Animation for adults often gets a bad rap, with many critics labeling it as little more than regular cartoons with a distasteful injection of sex and violence. Netflix’s genre-bending sci-fi anthology seriesLove, Death + Robotshas received a ton of pushback for this exact reason, but there’s more going on in many of these short films.
There have been 26 short films by almost 30 different directors, with another 9 episodes on the way when season 3 drops on May 20th.This anthology project takessimilar themes and spreads them across every imaginable genre, art style, tone, and presentation, with some fascinating results.
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“The Secret War”
The final short of the first batch is remarkably unique among the larger catalog. For one thing, it’sentirely bereft of robots, but it also lacks much of the gleeful immaturity of its peers. This grim tale comes from director Istvan Zorkoczy, best known for a variety of cinematic video game trailers. Rather than the traditional sci-fi route of most of the collection, “The Secret War” finds its home closer to a dark fantasy story.
The episode follows Zakharov, a Lieutenant in the Soviet Red Army who leads a deadly mission against a nest of demons in the Siberian woods.The alternate history fictionsees the Russian forces taking on nightmarish monsters with mid-20th century weaponry in a fascinating display. Beyond the gritty action lies a weighty air of gallows resignation. It’s an impressively downbeat affair, but a deeply moving story that caps off the anthology with a unique atmosphere.
“Life Hutch”
This season 2 episode brings probably the biggest movie star to the franchise in the formof Michael B. Jordan. Interestingly, it limits itself by not giving Jordan a single line. This episode is far from silent, and the sound direction is stellar, but it does lack any spoken dialogue. Jordan portrays Terence, a gifted star pilot who finds himself downed on a hostile planet in the midst of a massive battle. He discovers the titular hutch, a shelter that can keep him safe while he awaits rescue, but the helpful structure is quickly revealed to contain its own dangers.
This episode combines the clever visual techniques of “Lucky 13” with the claustrophobic body horror of “Helping Hand” to create something special. The work is adapted from a Harlan Ellison short story, and the tone is well-preserved. The power of this short is all in the execution, it’s brilliantly set up and extremely well directed, courtesy of Alex Beaty. Genuinely horrific, tastefully gory,and intensely well-performed, “Life Hutch” is a complete success.
“Three Robots”
The comedy sketches inLove Death + Robots’catalog are a bit hit-and-miss, but this one is the unquestioned best. Victor Maldonado & Alfredo Torres craft the charming journey of a trio of sentient machines exploring the post-apocalyptic wasteland left behind after humanity’s demise. Each member of the trio has an immediately identifiable personality and plenty of funny lines.
As the trio attempt to understand what mankind was like in the days before their extinction, the work pokes fun at some of the stranger behaviors with a sharp wit. This short was deemed good enough to earn a sequel in the upcoming third season, and the three robots are likely the flagship characters of the franchise.This sci-fi comedy shortfeels as close as possible to the central theme of the series in a single short.
“The Drowned Giant”
Deadpooldirector Tim Miller crafted this bizarre and moving capstone toLove Death + Robots' second collection. This short features one of the most unique tonal experiences of the franchise, eschewing horror, action, comedy, and romance in favorof something else entirely. The eponymous spectacle is an unexplained massive man who washes up on shore one day, capturing the attention of the locals and drawing obsession from Steven, the academic that tells the story.
Over the 14-minute runtime, Steven follows the slow disintegration of the mysterious corpse as the town loses interest and their appreciation for it turns to abuse. It’s a profound philosophical exploration that still manages to be strange enough to be gripping. The story is adapted from a short story by J. G. Ballard, and the tale is extremely unique. “The Drowned Giant” doesn’t feel like it belongs inLove Death + Robots, but it also probably couldn’t pop up anywhere else.
“Zima Blue”
The groundbreaking philosophical exploration that immediately became the most talked about feature of the seriesdeserves all the praise it has received. Robert Valley’s adaptation of Alastair Reynolds' tale is one of the best short films in the genre. A journalist is invited to interview reclusive artistic genius Zima Blue before he unveils his final piece.
The brief story makes its gripping philosophical stance in one of the most satisfying moments in the franchise. “Zima Blue” is the most intelligent and moving piece of the puzzle, and fans will be hoping against hope that season three offers anything that approaches its wisdom.
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