The Legend of Vox Machina

:

Season 1
Season #: 2, 1
Metascore
81

Universal acclaim - based on 4 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4

Critic Reviews

  1. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Kevin Johnson
    Jan 21, 2022
    83
    The tight friendship of the Vox Machina group, combined with sharp animation, funny jokes, rich action, and raw, honest drama, will win over new fans and satisfy old ones. The Legend Of Vox Machina is a critical hit.
  2. Decider
    Reviewed by: Brittany Vincent
    Jan 28, 2022
    80
    Vox Machina is a fun, chaotic ride through the world the players in Critical Role have been building upon for years. It takes the characters viewers are likely already familiar with, and establishes a story that both fans and newcomers can get into without catching up on the series.
  3. Paste Magazine
    Reviewed by: Kenneth Lowe
    Jan 28, 2022
    80
    The Legend of Vox Machina is a competently produced story decidedly informed by the sensibilities of a new generation of players, the kind of series that shares DNA with the ’83 cartoon and the disastrous 2000 film, but also looks absolutely nothing like either of them. And while it won’t net Hasbro any royalties, it unquestionably moves the phenomenon one step deeper into the mainstream.
  5. Variety
    Reviewed by: Spencer Crittenden
    Jan 27, 2022
    80
    The first episode feels a bit drawn out, and a few cuts would have still left a tight rollicking fun time. But it’s easy to forget your gripes once the fun picks back up, and the rest of the series lacks the meandering asides of the first episode, and introduces character backstory and threads of intrigue to sink your teeth into.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 51 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 37 out of 51
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 51
  3. Negative: 9 out of 51
  1. hbgomez2
    Jan 29, 2022
    9
    To start, I’m trying to review this from two perspectives: Fans of Critical Role and the uninitiated. With that in mind, if you’re a fan ofTo start, I’m trying to review this from two perspectives: Fans of Critical Role and the uninitiated. With that in mind, if you’re a fan of critical role and have invested the hours into the web series, this is a 10. It’s inanely rewarding if you’ve been with the cast the whole time - like watching a book be written. By the author only to years later see it adapted for the screen. There are Easter eggs, callbacks, and more for those who’ve followed the series. That being said, it’s still accessible to new fans. If you’re new, this series will likely be a 7 or an 8 for you - supposing you’re a genre fan who knows not to take it too seriously. Since it’s based on d&d, that should be obvious. If you’re worried a booklet getting into it, don’t worry: the length of episodes and the story are far easier to get into here than they would be on YouTube in D&D. The pacing is brisk, the animation is crisp, and the voice acting is just as good as you’d expect. Regardless, the first three episode are a knockout. They’re simple enough to bring new comers in, but offer enough hints at a larger story that the original fans followed for years. Given time, The Legend of Vox Machina will become something trusty special.… Full Review »
  2. samichsupernova
    Feb 4, 2022
    3
    Really in disbelief as to all the hype - it feels like only diehard Critical Role fans will really dig this. The 3/10 is for the crispReally in disbelief as to all the hype - it feels like only diehard Critical Role fans will really dig this. The 3/10 is for the crisp animation quality. It was obvious this show had a good budget, which is to be expected from the Kickstarter. The action scenes are also enjoyable. It's just too bad about everything else. I love crass humor, but this is just cringe. The writing overall is really bad; I'd go so far as to say it's the worst aspect of the show.

    They try to give every character screen time and dialogue, even when there's nothing interesting for them to do, and all of them have the same boring speech cadences and a kid's idea of college-aged sense of humor, filled with too many f-bombs, vomiting, etc. It's like an edgy kid's idea of what a fantasy show for adults would be. The end result is that with a few exceptions, each character feels like a shallow pool of cliches, totally interchangeable outside of their combat roles and one or two traits. There's nothing but trope after trope in these first 3 episodes, which really weighs the whole thing down.

    I'm just so disappointed that such quality animation is wasted on such a bland story and thinly-sketched characters stuck in arrested development. Really couldn't care what happens next because there's so little consistency and detail paid in regards to the world-building and plot holes abound, especially in the third episode. There's nothing at all clever or new here.

    If you want great fantasy comedy, there are other options: the hugely underrated Disenchanted, Dragon Prince, Avatar, etc... even Your Highness is funnier than this. If you want to see a great D&D campaign story, check out the Record of Lodoss War series. The original animation series and light novel series still holds up to this day. It's funny, epic, and consistent, to boot. Heck, just read some books by Terry Pratchett, William Goldman, Robert Lynn Aspirin, etc. The whole conceit has been done so much better before, so many times.    … Full Review »
  3. alesz19
    Jan 30, 2022
    9
    This is just a wonderful adaption of the chaotic party of Vox Machina. A love letter to both D&D and Critical Role fans, LoVM excels at beingThis is just a wonderful adaption of the chaotic party of Vox Machina. A love letter to both D&D and Critical Role fans, LoVM excels at being a fun classic fantasy adventure. The tone can be inconsistent for newcomers without context however.… Full Review »
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