You shouldn't expect surprises from the 2nd season of "Love, Death and Robots", but animation lovers will love

The animated anthology published in 2019 “Love, death and robots"From Tim Miller and David Fincher instantly became almost the most talked about Netflix project. A selection of short stories on completely different topics amazed with each episode. And the variety of animation styles only emphasized the freshness of the presentation.

Work on the sequel dragged on. Oscar nominee Jennifer Yu Nelson, who directed two parts of Kung Fu Panda and worked as an artist in Madagascar, was invited to direct the production of the second season.

New episodes adequately pick up ideas from the first season. True, there are almost no surprises left in them: most of the plots look more philosophical than confusing. However, the variety of themes and forms captures in such a way that you can't stop watching.

Private stories and global problems

First of all, "Love, Death and Robots", as before, pleases with different themes. They can both talk about one event in the life of an ordinary person, and swing at philosophical questions about the very meaning of existence.

"Automated Customer Service" is about an old lady trying to deal with the strange behavior of her robot vacuum cleaner. The ending, of course, will bring everything into a comical grotesque. But the problem of the heroine will be understood by everyone who at least once fought with voice assistants, trying to get through to the support of some company.

And then there are several episodes about eternal life and sacrifices that people make in order to extend their own years. Then you can dive into childhood fears: many were afraid to get lost in the tall grass?

The great advantage of the production is that even the most ambitious and general is presented through the private perception of one person. So, a giant, even dying, is admirable against the background of ordinary people. And fantastic whales seem huge only next to adolescents who look at them.

The same is with the plots: the story of eternal life makes sense only if one of the heroes thinks about what it can be exchanged for. BUT horror stories they are scared when there is a very lively and understandable person in the frame with whom you can associate yourself.

Alas, there are almost no unexpected turns. The episodes "Beyond the Fissure Eagle" or "Costumes" from the first season in the finale turned the viewer's perception. There are almost no such stories in the continuation. It is more of a meditative sight.

Films of classics and different moods

The mood of the episodes jumps from parody to ideas that will make you want to stop watching and reflect on your own life. Moreover, it is precisely the switch between funny and sad that makes it possible to better perceive the series as a whole.

As in the first season, most of the scripts were adapted by Philip Jelatt, but the fundamentals are completely different. The authors refer both to the stories of little-known contemporaries and to the real classics of science fiction. The episode "Bunker" is based on the work of the great Harlan Ellison. The work of this writer is not the first time to get into teleanthology. It is on his works that some of the best episodes were filmed "Twilight Zone":" Demon with a Glass Hand "and" Soldier ".

Star Team, directed by Jennifer Yu Nelson herself, is filming a book by the equally famous Paolo Bachigalupi. And The Drowned Giant, directed by Tim Miller, is based on a philosophical story by James Ballard.

Each writer has his own storytelling style and ideas. Therefore, the film adaptation turned out to be very diverse. And given that Love, Death and Robots retains the format of short episodes (the longest episode is about 18 minutes, the shortest - 7), it turns into a concentrated outburst of emotions. Every story to the maximum eventful, there is simply no time left for water and boredom.

Familiar animations and new styles

And, of course, an equally recognizable feature of the series is the variety of visual presentation. With that, the second season is a little poorer, but only because of the small number of episodes.

The three episodes were again filmed by the American Blur Studio, which was founded by Tim Miller. In the first part, the studio was responsible for, for example, Werewolves and Sonny's Advantage. In the continuation of the work, these animators still look as realistic as possible. Unit Image, who previously filmed Beyond the Eagle's Fissure, has also returned.

Of course, everyone will recognize the graphics from Passion Animation Studios - the creators of Winter Blue. In the second season, their story is not so philosophical, but just as visually mesmerizing.

Several newcomers were also invited. Of these, I would like to highlight the British Axis Animation with the episode "Tall Grass", which looks both 3D-animation and a classic hand-drawn picture.

Note that not only the variety of styles is important in the project, but also their correspondence to the plots. The grotesque cartoony of the “Throughout the House” series immediately hints at an almost childish story, and the angular figures and cold tones of “Ice” - at the sharpness of the plot.

And in addition to the colorful animation, there are many pleasant references for fans of fantasy and horror: they remember "Alien", "Pan's Labyrinth", "Blade Runner"And other classics. It seems to emphasize the heredity of both ideas and visual presentation.

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The series Love, Death and Robots has already become synonymous with philosophical and social fiction along with Black Mirror, which, by the way, is also produced by Netflix. The project is good in a free format: the authors just need to find an interesting source, invite talented animators and give a fresh portion of the stories. With the second part it turned out quite well.

Viewers can be upset by only a small number of episodes. But, most likely, this is due to the formats that the platform is promoting: the seasons of many projects are now divided into two parts. This was done with "Lupine"," Lucifer "and many others. The sequel has been in development for more than two years, and it is highly likely that the authors simply stocked up on a few short films. The series has not yet been officially renewed, but hardly anyone doubts that the project will remain with the viewer for a long time.