Entertainment
Netflix’s 4-Part Sci-Fi Series Is a 10/10 With Zero Weak Episodes
Since launching its original programming, Netflix has been home to some of the biggest science fiction shows in modern pop culture. Most people will point to breakout hit Stranger Things as Netflix’s best sci-fi show, or the dark, thought-provoking Black Mirror. The series that’s managed to stand out, both in terms of concept and critical reception, is Love, Death + Robots. Created by Tim Miller and David Fincher, Love, Death + Robots pushes the envelope both in terms of storytelling and visuals, making it one of the strongest series in Netflix’s stable.
Ironically, Love, Death + Robots almost started life as a reboot of the popular Heavy Metal series, as Miller and Fincher attempted to gather filmmakers, including James Cameron and Zack Snyder, to produce segments for it. Their Heavy Metal project never came to fruition, but it was the success of Deadpool that eventually led to Love, Death + Robots in its current form, per an interview with Miller:
“Deadpool had just come out… so what does David [Fincher] do? David calls and says, ‘OK, so we’re going to use your newfound popularity to get our anthology movie made,’ and then literally like two weeks after that, he said, ‘F*** the movie stuff, let’s just take it to Netflix, because they’ll let us do whatever we want.’”
The gambit paid off, as Love, Death + Robots is one of Netflix’s most critically acclaimed shows; Seasons 3 and 4 earned a rare 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, while reviews praised the series’ constantly evolving storytelling. Anyone who watches Love, Death + Robots would agree, as it delivers plenty of stories that aren’t just visually stunning but sit with you long after the credits roll.
‘Love, Death + Robots’ Is a Visually Stunning, & Often Disturbing, Watch
No two segments of Love, Death + Robots look alike, thanks to Tim Miller’s Blur Studio gathering together a series of animation studios, including Polygon Pictures (Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man) and Titmouse (The Legend of Vox Machina). Some segments look extremely photorealistic, like Season 1’s “Three Robots” and its Season 3 sequel, “Three Robots: Exit Strategies”. Others hew closer to traditional animation, such as the Season 3 segment “Kill Team Kill,” which pits a team of Green Berets against a cybernetically enhanced grizzly bear. The variety on display is incredible and shows why animation deserves more respect.
What Love, Death + Robots is best known for, other than its beautiful animation, is the sheer nightmare fuel packed into some of its segments. Take the segment “Bad Travelling,” directed by David Fincher himself; it features a massive crab-like creature menacing the crew of a sailing ship and even using a dead man’s corpse as a macabre puppet. “In Vaulted Halls Entombed” pits a squadron of soldiers against a Lovecraftian entity, revealing how its very presence drives them to madness and murder. But the Love, Death + Robots segment that will truly terrify viewers is Season 2’s “All Through The House,” featuring a version of Santa Claus that will immediately make you want to board up your chimney. Once again, the depth of animation is on full display as these twisted visions could only come to life through this specific medium.
Netflix’s 10-Part Sci-Fi Saga Conquers Uncharted Territory on Streaming
The flagship series remains a franchise favorite.
A ‘Love, Death + Robots’ Creator Brought Another Sci-Fi Anthology to Life
Tim Miller wasn’t content to rest on his laurels after Love, Death + Robots, as he created another animated anthology in the form of Secret Level. While Love, Death + Robots fully embraced science fiction, Secret Level gets its name from adapting video games into animation, though it keeps the former’s approach of putting a unique twist on said games. Pac-Man is transformed into a dark fantasy full of horror and blood, while Keanu Reeves lends his talents to a somber take on the Armored Core video games. Secret Level was renewed for a second season, meaning that Miller and his crew have the chance to bring more video games into the world of animation.
Love, Death + Robots is a standout in Netflix’s catalog because it showcases the depths to which animation can go while pushing the boundaries of science fiction. It’s more than worth a weekend binge.
- Release Date
-
March 15, 2019
- Network
-
Netflix
- Directors
-
Víctor Maldonado, Patrick Osborne, Robert Valley, Alfredo Torres Martínez, Jerome Chen, Emily Dean, Rémi Kozyra, Léon Bérelle, Dominique Boidin, Alberto Mielgo, Maxime Luère, Andy Lyon, Robert Bisi, Dave Wilson, David Nicolas, Simon Otto, Damian Nenow, Laurent Nicolas, Kevin Van Der Meiren, Vitaliy Shushko, Owen Sullivan, István Zorkóczy, Javier Recio Gracia, Oliver Thomas
