Love, Death and Robots Volume 4 Review

After a three-year break, a fourth volume of Love, Death and Robots has landed, bringing ten new short stories from the biggest animation studios. As always, I’m reviewing each episode one by one...

“Can’t Stop”

Directed by David Fincher and animated by Blur Studio

A Red Hot Chilli Peppers concert is converted into puppets on strings. This is the shortest and weakest opening episode, not just for this volume but the entire series. Aside from the detailed animations and varied movements, nothing really happens here. It’s just a tribute piece with a couple of crude moments thrown in. Fans of the band may get a kick out of the conversion, but going to see a real concert would be much better.

Rating: 1.5/5 Stars - Steer well clear

“Close Encounters of the Mini Kind”

Directed by Robert Bisi & Andy Lyon and animated by Buck)

A deadly war between humanity and alien invaders is presented in miniature form. This short is a successor to “Night of the Mini-Dead” and it maintains the same strengths. The high-pitched voices are amusing and the effect of the ray-guns are well-done, resulting in another crazy climax. It’s a simple but effective short that condenses a wider war down to seven minutes. It also throws in some adult humour for good measure.

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars - Another good effort from Buck

“Spider Rose”

Directed by Jennifer Yuh Nielson and animated by Blur Studio

A solitary cyborg forms a bond with a cute alien creature to take on her enemies. My personal favourite of the fourth volume, Jennifer Yuh Nielson once again shows her skill in atmosphere and emotion. The lighting, facial expressions and setting are beautifully detailed with the small creature being an endearing highlight. There’s also a great contrast between companionship and ruthlessness as the cyborg’s hideout is invaded. Emily O’Brien does a great job in the lead role.

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars - The finest effort in volume 4

“400 Boys”

Directed by Robert Valley and animated by Passion Animation Studios

In an apocalyptic cityscape, a small band of gifted fighters take on giant homicidal babies. John Boyega and Ed Skrein bring some gruff personalities to this story with some stylised art work to boot. There’s plenty of intrigue to the future world with several groups teaming up to battle the greater threat. When the action does kick it, things get chaotic and bloody; overall, a solid episode all around.

Rating: 4/5 Stars - Well worth a watch

“The Other Large Thing”

Directed by Patrick Osborne and animated by AGBO

A cat teams up with a communicative robot assistant for world domination. This quirky tale puts the voices of Chris Parnell and John Oliver front and centre; Parnell as a pompous cat looking to best his lazy owners and Oliver as the always obliging machine. The cat model is incredibly detailed while the robot is smoothly animated. The episode could have gone further by showing a larger-scale uprising, but what’s here is still very enjoyable.

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars – The personality of this short is the biggest highlight

“Golgotha”

Directed by Tim Miller and animated by Luma Pictures

A priest is brought to a beach to negotiate the arrival of an aquatic alien race. This is a rare case of LDR combining live-action and CGI which works well enough. The aliens have some interesting designs as they rise from the ocean. Sadly, that’s all this short has to offer with a thin plot and a group of extras running around. Much more depth was needed to make Golgotha work; instead it’s an episode you’ll quickly move on from.

2/5 Stars: The most forgettable entry of the set.

“The Screaming of the Tyrannosaur”

Directed by Tim Miller and animated by Blur Studio

Genetically enhanced humans race dinosaurs in a battle to the death at the behest of their rich overlords. Surprisingly this episode features MrBeast voicing the main announcer of the gladiatorial combat, is this a subtle jab at his ultra-rich ways? In any case, the set-piece of giant dinosaurs and humans trading blows in a circular arena is executed brilliantly. The fight choreography is on top form and the theme of humans feeling at one with the beasts drives the story home. Bai Ling conveys a lot of emotion in her native Mandarin.

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars – A weighty and powerful episode

“How Zeke Got Religion”

Directed by Diego Porral and animated by Titmouse

The crew of a B-29 Super Fortress face a deadly threat on a European mission in World War Two. This one is brutally effective with comic-book style animation and some gruesome deaths. Having the deadly menace attack mid-flight really amps up the tension and the use of the occult ties in brilliantly with the time period. The desperation and horror is razor-sharp and there are just enough differences between the airmen to set them apart. It takes the tension of a real dogfight and combines it with an imaginative dose of horror.

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars – One of the best episodes of the volume

“Smart Appliances, Stupid Owners”

Directed by Patrick Osborne and animated by The Aaron Sims Company

Various technical devices with artificial intelligence comment on the annoying actions of their owners. From a smart toothbrush to a toilet, each of the devices has a bone to pick with their human overlords which results in some witty dialogue similar to Creature Comforts. Other than that, it’s a rather hollow episode without much in the way of narrative. It doesn’t outstay its welcome, but this short is one you can skip without missing much.

Rating: 2.5/5 Stars – A small and insignificant offering

“For He Can Creep”

Directed by Emily Dean and animated by Polygon Pictures

Based on a short story by Siobhan Carroll, a lowly band of cats battle Lucifer to save a lowly prisoner from selling his soul. This final short embraces the gothic style with some distinctive voices for each character. Dan Stevens, JB Blanc, Jim Broadbent and others all deliver some great voice work. The art style is bold and vibrant, leaning into cell-shading and the best bits are when Lucifer transforms into a demonic form. Making use of the spiritual and supernatural, this is a fine way to close out volume 4.

Rating: 4/5 – Great animation and sharp voice acting make this one a winner.

As with every season, Love, Death and Robots has a couple of dud episodes on the way through, but the whole package remains highly entertaining. Bringing in a wide range of talent for both voice acting and animation has always been a central part of its success. Clocking in at just over an hour in total, every viewer will find a short that clicks.

Overall Rating: 4/5 Stars - Great

My video reviews for the first three volumes can be viewed below:

Volume 1 (11th April 2019): https://youtu.be/WjWK1TZA1bw?si=NKhTB2UNQcpHsHOG

Volume 2 (27th May 2021): https://youtu.be/8A64x6jDUIs?si=KPaT1uFfhn3pY19v

Volume 3 (26th May 2022): https://youtu.be/99NQcGU8oGw?si=LXyTzwL-ZgE8o7ZW