Metalhead

Don't listen to the complainers here - this episode is worth watching. Like USS Callister it does feel different to most Black Mirror episodes, but that shouldn't be seen as a bad thing. The black and white cinematography is well suited to this episode which has a feeling reminiscent of The Road - both post-apocalyptic with no mention of what the 'apocalypse' was, both tightly focused on one or two characters. The episode isn't a neat package but again, this is Black Mirror we're talking about - expecting a clear lesson or meaning out of it is to misunderstand the point of the show. We don't know the details of what led to this apparently post-apocalyptic world, but that doesn't matter. That isn't the focus of the episode. Maxine Peake's almost solo performance as Bella is excellent, and what she was looking for or why is never really relevant. What is relevant is her fear and determination. We know nothing about her, but we feel the tension and desperation. While some episodes of Black Mirror feel like I only observe the characters, with Metalhead I was there with Bella in the desolate unknown countryside, invested in her plight.

Negative reviews about "lack of exposition", "no dialogs" and "no context" prove that the viewers nowadays completely lost the imagination and need to be spoonfed with worldbuilding, just to understand what could possibly go wrong in a world where deadly metal robots were created as warehouse sentries.

Almost at the end of a lesser season of episodes from Black Mirror, Metalhead is probably one of the stronger episodes. The 40 minutes is stripped down to base elements. It is in black/white, only has a handful of characters, and is basically one extended chase sequence. Set in a post-apocalyptic world, a small group of survivors seek out a package in a warehouse, only to disturb a 'dog' - one of the robot drones that we assume has led to the slaughter of most of mankind. From here the drone hunts down the only character to make it far enough to be considered a chase. In essence it is The Terminator but without any plot or backstory to slow it down.

As such it delivers quite a thrilling and tight episode. Technology is in there, with examples of sleep functions, adaptable apps etc, but it is not really making a point on any of these so much as it is just grounding the episode in the recognizable. In the same way the warehouse could be taken to be an extension of the warehouses today where drone pickers are already starting to be used - but again it doesn't labor this point. The stripped down basic essence of it works well, and the special effects are effective - I assume a mix of physical work and CGI in some way. The ending is perhaps a bit corny but brings in a bit of humanity into what is otherwise a technological horror.

Not the best the series has to offer, but an strong episode in the season and effective at what it does.

Among the best so far for my taste, even in black and white. It could be some kind of a PREDATOR scheme where a group of people are tracked down by an Alien machine. The link with the new technology is different from the other episodes, which remained in a more domestic matter. Here, it is more science fiction, and action oriented, with a lone survivor fighting against the "robot" who killed all his - or her mates. It is short, compared to the other episodes, but tense, gripping and very well directed by David Blade, who gave us HARD CANDY and 30 DAYS OF NIGHT before being totally dedicated to TV industry.

Not really sure what to make of the negative reviews of this episode. For me this was the first episode of season 4 that got my attention, it was different for sure but definitely in the right way. I appreciate any film/episode that prompts me to think about what is happening and why, rather than spoon feed me every detail of the plot and over explaining the technology presented.

This episode was gritty, gripping, and well paced. It gave just enough pieces of the story to get me thinking about how things came to be and where things had evolved to. I like this type of storytelling, where just enough of it takes place in your head.

Very different than other episodes, and I for one appreciated the presentation of the genre in a completely different and terrifying way.