Tim Miller and David Fincher’s animated anthology series Love, Death & Robots returns to Netflix for a fourth season, and it confirms something cat owners have suspected for a while: They are indeed trying to conquer humanity. The Emmy-winning series remains true to form with stunning creativity, fantastic black humour and genuine surprises that illustrate the series’ evolution. Not every segment is outstanding, but there are no stinkers in the bunch.

 

Close Encounters of the Mini Kind challenges viewers with a hilarious alien invasion told from a unique perspective: Imagine if Independence Day and War of the Worlds were fought by sped-up figurines. In this segment, creators Robert Bisi and Andy Lyon get big laughs through human stupidity in a knockdown-funny eight minutes. The animation is spectacular, unique, and perfect for the subject. (Let’s just say the alien probes do exactly what you’re thinking they will.)

Badass cats also take centre stage in The Other Large Thing as Sanchez, a cat hellbent on world domination, finally gets the missing piece of his diabolical plan. Sanchez’s mews and purrs mask his distaste for the grotesque and slovenly creatures who aren’t feeding him tuna for every meal, but their new robot servant can understand him — and isn’t fond of how he’s treated. What happens next isn’t pretty, and serves as a warning to every cat owner: Keep an eye on those kitties, because they’re up to no good.

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For He Can Creep is set in London, 1757, and also features an epic battle of furballs versus evil. Dan Stevens voices Jeoffrey the cat, whose distraught poet owner has caught Satan’s eye. But the Prince of Darkness did not expect such a formidable enemy. Director Emily Dean delivers incredible animation in a sharp finale, as Satan and his cat nemeses change shape in a vicious battle. It’s a violent entry, but it also sneaks in a few good chuckles.

 

Humanity’s arrogance, foolishness and cruelty are repeatedly addressed in season four. Episode 6, Golgotha, has Miller directing Rhys Darby as a nervous priest who’s been chosen to address alien visitors who look like squids wearing mechanised suits. They’re deeply religious beings who are searching the galaxy for a messiah, and their chosen saviour isn’t fond of humanity, to put it mildly. Darby’s fear, bewilderment and eventual acceptance of fate mirror his character’s crisis of religious belief.

 

Miller has two other shorts in Love, Death & Robots Volume Four. They’re both well-made, but don’t have the impact or comedy of the best entries. 400 Boys features John Boyega, leading a voice cast of disparate teams facing their biggest threat ever in a post-apocalyptic world. The 400 Boys are basically giant babies stomping rivals into goo, and the lighting and shading of the 2D animation are masterful. There are rich characterisations and bloody action, but the overall story doesn’t have much depth.

 

The same can be said about Miller’s The Screaming of the Tyrannosaur. The motion capture CGI episode stars YouTuber Mr. Beast in a futuristic “bread and circus” display, in which Miller transposes Roman classicism to a space station above Jupiter. Plebeians race to the death while riding dinosaurs, while wealthy patricians watch from hovering platforms without a care about the suffering and carnage below. This segment has the most cinematic production values of the season, especially in a climactic scene where gladiators ride a triceratops and a tyrannosaurus rex into bloody combat.

 

Finally, the penultimate Smart Appliances, Stupid Owners, adds to the laughs by telling its story from the perspective of our gadgets. Each appliance spouts a line or two of dialogue: The smart toilet isn’t happy after taco night, for example, and a vibrator is confounded by its purpose. The CGI animation mimics Claymation and achieves the effect while also being understated. This short is packed with celebrity voice-overs from the likes of Ronny Chieng, Amy Sedaris and Kevin Hart, but it needs more time to develop.

 

Boluwatife Adesina
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Boluwatife Adesina is a media writer and the helmer of the Downtown Review page. He’s probably in a cinema near you.