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‘The Mandalorian’ Meets ‘Avatar’ in Netflix’s New Sci-Fi Western Masterpiece
Netflix’s animated series *Bass X Machina* recasts real-life lawman Bass Reeves as a cyborg bounty hunter in a supernatural Western. Created by LeSean Thomas and Studio Mir, it mixes mechs and magic with a story about revenge, racism and America’s history of violence, including the forced removal and massacres of Indigenous peoples.
The six-episode series follows Bass as he searches for engineer Eugene Starr, accompanied by Eugene’s inventive niece Dana. Brian Tyree Henry voices Bass, while Janelle Monáe plays his wife and wrote the opening theme. The review praises the animation, action and music, but says the final episodes’ 3D animation weakens the climax and the short season leaves characters underdeveloped.
In short
- Bass Reeves becomes a cybernetic lawman in a violent animated Western.
- The series blends mechs, magic and themes of racism and war.
- Strong action and music are held back by a rushed season and uneven finale.
Explained simply
Bass Reeves was a real Black lawman who worked in the American West in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He became known for pursuing suspects across a large territory, at a time when slavery’s legacy and racial discrimination shaped life in the United States.
The series reimagines Reeves as a cyborg bounty hunter in a supernatural version of the West. Its story also draws on the history of violence against Indigenous peoples, including their forced removal from their lands and massacres. These themes place its action in a setting shaped by real conflicts over race, land and power.