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diff --git a/source/blog/2024/love-death-robots-vol1/index.md b/source/blog/2024/love-death-robots-vol1/index.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..dd66d94 --- /dev/null +++ b/source/blog/2024/love-death-robots-vol1/index.md @@ -0,0 +1,527 @@ +--- +title: "A critique of Love, Death & Robots Vol. 1" +date: 2024-01-04 +layout: "blog" +toc: true +--- + +And now for something completely different! + +I recently watched the first volume of the Netflix series *Love, Death & Robots*. +I really want to talk about it, and there's nothing you can do to stop me. + +In case you haven't heard, +*Love, Death & Robots* is a science-fiction animated anthology series for adults, +of which the first volume of episodes was released in 2019. +There are spoilers here, so I recommend that you watch it for yourself first. +There's enough good stuff to make it worth your time, +especially considering it's a lot shorter than most series on Netflix. + + + +## Introduction + +I'm happy something like this exists. +Many writers and designers have good ideas, +but making a memorable feature-length movie or show +requires *so many* good ideas +(ideally with a consistent style and quality) +that it's very difficult for smaller teams to pull off. +A sci-fi anthology series is the perfect testbed for ideas +that would otherwise never reach a wide audience. + +The downsides of anthology series are their hit-or-miss quality, +and limited time for "TV basics" to get the viewer invested, +e.g. in-depth characterization and complex intriguing plots. +That said, even for the weaker episodes, I find the short format +still makes me feel a kind of connection to the team: +with their limited resources and abilities, +they decided to focus on *this* instead of *that*. +Those personal touches are often drowned out in bigger productions. + +This intimacy can even make some episodes feel like school projects, +but make no mistake: *Love, Death & Robots* has a Netflix-sized budget +and is made by experienced professionals. +Some of the animation actually looks so good that in *Ice Age* +(the only live-action episode) +I needed a minute to convince myself it *wasn't* CGI. +Crossing the [uncanny valley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncanny_valley) +is no small feat! + +And of course, a show made by professionals +deserves to be critiqued accordingly. + + + +## About the mature content + +Many episodes focus heavily on action, and include a lot of gore. +Such mature content is typical in sci-fi stories, +but I would've liked a bit more variety; +some episodes are *only* action. + +And then there's the other kind of mature content, the sexual kind. +This show *loves* nudity and suggestiveness, +and uses them to the point of damaging the experience. +It's so prevalent that it must come directly from the show's core team, +there's no other explanation. +Not all the nudity is sexual, +but in those cases I still have to ask whether it's necessary. +It reduces the signal-to-noise ratio of the affected episodes +without adding anything valuable. + +I'm not raising this issue to say "yuck"; I think that kind of content has its place. +But here it isn't just unnecessary and distracting, it's also discomforting: +*Love, Death & Robots* has one of the most blatant cases +of [male gaze](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Male_gaze) I've ever seen. +I'm a member of the target demographic (read: straight men), +and I wouldn't call myself a radical feminist, +but even my testosterone-addled brain quickly said "enough already" +way too often while watching Volume 1. + +You might disagree, and say I'm being too prudish or reading into it too much, +but it's a fact that it affected my experience, +so I'll be including it in my criticisms of certain episodes. + + + +## The episodes + +Let's go through all of Volume 1's episodes one by one. +I'll say some words about each along the way, and give a score. +Note that the scores are normalized, +so the 1-star episodes are the worst of this volume in my opinion, +but that doesn't mean they're bad; I couldn't do it better myself! +Furthermore, I've tried to distribute the scores uniformly across the 18 shorts. + + + +### Group 1: comedy + +The following six episodes are notable +for trying to be funny as their core objective. +For a writer, comedy is always dangerous: if their jokes don't work, +they're just left with a messy story that's unlikely to impress the audience. +Every viewer has a unique taste, so the experience will generally be mixed, +and that's indeed my opinion of these six. + + + +#### Alternate Histories + +Brief but very entertaining. +The humor maybe gets a bit too absurd for my taste, +but it certainly has its moments, +and the jokes that don't land lead to other jokes that do. +This episode's use of sexuality immediately brings us +to the series' obsession with mature content, +but honestly, in this case, it's a pretty good fit for the madness of it all... +although I never would've expected I'd enjoy a scene +where a 19-year-old future dictator (*that* one) dies of good sex... +and I can't believe that I actually wrote those words, wow. + +The graphics are simple but functional, +and are a good fit for the tech commercial the episode presents itself as. +All in all, this is an excellent video, +and exactly what I'd wish for in a (mostly) humorous anthology series like this. +Let's see if the next one is as good, shall we? + +**Verdict:** ★★★★☆ + + + +#### Ice Age + +Oh dear. +These are the quality variations I'd expect from an anthology, but still... +The premise is so bizarre that it totally failed to capture my imagination, +and this is the only episode that relies on live-action footage like this, +making it feel cheap compared to the rest of Volume 1. +The acting isn't very good either, appearing rather lifeless, +further ruining the attempts at humor. + +That's not to say it's all bad; it isn't. +The CGI parts are well done: there are some nice touches, +like the flashes of green along the great Brussels sprout quarry, +and how the actors' faces are frozen in time +when we see the miniature construction workers' perspective. +But those aren't enough to make me enjoy myself, +so this ends up being a disappointment. + +**Verdict:** ★☆☆☆☆ + + + +#### Sucker of Souls + +Simply failed to entertain me. It tries to be an action story, +but it never takes itself seriously, so I can't either, +and the raunchy jokes didn't even work on me, leaving... not much, plot-wise. +I feel bad about being so critical: +it was clearly made by a highly competent team, +but I kept checking the progress bar the first time I watched it, +which is pretty damning. + +Graphically, the artstyle is also one of the weakest of the season. +Again, clearly some talented illustrators put a lot of work into it +(as far as I can tell, the whole thing was drawn by hand), +but compared to its "competitors" with high-quality CGI and/or inspired art direction, +this episode comes across as pretty basic. + +**Verdict:** ★☆☆☆☆ + + + +#### The Dump + +Same issue as the previous two episodes: I wasn't entertained. +Since I'm a European, maybe jokes about hillbillies don't tickle me +as much as they would an American audience? I'm just guessing. +Graphically, this is an upgrade over the previous two, +but apart from that I really don't have much to say. +The mature content is a bit over the top, +but for a comedy it's not too bad. + +**Verdict:** ★★☆☆☆ + + + +#### Three Robots + +This is currently listed as the first episode on Netflix, +which I think they did to make the most of the "gotcha" opening scene, +but it's also a great introduction to the series. +The graphical quality initially surprised me, +since I was expecting something with a lower budget, +and the tongue-in-cheek writing warms the viewer to Philip Gelatt's style. + +I think this episode's humor is a bit too self-aware for its own good +(and also too self-aware about being self-aware), +so I didn't find it particularly funny, +but I was entertained and intrigued enough to continue watching. +All in all, this is actually a mediocre episode, +but I'm glad I saw it first. + +**Verdict:** ★★★☆☆ + + + +#### When the Yogurt Took Over + +Short and delightful. +Of all episodes, this one feels most like a school project, +like some students just wanted to make something simple but funny, +and at that they definitely succeeded. +This is the only episode whose humor fully worked on me, +since it mostly avoids the "non sequitur trap" the others fell into... +although *"we want Ohio"* was pretty hilarious. +The graphics work well for the light-hearted theme; +especially the spaceships' shape is a brilliant touch. +A great episode. + +**Verdict:** ★★★★★ + + + +### Group 2: action + +These six episodes clearly belong to the action genre, +meaning they try to entertain the audience with violent spectacles +instead of, say, thought-provoking storytelling. +Consequently, I don't have too much interesting to say about any of them. +They generally look great, but are unfortunately quite forgettable +since they mostly consist of action tropes. + + + +#### Blindspot + +This one was surprisingly nostalgic to watch, +because the artstyle reminded me of some of the cartoons I watched as a kid. +Like the other episodes in this group, its plot is pretty basic, +but it deserves credit for the final twist, which I didn't see coming, +although it doesn't have such a big impact on the story. +The graphics are *Blindspot*'s saving grace, +as I now remember this as "that episode with the nice cartoon action". +Without that, it would be fairly generic. + +**Verdict:** ★★★★☆ + + + +#### Lucky 13 + +This is the only episode where I recognized one of the actors they used as models +(Samira Wiley from *Orange Is the New Black*), +and that's honestly the main thing I remember about this episode. +It's a standard action plot brought to life with realistic CGI. +The execution is as excellent as you'd expect from this series, +but the simple story makes the experience forgettable. +I like how they left the ship's implied sentience unspoken, +and the total lack of raunchiness was refreshing. + +**Verdict:** ★★☆☆☆ + + + +#### Shape-Shifters + +The plot is pretty empty, relying on military clichés +rather than exploring its one interesting idea: werewolves in modern times. +As a result, it ends up in the "boring story" bucket. +Compared to the other episodes in a similar situation, +*Shape-Shifters*' art direction fails to offer any redemption: +this is Blur Studio's weakest showing in Volume 1. +They went for a realistic style, but the drab military props are uninspiring, +and the result ends up looking too much like a video game (in a bad way), +as if their render settings were too low, especially in the first half. +I'd even go so far as saying this episode should've been cut, +since Volume 1 could use a diet anyway. + +**Verdict:** ★☆☆☆☆ + + + +#### Sonnie's Edge + +This one is interesting to me, because it's trying to be progressive +by establishing that Sonnie is the only female pilot and the best of them all. +But despite that, the episode still suffers from a male gaze, +like there's a kind of clumsiness to its feminism: +at first, it lets Sonnie be defined by her trauma as a rape victim, +and then places her in a lesbian scene that's clearly aimed at male viewers. +But in the end it turns out her trauma isn't her "edge" after all! +So... the joke is on me, I guess?! I'm left scratching my head. + +That confusion is a shame, because otherwise this episode would be fantastic. +Visually, it looks awesome with its well-executed cyberpunk style, +and I can't imagine how much work went into the main fight scene. +The story also manages to be stronger than most other episodes', +some of it just needed to be toned down a bit in my opinion, that's all. + +**Verdict:** ★★★★☆ + + + +#### Suits + +In CGI, I think a stylized look is harder to pull off than realism, +as it requires a more pronounced artistic vision. +This episode has good art direction: +its painted visuals are a great fit for the rural theme and are executed well. +But sadly, the artists' talent is weighed down by a framerate +so low that it kept distracting me, and I don't get why it's like that. +Is it deliberate? +I'd be surprised if it's due to technical limitations, +because I believe the scenes consist of shaded 3D models? + +I don't have much to say about this episode's storytelling, +because it's a cookie-cutter action plot with familiar tropes. +In a format like this, +there's no time to make the viewer care about the death of a character, +so it doesn't have the emotional kick I think they were aiming for. +That's not to say that the writing is bad: +the scarecrow's thread is pretty well done in fact. +But again, it's nothing special, so the story gets a resounding shrug from me. + +**Verdict:** ★★★☆☆ + + + +#### The Secret War + +This one was developed by Digic Pictures, +who are known for making cinematic trailers for video games +including *Elden Ring* and the *Assassin's Creed* series. +Clearly, they're experienced at making exciting short-form action content, and it shows: +a condensed cut of this episode could easily be a trailer for an upcoming game. +Furthermore, the fact that I've seen their work before +means the graphics feel familiar (in a good way). +Even if you haven't, this is still top-notch CGI. + +However, the plot is roughly what you'd expect from a trailer. +It's a collection of scenes that look cool, +but there's not much substance behind them. +Maybe I'm being too harsh, +but this episode is up against many others with good CGI and decent plots, +so unfortunately it lands quite low down in my ranking of Volume 1. + +**Verdict:** ★★☆☆☆ + + + +### Group 3: other + +I struggled to categorize the remaining six episodes, +which are a mix of thriller, drama, and more abstract themes. +Being hard to classify is a good thing, +because it means there's more creativity here! +Indeed, as a result, I ended up enjoying this group the most by far. + + + +#### Beyond the Aquila Rift + +Truly, an episode of extremes: +it has probably the best CGI of the whole season, +but is held back by a plot with more holes than any other. +Why doesn't Suzy react at first to Greta not being real? +Actually, why does she react at all, +since she's a figment of the simulation under Greta's control? +Also, why is alien Greta doing this at all? +The plot twist that it's all just a dream isn't so original either... +And at the end, aren't Thom and Greta in the cold vacuum of space? Oops! + +It also suffers from being one of the worst offenders +regarding the aforementioned male gaze. +Sorry I keep bringing it up, but it feels like +the creators just really wanted to include a showy sex scene +with little thought about its role in the bigger picture. +While it doesn't actively harm the story, +it also doesn't add anything valuable, +only titillating the (male) audience. + +All that being said, it's worth repeating just how good the CGI is: +it took me several minutes to convince myself it wasn't real. +They're obviously using motion capture for the animations, +but adding so much detail the 3D models can't have been automatic, surely? +I'm blown away, but it doesn't save the episode as a whole. + +**Verdict:** ★★☆☆☆ + + + +#### Fish Night + +Didn't impress me the first time, +but the second time I appreciated it a lot more. +It's a compelling question, what the world might look like +if we could see the ghosts of prehistoric creatures, +and they've brought this idea to life brilliantly. +Setting the episode in a desert that once was a seabed was a good choice, +as seeing the colorful spirits floating through the air is more evocative. + +The simplicity of the premise leaves room +for better characterization than most other episodes can afford, +but the crescendo is so short that I'm left wondering what the point was. +I still feel like the first half accentuates the second half's beauty, +but I can't explain why, since they're barely related to each other... +I think this is evidence of a good artist's magic touch. + +That's a lot of praise, right? +Unfortunately, the full package still failed to wow me. +It's yet another episode with great graphics but little substance. + +**Verdict:** ★★★☆☆ + + + +#### Good Hunting + +This is almost my favorite episode of Volume 1, +surpassed only by *Zima Blue*. +Both rely heavily on narration to describe events over a large timespan, +making the story feel a lot more "epic", which I really enjoy. +The flow of themes feels very natural, +smoothly moving from Chinese mythology, +to an unlikely friendship, +then to survival in a changing world, +and finally to revenge. + +I'd also say that the nudity here is more tasteful than in other episodes, +although the male gaze is definitely still there, +and you can again argue that it's all unnecessary. +The cartoon style softens the sexual content's impact, +and generally looks great, although the characters' noses can look a bit weird. +I find it difficult to express why I like this episode so much, +so I'll stop myself here and hope that you watch it too one day. + +**Verdict:** ★★★★★ + + + +#### Helping Hand + +Conservation of momentum: the movie. +This episode is the epitome of a simple idea executed well, +managing to be way more thrilling than many other more complex episodes. +The dangers of space debris, our helplessness in zero-g, +the body horror of *127 Hours*, and the inevitable puns are a great combination. +However, it doesn't really try to do anything new +with its realistic visual style and less-is-more story. +That lack of true originality costs it the last star. + +**Verdict:** ★★★★☆ + + + +#### The Witness + +Quality-wise, this episode is similar to *Beyond the Aquila Rift*, +which suffered from a weak plot and a strong male gaze. +*The Witness* manages to be even guiltier on both counts, +clearly prioritizing *looking good* over *making sense*, +and having the largest amount of nudity of any episode +(but only of females, of course). + +But wow, does it look good! +The art direction is stunning and highly original, +breathing life into an oppressive industrial metropolis +and a claustrophobic fetish club. +If you pay attention, you'll see some nice touches, +like how the camera steams up during a closeup of the dancer. +A style so far from reality makes it all the more engrossing to watch. + +But nice visuals aren't enough for me. +The plot doesn't make any sense +(especially since I've also experienced *good* time loops +like *Outer Wilds* and *Edge of Tomorrow*), +and the story's tension could easily be partially resolved +if the characters would just talk instead of staring. + +**Verdict:** ★★★☆☆ + + + +#### Zima Blue + +*Zima Blue* is by far my favorite episode of all of Volume 1. +Good art is difficult to explain; +this feels like art, and I can't really explain why. +It feels "complete": both literally (all its parts are sufficient together) +and in a more profound sense (all parts are necessary). +I've surprised myself with how I'm gushing praise over a short cartoon, +although I'm struggling to express why... +Clearly it really struck me in a way I don't fully understand. + +The heavily stylized graphics are expertly executed, +and elevate the experience with a lot of visual drama. +But the real star here must be the voice acting: at one point, +there's this subtle tremble in Claire's narration, +as if she can't contain her awe while recounting Zima's epic existence, +whereas his wisened voice is steady in contrast. +Maybe it won't work for you, but my God, it did for me! +Wonderful, simply wonderful. + +**Verdict:** ★★★★★ + + + +## Conclusion + +*Love, Death & Robots*' first volume was a surprisingly pleasant experience. +I love how they gave big budgets and a lot of creative freedom to smaller teams, +which would normally be competitors of Blur Studio (the series' parent studio). +This approach resulted in a diverse range of well-produced episodes, +with some expected hit-or-miss moments. +As other critics have already pointed out, +the sexual content is the series' only consistent issue. +Nevertheless, I highly recommend it! + +Writing this critique was an interesting experiment. +It was surprisingly hard to form and express my opinions about all the episodes, +as opposed to just talking about a few highs and lows. +Along the way, I've learned more about what I like and don't like in movies. +And it turns out that I may have a soft spot for anthology series, +so I suppose I should critique Volume 2 next... + |