The Electric State (2025) - Film Review

      The Electric State, 2025.

      Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo

      Starring Millie Bobby Brown, Chris Pratt, Ke Huy Quan, Jason Alexander, Giancarlo Esposito, Stanley Tucci, Woody Norman, Anthony Mackie, Woody Harrelson, Brian Cox, Jenny Slate, and Alan Tudyk.

      SYNOPSIS:

      After a robot uprising in an alternate version of the ’90s, The Electric State centers on an orphaned teenager who travels across the American West accompanied by a cartoon-like robot, a smuggler, and his sidekick to find her younger brother.

      All the elements for Netflix's latest bid for a true small-screen blockbuster were present in The Electric State; the Russo brothers behind Marvel's greatest hits, along with their writing team and Star-Lord, plus a source novel by Swedish artist Simon Stålenhag filled with striking visuals of a post-robopocalypse world. Thus, it is regrettable to note that despite its glossy appearance, impressive creativity, and a fantastic soundtrack, it ultimately amounts to a solid three-star film that is likely to fade from memory the second Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots plays during the credits.

      The first choice made by Anthony and Joe Russo is to forgo the melancholic charm of the source material and, with Stålenhag's approval, create something aimed at a younger demographic. There’s nothing inherently wrong with this approach; however, do not expect a dystopian nightmare akin to The Last of Us. Prepare yourself for Billy the Bass jokes, Chris Pratt delivering a lighter Peter Quill performance, and a movie that is much smaller in scope than the premise of a robot war might imply.

      While we do traverse battlefields filled with shattered robots marking the landscape, their mangled remains suggest a darker tale underlying this more vibrant narrative, the main focus of the script by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely is the bond between Millie Bobby Brown’s orphaned teen and her lost brother.

      This connection is introduced with an overwhelming amount of exposition in the film's first twenty minutes, potentially risking viewer engagement, but these are the writers who successfully connected Marvel’s most significant phases, so they manage to balance the complex task of immersing the audience in this world while setting up the drama that places Brown as the central character before she begins her main journey. This is accomplished with flashbacks, an engaging world-building cartoon called Kid Cosmo, and the same remarkable performance from the Stranger Things star that makes her a consistent highlight of that series.

      Once you navigate the exposition-heavy first act, The Electric State becomes more dynamic with the entry of Chris Pratt’s smuggler character, who bears a resemblance to Solo. Although he operates on autopilot and is, like the film itself, a blend of familiar roles, his quirky hero charm is still effective… at least for now. His character's importance is amplified by the introduction of a robotic sidekick named Herman, voiced by Anthony Mackie, who among a range of peculiar and intriguing robotic creations, stands out as the film’s standout player.

      If the human narrative doesn’t resonate with you, the visual effects featuring characters like the aptly named Mr. Peanut (Woody Harrelson), postal carrier android Penny Pal (Jenny Slate), and the rundown baseball pitching robot Pop Fly (Brian Cox), along with their excellent voice performances, provide entertaining distractions until the next notable song plays from the soundtrack.

      The film could have benefitted from a more compelling villain. Stanley Tucci’s tech-based antagonist feels akin to something from Ready Player One, a film with which it shares several tonal similarities, while Giancarlo Esposito’s virtual reality bounty hunter is as intimidating as the “Roger Roger” droids from The Phantom Menace.

      Ultimately, The Electric State resembles one of the beautifully crafted robots central to its plot: occasionally clunky, constructed from recognizable elements, sometimes coming to life, and generally managing to hold together as an enjoyable piece of mindless entertainment.

      Flickering Myth Rating – Film ★ ★ / Movie ★ ★ ★

      Matt Rodgers – Follow me on Twitter