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The Love, Death + Robots franchise has lent its name to some of the most and least interesting animated science fiction, horror, and off-the-wall content. The newest collection comes courtesy of some beloved creators, studios, and performers, and lands with what might be the best selections thus far.

Previous seasons of Love, Death + Robots have been plagued by hit-and-miss presentation, often criticized for gratuitous immaturity in place of actual depth. At its best, however, the franchise has created some truly unique pieces of art that felt like they couldn't have appeared anywhere else. On balance, this collection doesn't find the perfect apotheosis of the format as the first did in "Zima Blue", nor the strange quiet genius of "The Drowned Giant", but it also stays out of the pitfalls of "Fish Night". With nine wildly different new stories, each deserves its own discussion.

RELATED: Love, Death + Robots: 5 Of The Best Episodes From Seasons 1 And 2

"Three Robots: Exit Strategies"

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The return of K-VRC, XBOT 4000, and 11-45-G was unquestionably one of the most hotly anticipated aspects of this collection. The stars of the franchise's best comedy effort to date, "Three Robots" get the first-ever sequel in the form of "Exit Strategies". The trio continues their journey across the blasted wasteland that's left after humanity's untimely demise, studying the downfall of man to learn from their mistakes. This time, the cold logical eyes of the machines scrutinize the efforts of humans to outwit their eventual death. Prepper communities, seasteading efforts, and the typical escape to other worlds are the targets of mockery. While most of the jabs aren't anything new, they are still very funny and incisive. The three robots return in top form for another solid nihilistic comedy journey.

"Bad Traveling"

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Executive producer David Fincher takes the director's chair for the second outing, and, unsurprisingly, he delivers one of the best segments of the collection. This story sees a crew of high-seas hunters boarded by a nightmarish monster. When the slaughter turns from annihilation to hijacking, the tension between the crew quickly reaches a fever pitch. This is a stellar horror short film, instantly establishing its characters and the rules of its grim world. "Bad Traveling" stands out and deserves attention from anyone with an appreciation for monsters, horror, animation, or the Moby Dick aesthetic.

"The Very Pulse of the Machine"

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The term "tone poem" is thrown around a lot when it comes to visual media, but poetry is the entire basis of this short. The story is extremely brief, following an injured astronaut struggling against the hostile landscape of Io. While the narrative doesn't amount to much, the visuals are strong and the emotional catharsis is worth the journey. The fact that the dialogue is largely made up of direct lifts from famous poems is a bit on the nose, but this is a solid sci-fi short film.

"Night of the Mini Dead"

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More than any other, this piece does exactly what the title promises. It's every notable zombie media trope, as portrayed by 1/1000th scale models of people and places. The joke works for its 6-minute runtime and many of the tiny recreations are impressive, but people probably won't be talking about this one for long.

"Kill Team Kill"

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There are quite a few parallels to earlier adventures with Love, Death + Robots, this outing is the third collection's answer to "Sucker of Souls". A team of soldiers is blindsided by a monster that they must pursue and destroy in an underground bunker. Not a single line of dialogue goes by without a swear word worked in, the jokes all feel like rejected lines from Team America: World Police and its comedic styling feels so Adult Swim that they even got Seth Green for the project. People who enjoy comical hypermasculinity and constant curse words will find something to like, but this is probably the weakest short in the bunch for how overdone it all feels.

"Swarm"

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This strange outing follows human efforts to study and eventually acquire a gargantuan alien hive-mind structure. The ecosystem is kept afloat by organic automation which spawns the necessary workforce from the hull of a central queen. Numerous parasitic species make their home amongst the swarm and live in harmony. While most of its runtime is devoted to explaining the rules, and its ending leaves a lot to the imagination, this is an intelligent and fascinating sci-fi concept given beautiful visual life.

"Mason's Rats"

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This tale of a simple farmer resorting to gradually more absurd solutions to vermin in his barn is simple, but very well executed. The eponymous Mason wakes up one morning to discover his rat problem has evolved, and both sides escalate the battle through comical stages of violence. Though much of the action happens off-screen, there's a charming heart to "Mason's Rats" that makes it more than a one-off joke. The earnest ending feels earned and leaves the audience with a smile.

"In Vaulted Halls Entombed"

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Modern Warfare meets a little Lovecraftian horror at last in this collection's answer to "The Secret War". Though it takes a while to really get where it's going, this military action-adventure sees a team of soldiers hunting down an enemy to retrieve a hostage. A little too much of its runtime is spent battling nondescript small enemies before the real threat is revealed. In its final moments, "In Vaulted Halls Entombed" puts a fun spin on a common horror topic with a great final moment.

"Jibaro"

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For fans who felt that this collection was a little too normal, Alberto Mielgo caps it off with something truly and happily bizarre. "Jibaro" follows a deaf knight as he tangles with a deadly siren in an enchanted forest. While that narrative feels simple, the presentation is one of the most off-kilter experiences of the franchise. The cinematography is alien and engaging, and the sound direction is absolutely groundbreaking. This feels most comparable to a music video, which tells its story through sheer sound and fury. "Jibaro" is something very special, and the perfect ending to a great collection of Love, Death + Robots short films.

MORE: Love, Death + Robots Reveals Full Trailer And Episode Descriptions For Season 3