Like nothing, I’m glad to see you again for a new set of animated short films showcasing studio talent. Love, Death + Robots season 3 here we are, let’s get back to our good old habits by listing the episodes (9 in number) with a little notice for each.
1. The Three Bots: Exit Strategy
Three Robots: Exit Strategies
We saw our three friendly robots from season 1 of their post-apocalyptic exploration of our planet, when humans failed to survive despite their attempts. Survivalism, shelter at sea or flying into space, the solutions are nothing short of amazing. An easy and enjoyable stage to get the situation back on track.
2. Bad Trip
Bad Travel
The thanapod (giant crustacean) sows terror on a fishing boat by devouring its crew. The intelligent creature asked to be taken to an island.
Problems, betrayal, rebellion, sacrifice … in this episode directed by David Fincher, the viewer’s heart changes as morality disappears. We stayed a little hungry in the end.
3. The Hard Pulse of the Machine
The Excellent Pulse Machine
An astronaut tried to return to his ship after an accident aboard his Rover, about forty kilometers away. On the way home, he has to seek treatment to keep himself healthy, but can create hallucinations.
First disappointment of the season with this episode whose graphic beauty fails to hide the poverty of the scenery. We come out with more questions than answers, poetry doesn’t forgive everyone.
4. The Night of the Little Dead
Night of the Mini Dead
Genesis and epilogue of a zombie apocalypse. And the second disappointment in a row in this story is that nothing is brought up.
5. Quick, far away!
Patyon, Team, Patyon
A group of GIs find themselves confronted by a grizzly-robot-killer (or badger) that seems uncontrollable.
A stage-release with big muscles, big words, and big artillery. Zero dose of intelligence, we shake our heads like our heroes shake their magazines. Not bad, but easily forgotten as seen.
6. The Flock
proliferation
In space, two scientists study a “flock”: a colony of creatures divided into different castes perfectly organized around a queen. But one of the two scientists has plans for humanity, inspired by this crowd …
An interesting scenario, but fortunately this episode isn’t too close to episode 2 (bad trip) because there are many similarities (creatures similar to intelligent crustaceans, their way of “interacting” with humans…). Worse: it’s the same studio (Blur Studio) for both episodes. In short, a sense of deja vu.
7. Mason Rats
Mason’s Rats
Rats (intelligent, again) invaded Mason’s barn. The latter decides to equip himself with the robot deratizer (s). A war broke out. A beautiful episode, with nothing transcendent, but with an interesting background. The screenplay would have been even deeper.
8. In the Darkness of the Depths
In Vaulted Halls Buried
A special unit of soldiers must release a hostage imprisoned in a cave. Very quickly, the unit discovered that the hostage and his captors had been killed. And it was too late to get out of the cave.
Admittedly, a lot of interesting aspects were covered in this season 3, but still touched. Paradoxically here, we are still on top of things.
9. Jibaro
Jibaro
The final episode is rather a fable, like season 2. Reminiscent of Homer’s Odyssey when Odysseus and his crew encounter the Sirens, here it is a group of conquistadors, advancing through the forest, who fell under the grasp of a creature (covered in gold. and jewels) that lived in a lake and whose cries pushed people to kill each other. Only one was unaffected: Jibaro, who was deaf. For Jibaro, the creature (and especially its wealth) became a matter of desire.
If this episode is compelling, it’s all through its technique, with a strange realism. We also appreciate the poetic part of it, as well as a certain respect for Nature. Everything seems to be back to normal at the end of the season, like at the end of the season.
With this new batch, Love, Death + Robots has little effect. Not always lovenot always robotspero naa lagi death. One might think about maintaining this one element. But in the end we avoid, to keep the spirit of the series: easy to see, easy to forget.