Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, The Electric State follows a young girl orphaned after a catastrophic robot uprising. After learning of her brother’s survival, she sets off westward with a robot, a smuggler, and his sidekick. Set in an alternate 1990s where technology outpaced humanity, this rag-tag band of vagabonds takes on the challenge of finding who’s behind the robot internment and how it involves her brother.
After being separated from her family due to a car accident, Michelle (Millie Bobby Brown) is miserable in her new reality which is the foster system. One night, she gets a visit from a speechless robot named Cosmo (Alan Tudyk) and discovers her brother is controlling it. After stealing a car, she heads to an address where a smuggler sells items from a restricted area meant for robots called the “Exclusion Zone”. When Keats (Chris Pratt) and his robot buddy Herman (Anthony Mackie) realize they’ve been followed, they confront Michelle and her robot. But their interaction is cut short after they’re interrupted by The Marshall (Giancarlo Esposito). As each human is paired with a robot counterpart, the foursome escapes The Marshall’s grasp and sets out to assist Michelle in her search.
For the best experience, approach this film with an open mind. Adaptations always face extra scrutiny, often unfairly. But as a straight-to-streaming release, it’s genuinely enjoyable. The compelling story and pleasant characters will leave you wanting more.
There are a few things that overwhelmingly worked in the film’s favor. First, the star power. On top of everyone already mentioned, Stanley Tucci, Jason Alexander, and Ke Huy Quan are in the film, plus the voices of Colman Domingo, Hank Azaria, Jenny Slate, Rob Gronkowski, and Bryan Cox. The pairing of Brown and Pratt worked well onscreen and their chemistry never crossed the line into romance. Second, the dialogue. There’s a lot that can be said about this film, but there’s no denying its humor. The banter between Keats and Herman is hilarious and the writing for a handful of the robots worked very well. When humor unveils itself in places unexpected is the best and it boded well. Third is the soundtrack. What’s a dystopian adventure without a little Marky Mark and Oasis? The music not only set the tone but at times, lent a hand in the humor. Lastly, the runtime. It’s just a few minutes over two hours but because of the action and pace, it doesn’t feel like it at all.
Some aspects made it seem like they were copied and pasted from other franchises. For example, using 90s nostalgia as a backdrop and picking Millie Bobby Brown as the main character seemed very borrowed from Stranger Things. Chris Pratt being best buddies with a smart-aleck, wise-cracking robot runs similar to the relationship he had with Rocket in the Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers films. Wearing neurocasters to be in another place virtually was very much Ready Player One.
A lot of eyeballs were pried when sources revealed a budget of around $325 million went into this film. When you compare that to the epic success of Dune: Part Two ($190M), you start to wonder if literally all of that went toward VFX (or licensing: Mr. Peanut, Oasis, etc). Regardless if you’re familiar with the mammoth investment or not, the only people who may be extremely disappointed with the film are fans of author Simon Stålenhag.
It’s wild to think there’s a literal outline in existence (the book) with a shot sheet to boot (photos), and you still take the film in a different direction. One important detail that carried over from the books was the rough upbringing of Michelle. After losing her family in a car accident, she was placed into the foster care system and repeatedly ran away from caretakers. While the original story had more of an I Am Legend feel to it, an armed main character with a non-human companion who roamed in solitude, the film reflected a more buddy-buddy road trip theme. When comparing the two, the film is a completely watered-down version of the book.
The uneven shifts that happen in the film left me wondering about the target audience. With a handful of frights too much for young children and a long list of childish dialogue mixed with profanity, for once, I agree that this PG-13-rated film is for ages 13 and up. The violence was surprisingly light, with guns and lasers to boot, no blood was shed. The book has countless images of a hooded figure with a shotgun and a voiceless robot, so you would think a little more violence would be warranted. It didn’t deter from the storyline, but just a detail I noted.
The Electric State gets a 7.5 out of 10. It’s a unique concept that could’ve been executed a bit better but it wasn’t terrible. If you’re coming into this from Stålenhag’s books, you’ll probably be incensed. I fear things would be even worse had this premiered in theaters, so it’s a good thing it went straight to streaming. It’s fun, humorous, and will definitely have fans divided.
The Electric State will be available to stream on Netflix on March 14, 2025.
-Jon Jones
Photos: Courtesy of Netflix
Genre: Action, Adventure
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 2hrs. 8 mins.
Trailer: Watch
U.S. Release Date: March 14, 2025