At its greatest, Netflix’s Love, Loss of life, and Robots creates the identical feeling as choosing up a set of sci-fi quick tales. You don’t at all times know what to anticipate, and never all the pieces is sensible, however you’re assured to expertise one thing fascinating. That was very true of quantity 3 of the animated anthology, which provided 9 shorts, all of which have been glorious. The newest quantity doesn’t fairly hit the identical heights, nor does it have a singular standout episode like “The Very Pulse of the Machine,” but it surely’s nonetheless a robust providing.
What quantity 4 does do properly — and it’s one thing that’s a energy of LDR as an entire — is provide all kinds of tones and types. There are nonetheless the darkish, violent, and hyperreal episodes which might be so intently related to LDR, like “Spider Rose,” a follow-up to final season’s “Swarm,” which tells a cyberpunk story a couple of girl consumed with revenge who finally ends up discovering it with the assistance of a really unusual creature. There’s additionally “The Screaming of the Tyrannosaur,” during which skilled warriors battle to the dying in entrance of wealthy dignitaries and royalty, all whereas racing on dinosaurs. In a unusually impressed little bit of casting, the dying races are hosted by MrBeast.
However the present additionally continues to push past basic, darker science fiction. There’s loads of comedy right here, as an example. One episode is a confessional for sensible gadgets like related toothbrushes and bathrooms, which complain about how horrible it’s to serve people. One other follows a cat intent on world domination, who finds the proper confederate when its house owners carry dwelling a robotic assistant. And when you loved final season’s “Night time of the Mini Lifeless,” there’s a sequel that equally turns an alien invasion right into a cutesy diorama of dying and destruction.
And whereas the present nonetheless skews closely towards CG animation, there are a pair of nice 2D episodes, as properly. “How Zeke Acquired Faith” is pure Heavy Metal and is a narrative a couple of group of WWII troopers who find yourself combating a demonic monstrosity summoned by the Nazis. It’s crammed with copious quantities of blood and gore and a really terrifying monster that’s all palms, mouths, and screams. That’s joined by “400 Boys,” a wild and kinetic post-apocalyptic motion story a couple of world crammed with warring gangs that be a part of collectively to battle a bunch of towering, bare infants which might be merely known as “boys.”
Quantity 4 takes a couple of enjoyable dangers, as properly. “Golgotha” is the present’s first totally live-action quick, a easy story a couple of priest, an alien invasion, and a resurrected dolphin who may be the messiah. Like one of the best of LDR, the episode is satisfying by itself, but it surely additionally leaves you desirous to see and be taught far more about its world. Not all of the episodes are fairly so profitable. “For He Can Creep” is a fine-if-forgettable story of a cat combating Devil, whereas “Can’t Cease” is an impressive-looking music video that turns the Purple Scorching Chili Peppers into marionettes however feels fairly misplaced amid the remainder of the season (and LDR as an entire).
However even the worst episodes of quantity 4 are nonetheless fascinating, and that’s the promise of Love, Loss of life, and Robots, actually. Streaming companies have helped usher in a brand new wave of sci-fi anthologies, which have ranged from prophetic and impactful to fully pointless. LDR may be probably the most constant fashionable instance of the shape. It’s humorous, violent, and stunning — and virtually by no means boring.
Quantity 4 of Love, Loss of life, and Robots is now streaming on Netflix.