It’s no secret that Netflix has been investing in a lot of exclusive content in the last few years and a lot of it is becoming less and less PG. Love, Death + Robots is a series of short, mostly animated stories set in alternate realities, Netflix is describing the series as an anthology that is ‘short, sweet and lethal’ which is often the case. We’ve decided to rate each episode out of five, one being light and easy to watch and five being the most dark and twisted, with a brief description of what to expect from each 6-20 minute episode.
1. Sonnie’s Edge – 5/5
This one is a great opener for the series, although you can watch any episode independently of each other. You are thrown into a world of underground monster fights, similar to Real Steel (2011), where monsters are controlled by humans via a robotic link, you are shown what could effectively be a short clip from a feature-length movie, it has a lot of potential in that way and a dark back story. Also expect nudity, the nudity (both male and female) is animated, but still you are often unnecessarily shown naked bodies as more of a shock strategy in various episodes.
2. Three Robots – 2/5
This one is more humorous than anything else, picturing a post apocalyptic world similar to that of The Matrix (1999). You have three robots messing about on a tour of a deserted city. They make quite a few jokes along the way, thee stand out ones are when they find an old abandoned house and appear to be staring at a TV, refereeing to people watching them for hours however they’re actually referencing the many cat videos on the internet whilst looking at an actual cat. The cat approaches them and they go on to other pop-culture references such as Exploding Kittens game and what seems to be the Cravendale advert. They then go on to an abandon warehouse and find an Xbox 3, this hasn’t actually been released and likely never will with Microsoft’s naming strategy, however they go on to refer to it as their grandad and that people used to use it for teabags. they end the tour at a nuclear warhead mocking that humanity didn’t end by using them.
3. The Witness – 3/3
At first it doesn’t appear to be all too dark a plot, you’ll find most of what is going on reading the description of this short clip, however it’s best to go straight in and watch it. As the tile suggests the protagonist is a witness for a murder, she tries to escape from the murderer who is in the opposite building, rushing through a Japanese city, she rushes to her work place which is effectively a strip club that also includes robot strippers. This is one to watch before reading any further… you eventually discover that she is in a time loop of sorts and that she witnessed her own murder.
4. Suits – 1/5
Alternate reality with farmers in large human operated mechs, think Pacific Rim (2013) but on a smaller scale. They are defending their crops and lives from aliens that appear to be coming form portals. You find that again this is a dark reality where the aliens are actually coming through a force-field and that various pockets of the world are being protected and defended from an alien invasion.
5. Sucker of Souls – 2/5
Archeologist raiding a tomb in search of a mummy or rather a vampire as the tile might suggest, again cats are back in this year, have you not seen Captain Marvel? Well yes cats are again feared in this instance, however is it enough to keep them safe…
6. When the Yogurt Took Over – 1/5
This one is so short you may as well watch it, unless you’re really interested in yogurt gaining a higher intelligence, more so than human kind and telling us what to do before leaving into outer-space.
7. Beyond the Aquila Rift – 4/5
Most certainty worth the watch, a small team of space travelers go into a deep cryogenic sleep which is standard procedure when traveling vast distances of space, think how they got everyone to Pandora in Avatar (2009). However with no-one on the controls, their ship doesn’t reach it’s destination and they end up light-years off course, they’re greeted by a friendly face, however everything isn’t quite what is seems.
8. Good Hunting – 3/4
You find that this one starts off really subtle and you might be wondering where to robots are, in what appears to be the Edo period of Japan. You are introduced to a father and son hunting a witch of sorts, the witch can transform into a fox. The father kills the witch, however the young boy allows the her cub to live, he goes on to look after her as the years pass. The industrial revolution comes about as they both grow older, she says that the magic has disappeared from the world and she is no longer able to hunt and therefore must resort to using her beauty to make money. One of her customers is only attracted to machines and therefore converts her, think Alita Battle Angel (2019) but not as powerful, the young man goes on to help her by making alterations and improvements. She is then able to mechanically transform into a fox and seek vengeance on all those who have wronged her.
9. The Dump – 1/5
Old man lives in a junk yard, he claims that he doesn’t need anything else as everything ends up there in the end, think Bumble Bee in the first transformers movie.
10. Shape-Shifters – 2/5
Genetically enhanced soldiers are assisting with the war, they have bi-focal and heat vision, higher stamina, greater strength, enhanced senses and as the title suggests they can transform. the other soldiers do not take a liking to them and they do not have a great tolerance for authority either.
11. Helping Hand – 3/5
Think Gravity (2013), it’s been done before, but it’s worth the watch for the struggles that it entails.
12. Fish Night – 1/5
The description of this show is enough, it’s a visual treat if you’re into bright colours and sea life.
13. Lucky 13 – 3/5
Here you’re introduced to actual actors for the first time in the series, although some of the characters in other episodes were based on the actors physical appearances. You’re constantly anticipating for tragedy considering the back story you’ve been given, where it seems that the jet has a consciousness and is always unscathed after each mission, this gives it that dark theme, however this actually has a positive ending. The jet that had allowed it’s entire crew to die on two separate missions then goes on to successfully bring the next crew back home safely on 20 consecutive missions, before self destructing on the final in order to save them after they vacate the ship.
14. Zima Blue – 4/5
An artist that has such fame, he begins to make more and more extravagant morals, notably a blue square that keep getting bigger and more prominent. This is a story about satisfaction, where you can have everything but still not be happy and that can be for everyone. It ends with the artist giving his backstory and how he wishes to return to a simpler time of his life allowing himself to appreciate his surroundings.
15. Blindspot – 1/5
This has been done before, don’t forget to back-up your hard-drives. A team of cyborgs are on a mission to steal/recover a USB device Mad Max style. There’s a lot of carnage and death in this one.
16. Ice Age – 2/5
This is also with actors and CGI. There’s life in their freezer and it’s progressing at an extreme level, worth watching just for the special effects and entertainment value of what the past history of humanity has been and what we hope to achieve in the future.
17. Alternate Histories – 1/5
What if Hitler died at a young age and what about the different possibilities of his death? Bit repetitive and silly, short enough to warrant the watch for your curiosity.
18. The Secret War – 2/5
Russian army fighting an army of monsters that lurk in the trees. There’s an ongoing agenda in the higher ranks, but they’re just there to complete their mission, nothing else.