The 1990s were reimagined as a robotic war in Netflix’s latest film, “The Electric State.” Based on the novel by Simon Stålenhag, it followed Michelle, a teenager on the run with a robot named Cosmo.
Millie Bobby Brown starred as Michelle and Alan Tudyk as Cosmo. They were joined by Chris Pratt, who played their rogue ally Keats. The movie was directed by Anthony and Joe Russo. Previously, the brother duo directed the second and third “Captain America” films and the third and fourth “Avengers” films.
Highs
It was clear that “The Electric State” had a basis in fascinating art. Many of the robots had a gritty, retro design that made them eye-catching, including designs from the novel. They were mostly whimsical and terrifying.
A few of the side characters had entertaining performances. In particular, Stanley Tucci, Giancarlo Esposito, and Ke Hu Quan made their characters fun and energetic. It wouldn’t be surprising if the actors had a fun time on set.
Lows
The story had an interesting concept and art direction- an alternative 1990s where robots and humans struggle for power. The film took this in a cliche, bland direction. The plot wasn’t actively bad, there were good ideas in it, but it was aggressively safe. The characters were dull as well, and Brown’s performance was difficult to judge given she had so little pathos to work with.
Pratt’s role as Keat was especially grating. Although Pratt has been known for his comedy, he played Keats in a serious and restrained fashion. Keats had a temper, which could have been humorous, had Pratt not played it so straight. This made a character who could have been enduring deeply uncomfortable. This was especially notable when compared to Brown, who at least got her tone right, and his robot sidekick Herm, voiced by Anthony Mackie, who had a more jovial tone.
And although the design of the film was mostly good, some of the robots were just outright ugly. The character of Mr. Peanut notably deviated from his classically designed counterparts, making a horrendous CGI monster, despite the fact “The Electric State” clearly wanted the audience to root for him. Other instances of poor design were the human-piloted robots who had uncanny faces that made them impossible to take seriously and Mackie’s robot being painfully generic.
Verdict
There was a good idea and mostly good visual direction in “The Electric State.” With a stronger plot and better character work, it could have been a beautiful, tragic sci-fi epic. Netflix wasted this potential on a mediocre film that felt more like something to passively watch than actively engage with.
Rating: 4.5 out of 10
Frank Remski is a film and theater reviewer for The Eastern Echo. He is majoring in media studies and journalism and minoring in public relations. He has worked for The Echo since summer of 2023 and has written both news stories and opinion pieces.
