the showrunner;[40] the series was animated by Titmouse, Inc with character design by Phil Bourassa[41][10] and other animation renderings by South Korea's Production Reve.[42][43] Willingham told Inverse that "it took outsider perspectives to make the stories they told in tabletop comprehensible for newcomers and fresh for existing fans"; Willingham said that "the Briarwood Arc was around 35 hours. We had to squish that down into about six".[40] The music for the series was primarily composed by Neal Acree, with Sam Riegel and Mr. Fantastic contributing to Scanlan's songs.[44]

In November 2019, Amazon Studios announced that they had acquired the streaming rights to The Legend of Vox Machina, and had commissioned 14 additional episodes (two additional episodes for season 1 and a second season of 12 episodes).[4][33] The cast went with Amazon as it "gave them the most freedom" in developing the show such as keeping it as an adult animation project.[45] Ray, in an interview with Polygon, said "we lucked out with Amazon. There were other potential distributors that we were talking about that were more interested in making it maybe a children’s show, or wanting to go a different direction, or [make it into a] more serious political fantasy, a la Game of Thrones".[45] The project was originally slated for release in late 2020; however, in June 2020, it was announced that the debut would be missed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[46][47][48] The release was delayed to 2022.[3]

Broadcast[]

An update posted to the Kickstarter campaign in 2019 assured backers they would have free access to the first season.[11][49][4] In January 2022, Critical Role announced that Kickstarter backers would have free early access to the first two episodes from January 25 to January 27. To access the first season, Kickstarter backers would need either an Amazon Prime subscription or would need to register for a free trial of Amazon Prime.[50][51][52]

The first season premiered on January 28, 2022 on Amazon Prime Video;[3] the soundtrack for the first season premiered the same day digitally.[53]

Reception[]

Pre-release[]

Multiple outlets,[36][7] such as Variety,[35] the Los Angeles Times,[49] and CNBC, reported that the Kickstarter became the largest one for Film & Video, surpassing the previous record holder Mystery Science Theater 3000, with total funding of more than $11.3 million from more than 88,000 backers.[32] Variety highlighted that "Critical Role started working on the project in the spring of 2018. [...] After getting snubbed by Hollywood, CR decided to take a crack at bringing the project to life on Kickstarter. [...] Critical Role knew they had a big and engaged fanbase but the team didn’t expect the flood of pledges that has poured in. On Twitch, between 30,000-40,000 people typically watch live with another 150,000 views on-demand, according to Willingham. The episodes on YouTube typically hit around 250,000 views in the first 24 hours. All told, each episode garners around 1 million views".[54] The Los Angeles Times highlighted that the Kickstarter bested "bigger-name properties like 'Mystery Science Theater 3000,' revived by Netflix in 2017, and 'Veronica Mars,' which became a feature film [...]. Critical Role has evolved into a mini media empire, attracting more than half a million viewers every week to YouTube, Twitch and their own site, Critrole.com. The friends have transformed their homegrown characters into a top 10 comic book on Comixology; sell out their live shows; and draw lines around the block at comic book stores and convention signings. The Amazon deal follows a partnership with the animation studio Titmouse".[49]

Cori McCreery, for WWAC, highlighted that Orion Acaba and his character would not appear in the animated series. She wrote, "Part of the beauty of adaptations is that you can change things that no longer fit the story you want to tell. The Critical Role team had a falling out with the actor who played Tiberius, and the character wound up leaving the game pretty early on into the stream, and leaving a bit of a conundrum for adaptations like this and the upcoming cartoon. [...] So while I don’t know if they’re writing the character out in the comics earlier than he left the game, I do know that they do not plan to use him in the animated series, despite his being present for some of the adventures there. I’d be perfectly fine if this adaptation took a page from the medium it’s part of and provides everyone with a retcon of the group’s past".[37]

Critical response[]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic81/100[55]
Rotten Tomatoes100%[21]
Review scores
SourceRating
The A.V. ClubB+[56]
IGN9/10[57]
Starburst[58]
TechRadar[59]

The first six out of twelve episodes of the first season were given to critics to review ahead of the series premiere. The first season of The Legend of Vox Machina received a generally positive response from critics.[56][60][61][62][63][64] On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 30 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.60/10. The website's consensus reads, "Fluidly animated and intelligently scripted, The Legend of Vox Machina is an addictive treat for fans of Dungeons & Dragons-style RPGs".[21] Multiple reviews highlighted the challenges in adapting the lengthy source material and that the show has some pacing issues, however, once it reaches the Briarwood arc the show takes off.[60][56][62][65]

In comparing the first season to the original D&D campaign, Glen Weldon of NPR stated that "The Legend of Vox Machina is what's left over, after all of that chaos energy has been distilled into pure story. Distilled, and greatly condensed: Storylines that stretched over hours and hours on the web series play out, here, over the course of one or two half-hour episodes. [...] The animated series can't be everything the web series is, but then, it's aiming for a wider audience. And at that respect at least, its certainly got everything it needs to hit its target".[60] Kevin Johnson, for The A.V. Club, stated that "the action is well-animated, and while this is indeed an adult show—with plenty of curse words, sexual innuendo, and brutal violence—nothing feels overwhelmingly crass or unnecessarily gratuitous. When things do escalate, it matters. In particular, the fourth episode is a sharp showcase of nuanced character beats, nerve-racking tension, and horrifyingly, putrid visuals. It’s good stuff, and perhaps most importantly, Vox Machina knows to let its moments–dramatic, comedic, or action-oriented–breathe for themselves".[56] Kenneth Lowe, for Paste, highlighted how the show is not a 1980s kids show à la the 1983 Dungeons & Dragons television series; instead, it has a similar level of graphic violence as Amazon's Invincible. Lowe wrote that "if you wanted a show about D&D with the serial numbers filed off, it's got you covered. [...] While there isn't a whole lot of diversity in the principal Critical Role cast, the show comes down on the side of a kind of casual inclusivity, appearing [...], to studiously avoid the racial essentialism which forms more of the bedrock of tabletop roleplaying gaming than many like to admit. [...] The Legend of Vox Machina is a competently produced story decidedly informed by the sensibilities of a new generation of players".[64]

Eric Francisco, for Inverse, compared the show to Avatar: The Last Airbender and Voltron in the way it conveys ideas; he stated that The Legend of Vox Machina "effortlessly turns complicated lore into broadly accessible ideas. Of minor consequence is there’s not enough originality in Tal’Dorei itself [...]. That’s not to say there isn’t gravitas to Vox Machina; the story of Percy, the gunslinger who wrestles against his lust for revenge, is astonishing to witness. But the lines differentiating comedy and parody blurs too often, especially at how frequently the show flips its tones. Despite its sourcing from a long-running Twitch show, The Legend of Vox Machina stands as an accessible thing by itself. At its heart, Vox Machina is an action fantasy, only unusual in its marriage of Tolkien-lite settings and the lurid humor of a Deadpool comic book".[62] Cass Marshall, for Polygon, described the show as "a deeply indulgent story", "weirdly wholesome", and at times "frankly a little much".[61] Marshall wrote, "I love it. Critical Role’s heart and good intentions overcame a lot of the initial problems with The Legend of Vox Machina, and by the time the season’s major arc kicked off I was fully invested. The animation carries the plot quite well, albeit not perfectly. [...] This is D&D pulp at its best, and luckily, you don’t need to delve into the rich canon of Critical Role and its associated projects".[61]

Other media[]

References[]

  1. ^ Spangler, Todd (January 12, 2022). "'The Legend of Vox Machina' Red Band Trailer Debuts, Prime Video to Release Critical Role Series in Three-Episode Batches". Variety. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  2. ^ "WATCH: Critical Role Performs a Scene from The Legend of Vox Machina". CBR. October 8, 2021. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
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