Do you like short films, sci-fi/horror/comedy and beautiful visuals? Then you might want to check out on the new Love, Death & Robots.
This brand new TV series aired out on March 15, 2019 on Netflix executive produced by David Fincher (Alien 3, House of Cards, Fight Club, Mind Hunter) and Tim Miller (Deadpool, Mass Effect 2). There are 18 episodes of 6 to 17 minutes covering NSFW adult topics (racism, war, free will…), each independant from the others and produced by different animators and filmmakers from around the globe. They are inspired from the movie Heavy Metal (1981) except two from original ideas.
In the trailer you get a glimpse of all 18 episodes. I personnally love good animation and the trailer immediately made me want to watch it and I absolutely don’t regret it: each episode has a radically different art style and it is gorgeous! « The witness » with its mix of bright colors, 2D and 3D and « Good hunting » with its amazing action and detailed streampunk cyborgs are probably my favorite regarding the aesthetics. There are plenty of details, rich textures and ingenious design ideas. And not to forget, the music and sound ambiance are a delight to the ear.
Even though a couple stories probably lack originality the vast majority of them are refreshing, interesting, funny and/or moving. Their only link is that they all evolve kind of around « love », « death » or « robots » (as the title suggests) and this leads to interesting topics. There’s this guy who doesn’t want to leave his home (a dump), a girl who’d mother has been killed because of rumors, mankind’s absurdities and failings, the meaning of life and so much more. At the end of an episode you’ll probably feel like you would want to spend a little more time in its world. The characters too are great, they are described spot-on in a press release as « Sentient Dairy Products, Rogue Werewolf Soldiers, Robots Gone Wild, Sexy Cyborgs, Alien Spiders And Blood-thirsty Demons From Hell ».
The series looked very « real » to me. One example of this is that some characters sometimes are shown fully naked, with no mysterious light beam or plant hiding their genitals. I don’t know about you but when I see this kind of trick in movies this reminds me that I am watching something, I’m not « in » anymore. Bodies are just bodies and it is nice to see that it is not a shame to see a tit or a butt. But to be fair, it is true that female characters are way more often exposed, sometimes in an unnecessary way.
Love, Death & Robots really hooked me up, both thanks to the art and the stories, I would give it a 4.5 out or 5. I hope that there will be a second season or more series of shorts like this one! Before you leave, if you already binged th 3+ hours series and liked it, you will maybe also like « Last Man », « Final Space », « Devilman Crybaby » and « Black Mirror », all available on Netflix. Check out also Les Gobelins school’s YouTube channel for even more shorts! 😉