The successful exceptions
The fourth collection remains a bold meeting of animation, science fiction, fantasy and horror. Its strongest entries show how much atmosphere a short form can hold. How Zeke Got Religion combines war and the supernatural into a dark, forcefully directed trip; music, lighting and timing work convincingly together for me.
400 Boys stands out through its distinctive animation and dense, almost meditative mood. For He Can Creep works as an eccentric, poetic fantasy about a poet and his cat. These entries demonstrate that the series still has creative possibilities to explore.
Style is not enough
By contrast, the puppet music video Can’t Stop looks interesting to me but feels narratively aimless. Spider Rose disappoints through a story that is too flat and predictable. An ambitious starting idea and striking images do not automatically create a convincing development.
Golgotha, a live-action entry involving a priest and a messianic dolphin, also fails to deliver the impact of its unusual premise for me. Differences between shorts belong to the anthology format. This time, however, the distance between fascinating ideas and weaker storytelling feels particularly pronounced.
Verdict
Volume 4 confirms the artistic curiosity of Love, Death & Robots, but also its inconsistency. The visuals are often impressive; the storytelling does not consistently keep up. Fans will find memorable shorts, just fewer than I hoped. I would recommend the strongest entries without placing the entire collection at their level.