Metalhead
Year: 2017
Directed by: David Slade
Starring: Maxine Peake
Runtime: 41 minutes
Published: 27/09/23
Directed by: David Slade
Starring: Maxine Peake
Runtime: 41 minutes
Published: 27/09/23
Whilst robots are certainly still a long way from being able to move completely autonomously without falling over, there have been significant leaps in the field within the last twenty years, producing the likes of BigDog from Boston Dynamics. Similarly, drone technology has made significant leaps in the last decade or so, and there have been a number of successful applications of the technology in the military.
Since man has been making machines, we have feared their uprising, popularised in the media with the likes of The Terminator. But what if it did happen? What if robots like BigDog, that are faster and stronger than us, were turned against us?
Following the downfall of civilisation, survivors Bella (Maxine Peake), Anthony (Clint Dyer), and Clarke (Jake Davies) are in search of supplies to help ease the pain of a fellow survivor who is dying.
Upon discovering what they’re looking for, they accidentally awaken a ‘Dog’, a machine what’s only purpose is to kill people. On the run and completely defenceless, Bella must lose the Dog’s trail if she wants to survive.
Metalhead features one of the simplest and most straightforward Black Mirror stories in the shows entire run, and it’s reflected in the brief runtime of just forty-one minutes. It really is just a survival story of one woman and her robotic pursuer. It boils the concept down to the simplest it can possibly be, and for the most part it works. It’s relentlessly bleak, but the message at the core of the episode about never losing your humanity resonates extremely well given the limited dialogue and general lack of people.
Since man has been making machines, we have feared their uprising, popularised in the media with the likes of The Terminator. But what if it did happen? What if robots like BigDog, that are faster and stronger than us, were turned against us?
Following the downfall of civilisation, survivors Bella (Maxine Peake), Anthony (Clint Dyer), and Clarke (Jake Davies) are in search of supplies to help ease the pain of a fellow survivor who is dying.
Upon discovering what they’re looking for, they accidentally awaken a ‘Dog’, a machine what’s only purpose is to kill people. On the run and completely defenceless, Bella must lose the Dog’s trail if she wants to survive.
Metalhead features one of the simplest and most straightforward Black Mirror stories in the shows entire run, and it’s reflected in the brief runtime of just forty-one minutes. It really is just a survival story of one woman and her robotic pursuer. It boils the concept down to the simplest it can possibly be, and for the most part it works. It’s relentlessly bleak, but the message at the core of the episode about never losing your humanity resonates extremely well given the limited dialogue and general lack of people.
What stands out the most about Metalhead is the decision to have the entire episode be in black and white. It gives the episode a distinct visual feel against the other Black Mirror episodes, and I feel hammers home the hopelessness of the whole ordeal. I also think it works favours for the CGI used for the Dog, which whilst stationary could be mistaken for a model, but when moving is not always the most convincing of things. Had it been in colour I feel like it would have stuck out significantly more.
Peake’s performance is really good. The entire episode rests on her shoulders as she’s on her own from roughly the five-minute mark until the credits roll, and she manages to say so much without having much dialogue at all. Whilst I wouldn’t say it’s one of the best performances in Black Mirror history, there’s definitely a lot of credit due for managing to carry the entire episode on your own and doing it well.
I will briefly address the ending to the episode as it does recontextualise a lot of what you see. The final shot is of the contents of the box the survivors found at the beginning of the episode, and it’s revealed to contain cuddly teddy bears. I have known people to be incredibly frustrated, and even feel emotionally manipulated by this reveal, because why would three people risk their lives (and ultimately lose them) for a cuddly toy. But it reframed the radio conversation that Bella has regarding this Jake character, clearly indicating that they are in fact a child dying in a world long devoid of any kind of joy. Whilst not losing your humanity in the face of extinction is a key theme of the episode, this final shot really embodies that mentality and I personally think it works really well.
Metalhead is overall a strong episode of Black Mirror, but it does lack the depth to make it really stand out. It’s also probably a tough pill to swallow for newcomers with its lack of dialogue and extremely bleak scenario. Killer robots have never been so efficient as in this episode, and whilst the trope may seem dated and cliché, Metalhead does find ways to make it feel fresh and interesting once again.
Peake’s performance is really good. The entire episode rests on her shoulders as she’s on her own from roughly the five-minute mark until the credits roll, and she manages to say so much without having much dialogue at all. Whilst I wouldn’t say it’s one of the best performances in Black Mirror history, there’s definitely a lot of credit due for managing to carry the entire episode on your own and doing it well.
I will briefly address the ending to the episode as it does recontextualise a lot of what you see. The final shot is of the contents of the box the survivors found at the beginning of the episode, and it’s revealed to contain cuddly teddy bears. I have known people to be incredibly frustrated, and even feel emotionally manipulated by this reveal, because why would three people risk their lives (and ultimately lose them) for a cuddly toy. But it reframed the radio conversation that Bella has regarding this Jake character, clearly indicating that they are in fact a child dying in a world long devoid of any kind of joy. Whilst not losing your humanity in the face of extinction is a key theme of the episode, this final shot really embodies that mentality and I personally think it works really well.
Metalhead is overall a strong episode of Black Mirror, but it does lack the depth to make it really stand out. It’s also probably a tough pill to swallow for newcomers with its lack of dialogue and extremely bleak scenario. Killer robots have never been so efficient as in this episode, and whilst the trope may seem dated and cliché, Metalhead does find ways to make it feel fresh and interesting once again.