Review: 'Love, Death + Robots Volume 4'
Angry aliens, megalomaniac cats, racing dinosaurs, titanic toddlers, and Dolphin Jesus—the adult animated anthology returns with another twisted batch of stories
We’re back in the strange, wonderful, hilarious, and often deeply unsettling world of Love, Death + Robots. Created by Tim Miller and David Fincher, along with a slew of wildly talented animation studios and directors, this sci-fi/horror anthology quickly made a name for itself with its stunning animation, dark humor, adult content, and unapologetically over-the-top violence in exploring a wide range of mature themes.
It’s a series I’ve followed since the first season—Volumes, as they’re called—dropped on Netflix back in 2019. I’ve always seen Love, Death + Robots as a playground for animation studios to experiment with story concepts that would otherwise be too niche, too expensive, or both, to ever make it as a feature film or full-blown series.
While each episode stands alone, usually running between five and twenty minutes, the show has gradually started weaving a kind of continuity between Volumes. Some stories return to familiar worlds, while others serve as direct sequels to earlier episodes. Volume 4, which adds ten new shorts ranging from the absurd and hilarious to the deeply disturbing, continues that trend.
Since Love, Death + Robots is an anthology, here’s my comment, or mini-review, of each of the episodes, along with the names of the studios behind them.
‘Can’t Stop’ (Blur Studio)
A unique spin on the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ legendary 2003 performance at Slane Castle in Ireland, this short reimagines band members Anthony Kiedis, Flea, Chad Smith, and John Frusciante as string puppets. It’s directed by David Fincher, who originally made his name directing music videos in the ’80s and early ’90s before moving on to unforgettable feature films.
Can’t Stop is exactly what it sounds like: a stylized music video built around Red Hot Chili Pepper’s live performance, with every person on screen suspended by strings. It’s fully animated, of course. At just around six minutes, it’s a brief but memorable opening. While it doesn’t explore the sci-fi or horror territory the series is known for, it works well as a warm-up. My recommendation? Watch this first, but only if you’re going straight into the next chapter.
‘Close Encounters of the Mini Kind’ (BUCK)
If you watched the previous Volume of Love, Death + Robots, you might remember the hilarious zombie apocalypse short, Night of the Mini Dead, which used tilt-shift techniques to make everything look adorably tiny, from the first bite of infection to hordes of rampaging undead wiping out civilization. Everyone spoke in sped-up gibberish, and the whole thing felt like watching the end of the world play out in a cursed model train set.
Well, Robert Bisi and Andy Lyon are back. This time, they’re tackling the alien invasion genre, paying tribute to every cliché and trope imaginable—from anal probes to towering tripods.
It’s every bit as ridiculous and delightful as it sounds. As with their previous entry, a mix of misunderstanding and human stupidity sets off the dominoes, and what follows is an escalating disaster that ends with, well, the end of everything. And I mean everything. All of it rendered in miniature chaos, with very cute little people getting absolutely obliterated. Approved!
‘Spider Rose’ (Blur Studio)
A return to the outer-space cyberpunk world of Swarm from Volume 3. Directed once again by Jennifer Yuh Nelson, this chapter drops us into a remote asteroid mining hub, where a cyber-enhanced Mechanist (voiced by Emily O’Brien) sits alone, grieving the loss of her husband.
When alien traders arrive to barter for a rare crystal, they offer her a strange pet that mimics the behavior of its owners. A bond quickly forms—but her past isn’t done with her. The Shaper assassin who killed her husband is coming, and she must defend both herself and her new companion until the traders return.
Unlike the first two entries in Volume 4, Spider Rose is gritty, brutal, and existential sci-fi. No jokes. No winks. Just atmosphere, tension, and violence. The animation is stunning, offering a glimpse into what feels like a much larger universe—one that, in another timeline, could easily have become a full-blown series of its own.
‘400 Boys’ (Passion Animation)
In a post-apocalyptic city, a new gang of supernatural street punks—the 400 Boys—rally the other gangs to fight for survival against a nightmarish threat: gigantic, bloodthirsty babies that look like they crawled straight out of Attack on Titan creator Hajime Isayama’s worst nightmares.
And yes, it sounds ridiculous. But 400 Boys is epic—one of the strongest entries in Volume 4. The animation is gorgeous, blending beauty and brutality in a bold, stylized aesthetic.
The voice cast is stacked: John Boyega, Ed Skrein, Dwane Walcott, Rahul Kohli, Pamela Nomvete, and Amar Chadha-Patel all bring the world to life. The episode is directed by Robert Valley, whose previous Love, Death + Robots short Ice won the Emmy for Outstanding Short Form Animation.
‘The Other Large Thing’ (AGBO)
In a run-down apartment block, a cat sits brooding and plotting world domination. Like a villain straight out of a Bond movie, he’s got the entire plan worked out—except for one tiny flaw: he doesn’t have thumbs.
But when his useless owners bring home a new household robot, everything changes. Not only does the robot have thumbs and an internet connection, but it also learns to understand the cat’s language and quickly recognizes its rightful master. The time has come for world... DOMINATION!
Directed by Patrick Osborne, The Other Large Thing is a beautifully animated and hilariously funny short. Chris Parnell voices the scheming cat, with John Oliver playing the robot, and Fred Tatasciore and Rachel Kimsey as the clueless owners, though they only speak in gibberish, since everything is told from the cat’s perspective, and the cat doesn’t “speak human.”
‘Golgotha’ (Luma Pictures)
Directed by Tim Miller, Golgotha is, if memory serves, the first fully live-action entry in Love, Death + Robots. Rhys Darby (What We Do in the Shadows, Our Flag Means Death) stars as a well-meaning vicar sent to negotiate with a delegation of deeply religious aliens who have landed on Earth to witness the rebirth of their messiah, as a dolphin.
Yes, Dolphin Jesus. Halleluja!
It’s a story about culture clashes, theology, and the limits of communication, especially when one species has tentacles. Framed as a surreal beachside dialogue between a human and an alien, the episode quietly picks apart the arbitrary rituals and sacred beliefs many of us cling to.
It’s a reminder that, from an outsider’s perspective, all religions sound completely absurd, and more often than not, end in misunderstanding, misery, and tears.
‘The Screaming of the Tyrannosaur’ (Blur Studio)
Directed by Tim Miller, this short takes place in the far future on a space station orbiting Jupiter, where decadent aristocrats gather to watch a savage bloodsport: genetically modified gladiators racing atop massive dinosaurs while battling each other to the death. Only one is meant to cross the finish line alive.
Like many Love, Death + Robots stories, it hints at a larger universe—but unlike the best entries, it never invites us to explore it. The focus is locked on the race itself, following a single contestant voiced by Bai Ling, with her inner monologue guiding the story. The only other speaking role belongs to influencer MrBeast, who plays the over-the-top race announcer.
Despite the show’s consistently high visual standards, The Screaming of the Tyrannosaur didn’t pull me in. It’s all surface, no depth—which is a shame, because the setting could’ve supported something far more imaginative. Easily one of the weaker entries in this Volume, in my opinion.
‘How Zeke Got Religion’ (Titmouse)
One of the stronger entries in Volume 4, How Zeke Got Religion takes us back to World War II, where we join the crew of a B-17 bomber on a high-risk mission over Europe. Their target: an old church where Nazi sorcerers are performing a profane ritual to summon an ancient evil.
Leaning heavily into horror, the short combines intense storytelling with a simpler 2D visual style that is more inspired by the graphic, stylized aesthetic of Mike Mignola’s Hellboy than the sleek CGI look common in much of Love, Death + Robots.
Based on a short story by John McNichol and directed by Diego Porral — who also served as lead animator on Kill Team Kill from Volume 3 — this one delivers on all fronts: strong voice work, buckets of gore, and good old-fashioned Nazi occult madness. Easily one of my favorites this time around.
‘Smart Appliances, Stupid Owners’ (Aaron Sims Creative)
And now for something completely different. This short, documentary-style episode imagines what would happen if household appliances could talk about their lives, struggles, joys, and fears. It’s as deliciously stupid as it sounds. What if the objects we take for granted could speak up about the things they’ve seen us do?
With an excellent voice cast including Melissa Villaseñor, Ronny Chieng, Amy Sedaris, Kevin Hart, Josh Brener, Nat Faxon, Niecy Nash-Betts, and Brett Goldstein, we hear from an air purifier, a waffle iron, a showerhead, a thermostat, an electric toothbrush, a Japanese toilet, a cat’s toilet, and a… ehm… toy for adults. Yeah… hmm…
‘For He Can Creep’ (Polygon Pictures Inc.)
Based on Siobhan Carroll’s short story of the same name, this tale is set in London in the year 1757. The cat Jeoffry and his feline companions must protect a mad poet (voiced by Jim Broadbent), locked away in an asylum, from none other than Satan himself (voiced by Dan Stevens). The Devil has come to manipulate the poet into writing a verse that could end the world.
Directed by Emily Dean and animated in a distinct, hand-drawn 2D style, For He Can Creep is one of my favorite entries in this Volume. It follows Jeoffry and the other cats as they wage a desperate battle against the Prince of Darkness. Heartbreaking, bleak, and at times surprisingly funny, it’s an excellent finale to Volume 4—and an absolute treat for cat lovers.
And there we go—another excellent Volume of Love, Death + Robots. From alien invasions and asteroid bases to household appliances, from cats battling Satan to cats plotting world domination, these ten episodes stay true to the style and quality we’ve come to expect from the series.
Whether you’re into the bleak and horrific or the absurd and gloriously stupid, there’s something here for everyone. Well, almost. These shorts deliver action, thrills, horror, and humor—often, but not always, with a touch of humanity.
And yes, it’s animated. But whatever you do, don’t park your 9-year-old in front of the screen. Some of these stories might scar them for life.
This is how I found out the 4th season dropped. Looking forward to watching then reading your review!