Swarm is one of the first from Volume III which pushes you to want a sequel if/when we get a volume IV.
Director(s) | Tim Miller |
Screenplay By | Tim Miller, Philip Gelatt |
Date Released (Netflix) | 5/20/2022 |
Genre(s) | Action, Romance, Sci-Fi, Animation |
Duration | 17 Minutes |
Content Rating | TV-MA |
Noted Cast | |
Dr. Afriel | Jason Winston George |
Dr. Mirny | Rosario Dawson |
This content contains pertinent spoilers.
Film Summary
Deep in space, humanity seeks out a new potential slave race and Dr. Afriel, based on the research of Dr. Mirny, believes they have found it in the collective known as “The Swarm.” These beings, which have been around longer than humanity, are obedient to the queen, like bees to a hive. So the idea is, with Dr. Mirny noting the Queen breeds various specialists, humanity will take them and do the same.
However, no entity that has been around as long as The Swarm survives without knowing how to deal with predators.
Things To Note
- Reason(s) for Film Rating: Cursing (Some), Violence (With Some Grotesque Imagery), Sexual Content (Yes, but with clever camera angles, so at most, you only see Dr. Afriel’s butt)
Question(s) Left Unanswered
- What year is it?
Character Descriptions
Please Note: This character guide is not an exhaustive list of every cast member, and character descriptions may contain what can be considered spoilers.
Dr. Afriel
A representative of the human race, Dr. Afriel is looking forward to seeing Dr. Mirny’s research subject up close for reasons beyond what humanity can learn.
Dr. Mirny

With being integrated into swarm society, Dr. Mirny is the foremost expert on the Swarm and questions why Dr. Afriel has come to visit.
Review
Highlights
It Makes You Want To Ask Questions
From what year it is, to what it was like when humanity met its first alien species and a slew of other things, there are reasons to get invested in what is going on. All of which aren’t answered, sadly, but with this volume producing a sequel to a past entry in the Love, Death + Robots series, it makes you hope this could be the second.
Black People In The Future
Maybe it is just a personal thing, but there is something that instills pride in seeing Black people in the future who have locks, curly hair, love other Black people, and seemingly are representatives of the human race. On top of that, factor in Dr. Afriel isn’t necessarily a good person, considering his motives, and it adds a wonderful layer.
Overall
Our Rating: Positive (Worth Seeing) – Recommended
Swarm not only presents an ellipsis of sorts since it isn’t an open and closed entry in Love, Death + Robots, but also one of the most intriguing entries in Volume III so far. Hence the recommendation.
Who Is This For?
Those who like sci-fi which includes aliens and gives you the vibe of seeing the catalyst before an alien invasion which is really a retaliation.
Movie Directory

On The Radar
Ratings
- Recommended: Some of the best-seen movies we have ever watched and mentioned to friends, family, and strangers as films that need to be seen.
- Positive (Worth Seeing): Whether you’ll have to go to the movies, download, or stream, movies of this category are worth your time and money with few, if any, qualms from us.
- Mixed (Divisive): Due to this movie having a few quirks, of which may work for some and for others be a problem, we believe your enjoyment of this movie will depend on your taste.
- Negative (Acquired Taste): While one or two elements kept us going until the end, unfortunately, we’re of the opinion this film never reached the potential it was marketed to have.
Special Categories/ Tags
- Indie: By our definition, independent films are films you have to seek to find due to limited availability or lack of a marketing push.
- Film Festival: Featured in this tag are films and shorts which were discovered thanks to various film festivals, so some of the productions may not have wide availability but still may deserve to be on your watch.
- Shorts: Be it ten or fifteen minutes, or a half-hour, these quick teases or films get right to the point, often show the potential of filmmakers and the actors who have joined them in their journey.
- Ending Spoilers: Trying to remember how a film ended, or want a different take on the ending, then check out the "ending spoilers" category.
Follow Wherever I Look on Twitter and Instagram, Like us on Facebook, and Subscribe to the YouTube Channel.