Love, Death and Robots (Netflix)

[shevek]

Nobody's posted about this yet, I guess? Got recommendations from a couple different sources for this series, so I figured I'd check it out.

The main premise is that it's a series of animated short films in the spirit of the 80s Heavy Metal magazine. Animated sci-fi comic books, basically.
Heavy on the gore and titillation, from what I understand, with a bit of the same kind of twists and turns and societal commentary as Black Mirror.

From what I've also heard, Netflix has as many as four different episode orders they are trying out..and some feel that what episodes they are shown is based on the company's demographic analysis, based on factors like whether the viewer is gay/straight, male/female, white/black, etc. Netflix admits the different orders but denies that it's based on any of that. Regardless, the situation itself 'mirrors' the kind of corporate mind-fuck that you see on shows like Black Mirror.

Anyway, the first episode I saw was "Sonnie's Edge" (let me know if that was your first experience as well). Since each episode is disconnected - different stories, made by different animators - each can be judged as self-contained on its own merit as a short film.

This episode is basically a rape revenge tale, bolstered by some gore (lots of bloody monster guts) and titillation (a tempting lesbian tryst which turns awry). The episode gives off a vibe of Bladerunner meets Thunderdome, and the gladiatorial combat aspect has some coincidental similarities to the recent Alita Battle Angel movie. The main protagonist is essentially Tank Girl (Sonnie) controlling a Xenomorph (Khanivore). The ending could have been brutal but it turns out to be rather triumphant.

Thoughts?

[TIEnTEEZ]

I reluctantly started watching this series a couple of days ago. I say reluctantly, because I could tell it was going to be gratuitously vulgar (and I was right).

I think I've watched maybe 4 or 5 of them so far. They are very short (under 20 minutes each) and they vary wildly in style and content. The first one (yes, it was Sonny's Edge for me, as well) is very dark. The second one is very light-hearted and comedic about a trio of robots who are on a sort've vacation tour of the ruins of human civilization. I just watched one about alien bug-monsters invading a farmstead guarded by farmers in battle-mechs. It was, by far, the best one so far. Very exciting, and sorta reminded me of Pacific Rim.

Lots of people are comparing it to black mirror, but other than both being sci-fi anthologies, I see very little resemblance. I haven't seen much in the way of social commentary, either.

The one thing that bugs me is that the vulgarity is still occasionally jarring. I don't mind profanity or sex (obviously, since I frequent this forum). But I hate when it's done deliberately just for shock value. In, I think, the 4th episode, one of the character says "You wanna see some PUSSY!" and he blasts out the word "pussy" like we are all supposed to be bowled over by the fact that he used a dirty word in a cartoon and it just made me cringe. Its cheap and stupid.

But overall, I have to say I am enjoying most of the shows. At least the ones I have seen so far. They are fun and quick.

[Dogfish]

Reminds me of the Animatrix. The efforts at shock value put me off though. To paraphrase Yoda, Do Or Do Not, There Is No Tryhard.

[tallyho]

To paraphrase Yoda, Do Or Do Not, There Is No Tryhard.

Bruce Willis might disagree