Reviews WesternAnimation / LoveDeathAndRobots

WesternAnimation Season 3: Bugs, Gore and Swearing

Love, Death and Robots is a series that is equal parts enchanting and frustrating. They are opportunities to show off cutting edge, genius visual animation and yet it is constantly stymied by the terrible quality of the stories. Whilst Season 1 had its ups and downs, I didn't even bother to review season 2 because I came away from it having not seen a single animated short movie that I liked. Season 3 is almost as poor.

The main problem is that the stories have a bias towards puerile humour and hyper gory action. I read somewhere that the first season had exactly one woman writer/creative director, which shows. It feels like these projects were put together by a brainstorming session in a Call of Duty lobby, where a horde of 12 year olds insist on yet another bloody exploding skull or Islamophobic joke. Of the nine episodes of season 3, most involve soldiers or combat in some way. There always seems to be bugs or vermin or monsters that need killing. For a show called Love, Death + Robots, the death is constant, the robots are occasional, and the love is next to non-existent.

And yes, it has to be said that it looks spectacular. Each vignette has its own distinct animation style, each are beautifully crafted in their own way. The stand-out prettiest is Jibaro, in which a band of conquistadors are attacked by a siren that looks like she stepped out of a Klimt painting. The cinematography and visual style is unlike anything I've ever seen, and it is a must watch for that reason alone. And yet despite reaching that high water mark for animation standards, it is still a dumb episode. Once again it is soldiers versus another monster. There are vaguely established themes around colonialism, exploitation, abuse etc, but it is not really saying anything meaningful. They're all just loose parts, troublingly attached to justified sexual violence against a fetishized, hyper exotic woman.

The best of the bunch is probably Bad Travelling, in which a group of sailors find themselves at the mercy of a giant crab. Yes another monster, but this one at least had some interesting dynamics between the crew and their tentative understanding of democracy. There's an actual dilemma set up, there are tension and distrust between the surviving sailors. An actual story and characters. Trailing far behind in second place is The Very Pulse of the Machine, which stands out by keeping the extreme violence to a minimum, and by briefly managing to have two women characters in one episode. So it gets half marks for that, but loses marks for still being boring in spite of its beauty.

There is definitely an audience for Love, Death + Robots, but it definitely isn't for people hoping to see more thoughtful sci-fi. It's for people who want to see 9 episodes of skull crushing.

WesternAnimation It's worse the less subtle it is. Better the more it focuses on story.

This is a hit and miss, often because it becomes stupidly on the nose instead of telling a story, though it pulls it off at times.

Plenty of violence and nudity in an unapologetic way, which is thankfully refreshing as it allowed the animators and writers to tell the stories as they wanted without having to restrain themselves, which translated into the anthology being fairly indiscriminate and presenting how things would logically go in most scenarios. Exactly how things should be and nothing less than what I expected from Fincher and Miller.

Not that the shorts were always even handed, as mentioned:

• Sonnie's edge: Sadly the first one I watched, as it almost made me give up on the series right away. Generic "grrl powah" wish fulfillment that was already trite by the early 2000s.
• Three robots: Probably the best of the comedic shorts and an interesting look at our own culture.
• The witness: It comes across as gratuitous (not that there's anything wrong with that) as without the cool twist it's little more than watching a half naked person running around. Cool twist though.
• Suits: Gorgeously animated, with a common but effectively executed premise that is probably the only short that fully delivers in the entire title of the anthology. One of two of the worlds that I wouldn't mind revisiting.
• Sucker of souls: The black humor and the animation won me over, it's also one of the few takes at Dracula where he's just a monster, which is an uncommon interpretation if nothing else.
• When the yogurt took over: Not even remotely as clever as it seems to think it is, it's essentially a retreat of the critique in "three robots", only far less fleshed out, and pointless.
• Beyond the Aquila rift: Probably the best of the bunch, with the best photorealistic animation and the most interesting premise, also with a good voice cast and a well paced plot.
• Good hunting: Probably the one with the most interesting, if not particularly novel, plot and reasonably well executed. It's essentially "Sonnie's edge" done right, even if it could have been less graphic and could've given Yan more agency and proactivity.
• The dump: One of the most forgettable and misguided, it tries to defend anarchism (or at least anti-establishment and "anti overbearing rules" sentiment) and instead ends up just buying into the pretense the stereotype of anarchists just being murderous spreaders of chaos.
• Shape-shifters: Much like "Suits", it is a straightforward story, which gives the short the space to breath and just enough time to make you care for the characters and about what happens in the last fight. Also loved its take on werewolf lore both in what is shown and what is implied. The other short whose world I wouldn't mind revisiting (also the protagonist can get it, nice).
• Helping hand: Gravity with more gore, it's well animated and Condron's performance sells it.
• Fish Night: Probably my favorite of the bunch as far as animation goes (once again, I might be biased because I'm a sucker for this type of cell shading), but its plot is almost non existent and the little that's there is completely ruined by an unnecessary burst of violence at the end.
• Lucky 13: Another one that's an obvious retread of stories seen before that is saved by the excellent voice work of the protagonist. Wiley gives probably the best performance of the whole anthology.
• Zima Blue: It tries to be meaningful commentary and it would be so... If it weren't because "childhood experiences and our desire to relive those times of happiness" is one of the oldest ones in the book. It ends up being self important and ridiculous.
• Blind spot: The most forgettable one by virtue of being the only one I struggled to remember (I actually watched the whole series a few weeks ago) and there's little to say about it that hasn't been said about the countless stories it copied from.
• Ice age: The okayest of the bunch, ironic considering that it's the only one not fully animated. The approach of making the couple so oddly detached makes the short itself keep you at bay.
• Alternate histories: Someone was clearly having fun reliving "what if" scenarios dreamed up during middle school. It's puerile, it's shallow and it's also hilarious.
• The secret war: Soldiers vs monsters is really nothing new and this... Also does nothing new with the premise. It's just there.

All in all, I recommend the watch and making your own opinions (the anthology has something in it for everyone, I think), though again the fact that it has plenty of violence and nudity is not everyone's cup of tea. I like it, as violence is (sadly) a part of life, and there's nothing wrong with the human body.

WesternAnimation A few gems in an otherwise lackluster season

I was eagerly awaiting this new season, having really enjoyed the last one (in spite of it's less than perfect offering). However, with less than half the episodes, and some material that ranges from really interesting to really lacking, I pause to say the wait was worth it.

Note that I’m only reviewing this stories in their capacity as adaptations, not as their original material, none of which I’ve read.

• Automated Customer Service: In spite of some decent writing, it doesn’t really add much to the AI Is a Crapshoot concept, and just ends being rather by the numbers. But as something meant to be rather tongue and cheek and comedic, I guess it works fine. B-

• Ice: Fine, I suppose, but very simple. The story itself is very bare bones, as is the setting, and the characters, which only really serve to show off the animation. On that note best part is definitely the animation, with a great visual style and look to it, but beyond that, there isn’t much to it really, and just ends up being rather average. C+

• Pop Squad: My personal favorite, though I’m honestly not sure why; I’ve seen this done in other pieces, and it’s not done exceptionally better here. But I still liked the discussions it offers, and the presentation, which is kind of hard to do in less than twenty minutes, and there was never a point it didn’t have my complete attention. A-

• Tall Grass: While the premise of this is quite simple, the strength lies in its atmosphere, and leaving just enough unknown to keep things moving forward. While the ultimate revelation is a little underwhelming, it didn’t really detract from the experience for me, and I stills anted to see what was happening. B

• Snow in the Desert: Despite some good animation and half decent setting, it can’t make up for poorly defined characters, an overly simplistic conflict, and story that just doesn’t really offer much in the end. It just appears, runs for about 17 minutes, and then goes away. D

• All Through the House: This one… did not go the way I expected; actually that’s only half true, it kind of did, but it went much further than I thought it would. It’s very short (less than 5 minutes), but it left a surprising impression, with a story and concept that would be all too at home in the SCP mythos. I’m not going to assign a grade to it, because it was too short, but I will definitely say I’ll remember this one.

• Life Hutch: The only one not fully animated (excluding the CGI). A prime example of “strength in simplicity”, we’re not told much about the backstory, but what we are told is just enough to give us context to the situation, and understand his motivation. Combined with a good performance by Michael B. Jordan (as usual), and some really good direction, it makes for a tense, investing experience. A-

• The Downed Giant: This was the one that I watched last, and boy was that a mistake. This strikes me as something that probably worked very well as a reading medium, but as a visual medium, it falls rather flat. There isn’t anything really visually interesting about it (the giant is literally just a massive teenager), and the entire story is just an internal monologue by the scientist. Again, this seems like it works fine as a short story, but with nothing really to catch the eye, it just doesn’t feel very satisfying. C-

WesternAnimation Mixed bag.

In an anthology of eighteen short films, some will inevitably stand out, some will be middling, and some will be, well, subpar. I had trouble parsing which Love, Death & Robots fell into which category, probably because so many of them were middling. But the ones that shine do so very well.

A rundown of my opinions of each episode, which may be different from yours (and that's ok):

1. "Sonnie's Edge": The fight scene animation is stellar, but the plot and characters are lacking. The cyberpunk is very visually interesting, however. B
2. "Three Robots": An very touching little story about three robots looking back on human civilization. A-
3. "The Witness": A smartly-animated, mind-bending short with a very interesting setting. Directed by a guy who worked on Spider Man Into The Spiderverse, and the animation recalls that in several positive ways. A
4. "Sucker of Souls": Cute, smoothly-animated manga-like visuals aren't enough to make me attached to this oft-told story about some tomb raiding gone wrong. C+
5. "When the Yogurt Took Over": Contrasts the cute computer-generated visuals and a whimsical story with a more sombering message about humanity very well. B+
6. "Beyond the Aquila Rift": I had the viewing order that had this one first, and I'm glad for it. Its plot twist is rather predictable and animation is at times wonky, but the emotions and the cosmic horror story are done well. B+
7. "Good Hunting": Since I'm a fantasy fan, this had my favorite characters of the bunch, and they're set in a beautifully animated steampunk/urban fantasy Hong Kong. The plot is great as well, raises questions not just about robotics but about industrialization and Westernization, but is hampered by the issues of female autonomy (it's not just this short, see below). A-
8. "The Dump": Interesting visuals, but with a one-note story. Also kind of gross, but that's to be expected. B-
9. "Shape-Shifters": An okay-ish modern fantasy story about the US Marines in Afghanistan is hampered by the generic visuals and color palette. (I get that it's an army in a desert, but c'mon.) C
10. "Helping Hand": It's Gravity...as a ten minute short! You definitely manage to empathize with the protagonist by the end. B
11. "Fish Night": Gorgeous visuals of a ghostly underwater scene, but with a plodding plot that doesn't amount to much. B
12. "Lucky 13": Samira Wiley brings the magic in what's otherwise a fairly straightforward action story about a bond between a rookie pilot and her plane. B
13. "Zima Blue": An extremely touching story about art, humanity, robots, and our place in the universe, bolstered by lovely stylized thick-line animation. A
14. "Blind Spot": This is another of the "interesting visuals/blah plot" ones — it's an car chase heist with the aesthetic of 80's/90's anime, and...that's it. C+
15. "Ice Age": The only live-action entry, a charming little tale about civilization and human potential. The young couple's clunky dialogue detract from it, however. B
16. "Alternate Histories": The most outright comedic, and a welcome breather following all the heavy subject matter that proceeded it. Plus, who doesn't want to see Hitler get offed and the world go down the crapper anyway, all narrated by a soothing computer voice? A
17. "The Secret War": I was prepared to dislike this one, but it turned out to be an increasingly well-paced action piece with an emotional ending and a stunning fight scene. B+

Plot- or theme-wise, don't expect anything on the level of, say, Black Mirror, to cite another Netflix scifi anthology. With runtimes of ten-ish minutes each, the shorts feel less like ruminations on human nature and technology/magic and more like impressive tech demos. I found many of them rather lacking in heart, which I personally seek when dealing in stories about technology. Overall, the oft-cited criticism of misogynist visuals is very fair. There's a lot of violence against women, and a lot of nudity to the point that it often detracts from the short. Some of it is also blatantly gratuitous. This is something I hope the creators address should there be more seasons.

The animation is mostly strong across the board, even for episodes with weak plots (eg. "Fish Night"), which is impressive considering all the styles the series juggles. Some episodes have styles reminiscent of a Playstation 4 cutscene (eg. "Shape-Shifters") but even those would come through; the fight scene in "Sonnie's Edge" in particular is a standout. If you're an art/animation fan as I am, it's probably worth watching just for the variety of visual styles alone.

As for which episodes I'd recommend: I believe you should still watch the whole thing and figure out which ones in particular you would like. As I said, you won't find all of them good, but you will like some, and that's just fine.

WesternAnimation Sleaze, Blood and Mawk

Love, death and robots... I love all those things! Love Death + Robots is an anthology series of short animated sci-fi and fantasy films. Reviewing 18 different films in one review is a bit of a tall order, so bear with me, I'm going to have to work around that.

Despite the distinct animation styles, plots, settings and characters, there are certain common elements amongst a lot of the stories, and I'm not just talking about love, death or even robots. For starters, this is a Not Safe For Work series, which means its got people saying "fuck" and "cunt" all the time, and we get to see quite a lot of gratuitous violence, most strikingly against naked ladies. I'm kind of reminded of a much-maligned review I wrote a long time back about Black Lagoon, where (amongst other things) I slagged off the show's puerile ideas of mature content and coolness. I might have been a worse reviewer back then, but that thing I complained about is still something I see cropping up time and time again in animated shows. I am never that impressed by a story that's dark and edgy for its own sake, nor by the kind of writing where characters keep making "pussy cat = vagina" jokes over and over.

I looked over the credits and found it is the same writer for most the season, which might explain why so many episodes re-tread the exact same tropes: for instance, seemingly half of them involve someone heroically sacrificing their own lives by setting off a bomb. How could someone not realise they've re-written the same bit over and over?

It's not all bad though. Amongst all this try-hard nonsense, there are some diamonds in the rough. Personal favourites are:

• Zima Blue, about an artist with a mysterious obsession with a shade of Blue.
• Good Hunting, about an engineer who befriends a fox demon in a steam punk wuxia society.
• Ice Age, where a couple find a micro-civilisation hidden in the back of their freezer.
• When The Yogurt Took Over, which is self-explanatory.

All the best episodes forego the staid, hackneyed combat tropes I criticised, telling more inventive, heartfelt and generally more fun stories. And that's not to say mature concepts can't actually be done well: Good Hunting, which itself has an excess of female mutilation, at least uses that to tell an interesting tale about power imbalance and transformation, all in a far better way than the show's leading episode, Sonnie's Edge, which has the same ideas.

Besides all that, every episode has its own aesthetic, and some are astonishingly good looking. Fish Night in particular is especially beautiful and is worth watching for that reason alone. Love, Death + Robots is a true mixed bag. Watch the whole thing, but expect your mileage to vary a lot from story to story.