Love, Death + Robots: The Very Pulse of the Machine (2022) – Review/ Summary (with Spoilers)

Thanks to bad timing, two astronauts get stuck on one of Jupiter’s moons.

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Director(s)	Emily Dean
Screenplay By	Philip Gelatt
Date Released (Netflix)	5/20/2022
Genre(s)	Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
Duration	17 Minutes
Content Rating	TV-MA
Noted Cast
Martha Kivelson	Mackenzie Davis
Juliet Burton/ Io	Holly Jade

This content contains pertinent spoilers.

Film Summary

Martha, with enjoying being on Jupiter’s moon Io, wanted a few additional pictures despite her partner Juliet noting their rover was way overextended and they needed to get back to base. Sadly, not too long after Martha tries to stay longer, an eruption sends the rover in the air, and after landing, Juliet is dead, and Martha is injured.

Thankfully though, it’s only a 7-hour walk, which requires dragging Juliet’s corpse for Martha’s was punctured like Juliet’s helmet. But, with injuries that include potentially fractured or broken bones, Martha has to use drugs on her trek, and because of them, she hallucinates, hears Juliet talking, and even comes to believe the planet Io is speaking to her.

Things To Note

• Reason(s) for Film Rating: Violence (graphic imagery of a dead body)

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.

Martha

Excited to be on Io and maybe taking the situation at hand less seriously, Martha was quite excited to see all she could and get some pictures.

Juliet Burton

A bit more responsible or worried about their situation than Martha, Juliet paid for not being strapped in with her life.

Io

The planet itself, speaking to Martha while Martha was under the influence.

Review

On The Fence

While You Can Appreciate What It Is Trying To Do, At Times, You May Feel Bored

While it is lovely to see female astronauts exploring a far-flung planet, combined with seeing all the tech at her disposal, watching her drag Juliet’s corpse and hearing Io talk pushes you to wonder if this simply might not be for you? So much dialog, speaking about nothing, as Martha hallucinates and rock columns become women. It makes a 17-minute experience feel longer than it should be.

Overall

Our Rating: Mixed (Divisive)

While the animation is beautiful, once Juliet dies, and Martha is dragging her corpse about, it’s a quick descent. But, there aren’t many sci-fi productions, void of action, that are good at keeping people engaged.

Who Is This For?

Those who enjoy sci-fi mixed with drama, or at the very least sci-fi, which has no action sequences.

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