The Electric State

The Electric State is actually a very good concept, but its execution is incredibly rushed, with no real character or world development.

The cast is incredible and the visuals are fantastic, but this really needed to be a limited series. Two hours is nowhere near enough time for an unorthodox story like this.

The limited robots we meet seem silly and ineffective, so a more developed backstory could have really served to make this world much more realistic and menacing. But it seems they took numerous shortcuts in the story to move it along and finish it a movie timelength. A perfect example of what they could have done is Sweettooth, another very unique Netflix property that has much higher ratings.

The Electric State wants to be a requiem in retro-futurist tones, a tale of loss and wanderings, robots with forlorn eyes, and a girl drifting through the ash-heap of civilisation. But though the frame is stunning and the budget considerable, the film slips through the fingers like vapour.

The Russo brothers summon their usual largesse of scale, but seem uninterested in the subtler contours of feeling. The performances are hemmed in by the architecture of the film. Millie Bobby Brown, oddly airbrushed and disconcertingly polished for someone meant to carry the ache of memory, never quite finds the soul of the part. Her face, perhaps shaped more by surgeons than experience, distracts from the emotional weight the role asks of her.

The robot companion, tender in design and nearly mute, is meant to be the beating heart. Instead, it feels like window-dressing for a story that can't commit to intimacy. There are fragments that glint, an abandoned cinema, a voice on a forgotten radio, but they aren't allowed to resonate.

I watched it unfold with admiration for its mechanics and a growing indifference to its meaning. The Electric State has all the signs of a journey, except the feeling of having gone anywhere at all.

"The Electric State" had all the ingredients for a great sci-fi adventure-an intriguing premise, a talented cast, and a massive $300+ million budget. Yet, despite these advantages, the film falls flat, failing to deliver anything beyond its initial setup.

The movie starts strong, presenting a mysterious and engaging world that grabs attention. However, as the plot unfolds, it becomes increasingly childish and loses its depth, turning what could have been a thought-provoking sci-fi journey into something simplistic and uninspired. The film seems unsure of its target audience, oscillating between serious themes and a tone that feels more suited for a younger crowd.

With a cast of this caliber, the performances should have been a highlight, but instead, they feel wasted on a script that doesn't give them much to work with.

Especially Millie Bobby Brown feels underwhelming. Her acting lacks the emotional weight needed to carry the story, making it difficult to connect with her character.

Visually, The Electric State is impressive, as expected from a film with such a massive budget. The CGI and world-building are well-crafted, but stunning visuals alone can't compensate for a lackluster narrative. Given the talent and resources behind the project, the final result is frustratingly mediocre.

Ultimately, The Electric State is a missed opportunity. It starts with promise but quickly loses its way, relying on spectacle rather than substance. For a film of this scale, it should have offered much more than a pretty but hollow experience.

Like other user reviews I can say this is no epic or a particularly memorable movie but it's not bad. I have not read the book so cannot speak to it's faithfulness to the original story but the dialogue is funny at times. I actually find chris pratts performance better than in most movies. More self deprecating and with nuanced quirkiness. Its an action/adventure movie so i never really understand why critics hold these romps to the standard of cinema. This is not cinema, this is simply a good action/adventure flick with some funny bits. Its not a dark movie but not overly campy either. You can absolutely see where the budget went. The cgi is flawless and plentiful which i always enjoy.

If viewers are looking for the haunting, dystopian vistas and devastating landscapes from Stalenhag's book, they'll be disappointed. But there are amazing and captivating effects, practical and digital, that build a unique world vision.

What this film has going for it is Chris Pratt and Millie Bobby Brown (more on them later), combining with a talented group of voice actors. Tucci is as good as ever but his part is thinly developed. Giancarlo Esposito brings his trademark gravitas and emotional weight to the story as well, in a role that, while not perfectly written, provides a surprising part of the movie's center.

The Mr Peanut (Woody Harrelson) role, for me, didn't quite work. The "bots" I enjoyed were Herm ( unrecognizably voiced by Anthony Mackie) and the postal bot Penny Pal (Jenny Slate).

There are definite plot holes, but considering the at times preposterous world we're in, is it worth complaining about story gaps? The robot cavalry makes a long sojourn to their final battlefield in a long caravan that doesn't get attacked, and improbably makes crazy good time doing it. And there's the disposal of a very central bot in a very uncaring way that wouldn't happen, but provides a sentimental wink at the viewer.

Humorous, with lots of crash bang and very cool looking shots, especially with the giant sized robots, it's just fun enough, and interesting enough to watch all the way through. Pratt and Brown are fun-ish together, and bring their acting talents to a movie from a genre they are both very familiar with, so I do recommend it.

But Brown feels wrong in this: her appearance as a bounced around foster child feels too "glam" at times, because she isn't grubby enough. Her acting also feels very much as though she's going through the paces, almost too self aware. Her fluffed up lip's lipstick and gloss doesn't fit with Keats' (Pratt) grimy, disheveled bootlegger.

While Brown is given too many "noble" lines to deliver without coming off as sanctimonious, and Pratt is a little too much like Starlord at his most shrill and irritating; you can mostly forgive them because of their innate charm.

The Russo brothers are definitely talented, so there is a high bar set before you watch the first scene.

But they made a choice, the scary barren world that the book painted beautifully, is not the direction they picked. Instead they leaned into a little Spielberg, a little Lucas and some James Gunn. It doesn't make for a perfect movie, but hey, I watched the whole thing and wasn't mad that I did.

There's a lot of kvetching about the big budget and where did it all go. I have two thoughts on that: one, those cool shots of the giant bots, and the very good animatronic facial expressions weren't cheap. Second, the movie definitely feels like there were a number of scenes that were cut. Quite a few actually. I'd definitely watch the full cut, if there is such a thing. There are many telling points, story jumps being one, but Holly Hunter is too much of an accomplished actress to appear in one scene, and a voiceover.

So, give it a watch, you won't be mad that you did, and if you are, well, there's worse things to be mad at.

Just don't expect to be blown away, and hoping for a new franchise.