PremiumMaya and the Three review: A celebration of Latin American culture that will appeal to children
Lord Mitclan, the god of war needs to sacrifice a half-blood, a child born to the goddess of death, his wife, to be precise, to become most powerful and indestructible. The half-blood, Maya, the princess of Teca, is also the only one capable of causing him harm. Can she get the better of the all-powerful god and save her land?
Last Updated: 08.36 PM, Oct 22, 2021
Story: Maya, the princess of Teca, wants to be warrior; her parents would rather see her solve issues diplomatically. But she gets her chance to prove her true self, when her life and that of her family is at stake.
Review: The lineup of stars on board the voice talents of Maya and the Three is why I decided to spend close to five hours watching the nine-episode mini-series. Who wouldn’t if they knew Zoe Saldanha, Alfred Molina, Gabriel Iglesias, Stephanie Beatriz, Allen Maldonado, Diego Luna, Kate del Castillo, Gael García Bernal, Danny Trejo, Rosie Perez, Queen Latifah, Cheech Marin, Wyclef Jean, Sandra Equihua, Isabela Merced, Chelsea Rendon, Joaquín Cosio, Carlos Alazraqui, Eric Bauza, and Rita Moreno were all a part of it? Right?
It’s only when the show began and noticed the rating for age groups 7+ that I realized the target audience. Definitely not me. That’s not to say the show is bad; it’s just for a different geographic and age demographic perhaps. I say geographic because of the mythological references in the tale, which brings together Aztec, Inca, Arawak and Maya cultures, but then again, it could also serve as a guide to a history that is alien to most parts of the world.
Maya and the Three, the story of a princess’ quest across mystical lands to find three warriors who will help her vanquish the god of war, Lord Mitclan, has a good story. The much-loved princess, who craves to be a warrior, instead of a diplomacy-spouting royal, who then has to set out to fulfil a prophecy, find ‘the Three’ from neighbouring regions, all of who are outcasts in their own lands, and close the gate the underworld. Trouble is that she is consumed by revenge and the thirst to avenge her slain brothers, so she decides to cross over into Mitclan’s world and kill him. It’s not as simple, because he has his heart set on killing her and imbibing the power that comes from it.
Honestly, there’s not much to find fault with the show; a good story, great animation and voice-acting. It just didn’t work for me. Perhaps a 2-hour movie, much like Moana, would have been better.
Verdict: If you have young kids at home, they might enjoy this. If not, you must be a serious mythology or animation buff or just love its voice cast.
Where to watch: All nine episodes of Maya and the Three are currently streaming on Netflix.