Red Iron Road

An extremely interesting format for showing a Russian chthonic longing to an international audience. At first I thought it was something like "Love, Death and Robots" in a Russian setting, but no. Dystopia, black humor and Russian soul are in abundance here. I can only applaud this project and look forward to the new seasons. I was most impressed by "The Undertaker" (black humor in the best traditions) and "The Forest King" (a dark meta-future). The authors very carefully and without clichés show the Slavic world of both the past and the possible future. Something will certainly make people of Russian culture laugh, but for the most part there is nothing to pick on. Watch this series, it will give you a lot of thrills, as well as make you smile more than once.

While some of the animation in some of the episodes is good, the storytelling is poorly done. Events take place way too quickly and way too conveniently, which doesn't help any attempts at character development.

The story of the undertaker is particularly bad because it's narrated the entire time. No doubt the anthology was inspired by "Love, Death, & Robots" on Netflix, but the writing is nowhere close to being as compelling or well fleshed out.

I do appreciate the variety in animation styles, but even the talent behind that isn't quite on par with LD&R. It's worth a watch for that itself, so check it out if you're a fan of movies like "Heavy Metal" and Sturgill Simpson's "Sound and Fury."

Red Iron Road is a fantastic anthology based on modern European horror, with a distinct bias towards the slavic side of the equation. It covers fairly obscure works and it does a reasonable enough job in adapting them and introducing them to a broader audience.

The animation styles are varied, from Corto Maltese-like 2D animation to CGI, which fits with the diverse themes of the shorts. Some go for pure horror and tragedy, while others go for gallows humor and can be pretty hilarious.

If I had a complaint is that some shorts have an american-ish cadence to them, but overall the spirit of the cultural context of these stories is preserved.

A solid recommendation.

Comparisons to the Netflix series "LOVE, DEATH & ROBOTS" are not unfounded. LD&R is without a doubt my favorite anthology series but this one has earned a spot on my list of favorites for sure. Having stumbled across it on Tubi was a pleasant surprise but also makes me assume that Red Iron Road won't get the attention and admiration it deserves.

Honestly, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The different types of animation on display here most definitely gives each story its own presence and personality. Being in the horror drama, the stories don't disappoint when it comes to scares and gore.

If you've not sat down and watched it yet, rectify that mistake. Then tell your friends so that Red Iron Road doesn't linger in obscurity. It deserves much better than that!