When it launched in 2019, Love, Death + Robots surprised everyone with its radical aesthetic choices, its diversity of genres, and its naughty spirit. From science fiction, fantasy, and even horror, the anthology held back nothing as long as robots, love, and death were involved... sometimes all three. The series produced by David Fincher and created by Tim Miller also delivered anthology episodes. The Witness, Bad Trip, and The Drowned Giant, the series knew how to manage its effects to leave a lasting impression on its viewers. But the anthology also has a downside: not all the offerings in the same season are equal. This fourth installment is no exception, with only a few episodes standing out. Here are the three best chapters from this new installment.
3- The Big Other
Love, Death, Robots + Cats… lots of cats. Our four-legged friends aren't in the series' title, but seem to show up whenever the opportunity arises. This season is no exception, with no fewer than two chapters devoted to these felines, sometimes tyrannical, sometimes courageous. In The Big Other, it's the idea of a superior being who secretly dreams of establishing his domination over the world that is explored. It's hard to blame the little ball of fur who lives alongside human beings with an intelligence barely higher than that of a goldfish.
With a fairly simple starting premise, a neat graphic style, but a disconcerting simplicity, this episode is a return to the roots for the series which multiplies the approaches. It has no ambition to be anything other than a cynical and satirical fable about humanity, the one that believes itself above all, that does not distrust still waters and that crushes all the beings that cross its path.
2- The cry of the tyrannosaurus
What do dinosaurs and Mr. Beast have in common? At first glance, not much, except that they are the stars of one of the best episodes of Love, Death + Robots. As usual, the series likes to explore hypothetical futures where Jurassic creatures rub shoulders with augmented humans. In an arena, a host introduces valiant fighters who will have to escape from triceratops while eliminating their competitors.
Any coincidence with a content creator with an appetite for games would be entirely coincidental. But, while we were expecting banal fights, a relentless battle royale, the series manages to thwart our expectations with a high-flying finale. Without giving too much away, even though the mere presence of dinosaurs is more than enough to entertain us, The Cry of the Tyrannosaurus takes advantage of its animated format to deliver a spectacular and heartbreaking conclusion.
1 – High Altitude Conversion
Love, Death + Robots has two obsessions: the military and religion. We have lost count of the number of episodes surrounding armed forces agents confronted by a strange illness that will decimate them. High Altitude Conversion plunges viewers into the middle of World War II and as American soldiers are sent on a mission aboard a bomber. They must destroy a church. But their usual team has a new member, a strange character armed with an equally singular compass.
In 2D animation, with vibrant colors and a pronounced taste for hemoglobin, High Altitude Conversion is a stunning exercise in style. While the themes and narrative are seriously lacking in subtlety, the visual prowess is striking enough to make our jaws drop. As it approaches its conclusion, the episode turns into a high-flying satanic butchery. Diego Porral's direction is of rare precision, multiplying the skillful movements to illustrate a massacre tinged with pink, blue, and blood red.
Our opinion on the series
Love, Death + Robots continues to be a sure bet for fans of adult animation. If season 2 had particularly disappointed us, season 3 made up for these shortcomings by delivering the two best episodes of the anthology so far, thanks to Fincher and his excellent The Bad Trip. This fourth season has some fine chapters to offer, but is largely frustrating in its length. Less diverse—science fiction is omnipresent—but also and above all less innovative, this new batch only has a few notable episodes. Their reduced length sometimes leaves us wanting more, but that's probably the game of the anthology...
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