The Electric State (2025) - Film Review

If you thought that last year's "Megalopolis" from Francis Ford Coppola was a baffling idea for a film, then a similar sentiment should be in store for you with the Russo Brothers' latest sci-fi adventure for Netflix: "The Electric State". Set in an alternative version of 1990's America, a war between humans and robots has broken out, as confirmed by this timeline's version of Bill Clinton. Walt Disney is literally referenced as the first user of the robots for his theme parks in this narrative. See what I mean by the "Megalopolis" comparison?

Anyways, a young fostered teenager (Millie Bobbie Brown) receives a message from a rogue robot, who's actually her long dead brother or so she's been told. And in answer to your question: yes, this is all a stretch for me as well. Because she doesn't like life in her "safe" school or foster home, our lead trusts this robot (that she really shouldn't) and embarks on a journey seeking answers. This duo eventually tag teams with another human-robot duo (Chris Pratt, Anthony Mackie). Together, they discover the truth behind their society's predicament.

That's the basic premise behind this film, anyways. The question that begs though is: does it work? Let's see. An unconvincing version of an alternate 1990's. Robots with creepy design to their facial aesthetics. The human controlled androids experiencing the same issue. Character development and narrative drive that are undeniably weak. Familiar themes and topics that have been covered in many sci-fi films as of late, including "Mickey 17", which will be covered soon alongside "Novocaine". Yeah, this film has "bad idea" written all over it.

Given reports online surfacing about this film's $300 million plus budget, the time and money spent on "The Electric State" could've been put to much better use. For instance, if the vast majority of your story centers on robots, maybe consider making them a tad less daunting to glance at. Get rid of the hideous painted teeth on the main robot accompanying Brown. Also, make those androids hunting the robots look less like neon lighted air blowers with monitors awkwardly thrown on. Said design wouldn't work on robots in the 1990's.

I remember a few times the banter between Pratt and Mackie in one scene had sparks of life to it. Outside of that, you've seen most of what "The Electric State" has on offer before and done in a more satisfying fashion. It's hard to invest in a story clearly going through the motions, when character arcs are uninspired or there's no reasonable logic driving its plot developments forward. As a character, Brown does nothing that sets her apart from the competition. Her character is strictly one-note in that she's rebellious and makes sure she gets her way.

You'd be forgiven by me if you forgot this was helmed by the Russo Brothers, the same duo who put out the MCU's best films ("Avengers: Infinity War"). You could've assigned other big-name directors such as Spielberg, Scott or Cameron to this and the result would be the same. The script from MCU alumni, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, would drag down any director's attempts to lift this material off the ground. There isn't enough intrigue or distinctive features to this narrative's world to make me care all that much.

"The Electric State" is simply a boring slog in comparison to the crazy, over-the-top nonsense present in "Megalopolis". At least that film tried with a misguided idea at its core. This conversely is just a mish-mash of what's been released in the past decade, without any real original thought injected into it. The film started with a dumb idea and somehow didn't do enough to justify its existence. A critic had the right idea saying it's meant to be played in the background while doing household chores. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some cleaning to do.

Final Verdict: 4/10