Love, Death + Robots is a Netflix backed anthology series of sci-fi stories that mixes cutting-edge animation styles with quick fire storylines. Each episode is stand-alone and with the longest episode clocking in at just over 18 minutes, you’re never too far away from a new world and new ideas. Obviously, this means that some episodes will chime more than others depending upon your tastes but they are all uniformly solid. I liked season 1 just fine but felt that, given the freedom to create, a lot of the short films were trying to be too edge-lordy and reminded me of the anime and manga often released in England in the early 90s when it was trying to gain a foothold; the more violent, gratuitous stuff wasn't always representative of the best the medium had to offer and so it is was with season 1.
I felt that season 2 was okay with a lower episode count. Also, they had toned down the sex and violence but many of the stories were not that interesting. So, season 2 had built on the solid work of season 1 but it make incremental steps forward rather than huge leaps. I went into season 3 hoping that this would be the one to really nail it. Here are my thoughts on the individual episodes:
Three Robots: Exit Strategy
The three likable robots travel around the remnants of human culture to find out what happened when the robots uprising began. Along the way they look at how society broken down in a Lord of the Flies way.
A hilarious yet deeply depressing animation about the way humans would rather destroy each other than work together to find a solution. This ending is real surprising too.
Bad Travelling
When a ship is attacked by a giant crustacean, they listen to its request to gain passage to a busy island nearby. The captain doesn't want to unleash the beast upon the innocent people and so plans a trip to a deserted island, but can he convince his crew?
A very dramatic episode with gorgeous darkly stylised art and lashings of gore. It's powerful as it looks at the value individuals put on their own lives above others.
The Very Pulse of the Machine
The story is based on a short from Michael Swanwick and looks at the journey of a lone astronaut, Martha, stranded on the moon of Io, trying to find her way out whilst her oxygen slowly depletes. It is a psychological piece as we have Martha, superbly voiced by Mackenzie Davis, having a conversation with an invisible entity, or it could delusions caused by a mixture of hypoxia and morphine.
It's a very existential piece, not just because of the isolation of the astronaut, but because the individual is in conversation with something greater than herself. I found that very interesting as the dialogue was very philosophical and profound in places. I won't spoil it but the film evokes memories of 2001: Space Odyssey and the Star Child; death is not the end but a new part of the journey and that's a beautiful thought. The crescendo of the soundtrack at the denouement is spectacular and still sends shivers down my spine when I hear it.
The Very Pulse of the Machine is my favourite of the season but Jibaro is very close second.
Night of the Mini Dead
When a randy couple commit lewd acts in a cemetery, their unholy behaviour awakens a zombie apocalypse.
I loved this episode as it was done in an isometric minifig style with lots of cute voices. Don't get me wrong, the end of the world was apocalyptic but it was just gosh darn cute.
Kill Team Kill
When a military team is attacked by a rogue cybernetically enhanced experiment, their sense of humour and devil may care attitude might just be enough to see them survive.
I lived the cel shaded animation style of this episode as it reminded me of Otomo's work, especially Magnetic Rose from Memories. I think the cocksureness of this episode is a direct response to the macho gung-ho attitude of previous seasons of the show as it was a nod and wink at the audience as to how stupidly shallow the violence is.
Mason's Rats
In the near future, after WW3, a farmer struggles to survive with the ratocalypse. He invests in machines but the rats fight back harder, the situation escalates but who will emerge the victor.
This is a great short animation with a witty story about the casualties of war and how talking and reaching out can be enough.
In Vaulted Halls Entombed
A military unit of a mission to find and secure a taken hostage find an eldritch elder God held captive in an underground complex. One by one the crew get picked off except a lone warrior; will she survive?
This is a very effective and dark short, feeling at times like a videogame like House of Ashes or Eternal Darkness, which dealt with similar subject matter. It's a solid episode and poses many question about humanity's place in the cosmos.
Jibaro
When a group of Conquistadors encounters a siren, they all lose their heads to her deadly voice. However, a deaf Knight isn't swayed and what follows is a deadly cat and mouse game; an elaborate dance to the death, as the siren seeks her prey whilst the soldier seeks the gold covering her body.
This is one episode I heard a lot about with some citing it as the best LDR episode in season 3 and I can sort of see why. The animation is astonishing and the art direction is phenomenal, with the siren being beautifully haunting like a spooky Klimt piece come to life all shimmering and gold. The dialogue is pretty non-existent and it reminds me in style to The Black Knight in that the artistry and cinematography is king. The music adds so much and the flashy, frenetic edits and cuts make it a powerful piece where the images will stay in your mind for a long time.
This LDR season was probably the most consistent in my opinion with all episodes offering something. The Very Pulse of the Machine, Bad Travelling and Jibaro are the obvious highlights but overall, it's a solid season that shows the anthology series had some legs. I like the maturity the series seems to have gone through as the stories and worlds presented are more interesting. I am very much looking forward to season 4.
LINK- Love, Death + Robots- Season 1 Review
LINK- Love, Death + Robots- Season 2 Review
LINK- The 7th Voyage of Sinbad- Cult Movie Review
LINK- How to be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question by Mike Schur- Book Review
LINK- The Good Place and Philosophy- Book Review
LINK- Utopia for Realists- Book Review
LINK- ‘Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire’ LINK: Elden Ring- Videogames As Art