Netflix’s The Electric State had all the ingredients to be a hit: a $320 million budget, the Russo brothers, and a stunning novel by Simon Stalenhag as its source material. But does it live up to the hype? Honestly, not really!
The movie seems to be a low-impact sci-fi adventure that mistakes regurgitated pop culture references and sentimental sludge for world-building, it seems. If you’re expecting the same emotional depth as the book, you might end up disappointed. Let’s break it down.
A Promising Premise, But…
The story sounds pretty cool on paper. It’s set in an alternate 1990s where humans are barely surviving after a war with smart robots. People are hooked on VR, controlled by a shady tech billionaire named Ethan Skate (played by Stanley Tucci, who’s basically doing an “evil Steve Jobs” act). Millie Bobby Brown plays Michelle, a girl traveling across the country with a robot that might have her dead brother’s consciousness inside it.
Chris Pratt joins the adventure as Keats, a smuggler who feels like every other character Pratt has ever played—charming but predictable.
Woody Harrelson voices a robot that looks like Mr. Peanut, which is both funny and oddly sad. The movie has a star-packed voice cast, including Anthony Mackie, Brian Cox, and Jenny Slate, but the weak script doesn’t give them much to work with. Instead of shining, they’re stuck explaining the plot like talking instruction manuals.
Style Over Substance
The movie has some bright spots, like the cool robot designs and a few beautiful, gloomy landscape shots. But for a film based on such a visually stunning book, The Electric State feels surprisingly bland.
The colors are dull, the action scenes are boring, and there’s way too much CGI—it’s overwhelming. Even the music choices feel lazy, like using Breaking the Law during a chase scene or turning Wonderwall into a slow, dramatic piano track. It’s all a bit too obvious.
As for the characters, it’s hard to care about most of them. The exceptions? A sweet little robot named Mrs. Scissors, who just wants to help, and Giancarlo Esposito’s bounty hunter robot. In one of the movie’s funniest and most relatable moments, Esposito’s character decides to just sit down and shut off rather than deal with the chaos. Honestly, same.
A Missed Opportunity
Simon Stalenhag’s novel was a haunting, quiet reflection on a world ruined by its obsession with technology. It made you feel the weight of loss and the eerie beauty of abandoned landscapes. But the movie? It’s like someone took all that depth and traded it for a flashy, predictable action flick.
Instead of the novel’s soulful silence, we get Chris Pratt cracking jokes and Millie Bobby Brown looking like she’s wondering how she ended up here. It’s less Spielberg magic and more “let’s just get this over with.” A real missed opportunity.
In the end, The Electric State shows what happens when big-budget films focus more on flashy visuals than a good story. The Russo brothers, who once gave us memorable storytelling in movies like Avengers: Endgame, now seem to be making films that feel empty and forgettable.
Simon Stalenhag’s novel left readers with a deep sense of loss and nostalgia, but the Netflix adaptation? It might just make you want to cancel your subscription.
In a time when there’s so much potential for fresh, creative stories, The Electric State is a warning: even the best ideas can fall flat without care and imagination.
As audiences look for movies that truly mean something, the question is whether the Russos can bounce back—or if they’ll keep making bland, forgettable films that no one really connects with.
Watch the trailer of the movie: