Film Review: The Electric State

2 Stars

By Joseph Beyer | March 22, 2025

With a $320 million budget (the largest single content investment in Netflix history); the multi-hyphenated creative duo Joe and Anthony Russo behind it, alumni of directing four Marvel Cinematic Universe hits; a storyline with ROBOTS ROBOTS ROBOTS, and a cast with more stars than the Milky Way…what could go wrong?

It turns out, a lot. And with such spectacular spending behind just one 2 hour 8 minute film, Netflix might just have explained why all our rates went up on what remains the world’s largest streamer.

Within minutes of starting The Electric State, you may feel a little cringe. That’s probably right on cue when the Robot Wars of the 1990s begin onscreen and include a mechanical version of Mr. Peanut and/or just for fun, some President Bill Clinton AI.

As it continues, you may find it hard to believe the screenplay is actually based on a celebrated illustrated novel by Simon Stålenhag, since it feels like an algorithmic mish-mash of pieces and parts recommended by fans of Howard the Duck and The Hunger Games. So impenetrable and dense is the exposition that with a gun to my head I could not accurately explain the intricacies of the plot, which involves human to robot to human electrical mechanical dependence, I think.

It’s back to a futuristic 1997, and the Robot Wars are over. Or so we believed. That’s when a rebellious orphaned girl and her mysterious friend start wandering the desolate West Coast looking for her missing brother. As they face dangerous drones and uncover a conspiracy behind a revolutionary technology and the robots’ banishment, they meet a smuggler and his sidekick who help them avenge the bots, rescue her brother, and save the day.

With more celebrity cameos than an award show, The Electric State somehow finds a way to create an ensemble that combines Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things), a sleazy-looking Chris Pratt, Anthony Mackie as the naughty voice of robot sidekick Herman, Stanley Tucci doing his best as Ethan Skate (a thinly disguised version of Elon Musk), Giancarlo Esposito in metallic drag, Ke Huy Quan, Woody Harrelson, and Jason Alexander, Jenny Slate, and Holly Hunter for kicks.

At its best, The Electric State’s fast-paced, ragtag banter and action do sometimes resemble Star Wars or Raiders of the Lost Ark, and the film delivers moments of fun and joy even if they are fleeting. Casting Director Sarah Halley Finn is also credited with putting together the chemistry behind the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, but here it feels sometimes like the dynamics were spun from a Rolodex of famous faces sometimes by chance or availability.

Meanwhile, the Russo Brothers seem to have tried to take a mood or a feeling from the saturated ’90s and their teen love of its films and cram it into one project when someone handed them a blank check. But the tone feels desperate and longing, instead of nostalgic and delightful.

As a cautionary tale of the dystopian future, it’s also too late for The Electric State. The terror of rapid machine learning, human mimicry in voice, image, and robocalls, and the realization we have no idea what’s about to happen next for our species are all more chilling than escapist adventures.

With 30 credited producers attached to the project, those who love a hate-watch will find plenty of blame to go around. Overall, if that money was spent to get people talking, I guess The Electric State has conducted its mission. For me, it was a short circuit.