Year of Release: 2025
Director: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Starring: Millie Bobby Brown, Chris Pratt, Giancarlo Esposito, Stanley Tucci, Ke Huy Quan, Woody Norman, Woody Harrelson, Jason Alexander, Holly Hunter, Alan Tudyk
Genre: Sci-Fi, Adventure
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 4
Watch it on Amazon
Synopsis and Review
The latest film from directors Anthony and Joe Russo, is also one of Netflix's costliest productions (their prior film, also for Netflix, the quickly forgotten "The Gray Man" was also another pricey endeavor). The film is an adaptation of the illustrated novel by Simon Stalenhag (adapted by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, also responsible for the scripts for "Captain America: The First Avenger", "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe", and more recently, "Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame"), and it takes place in an alternate version of the 1990s. In that reality, there's been a war between humans and robots, one which almost destroyed the entire planet. Humans were able to overcome the revolting robots thanks to the Neurocaster Technology developed by Ethan Skate. That technology allows for humans to upload their minds into drone robots, which in turn allows for an army of sentinels to be easily controlled and deployed. The central element of the narrative is Michelle Greene, who is living with her foster dad Ted, following the death of her family (parents and brother) from a car crash. One day while at home she realizes a robot is seeking her out. He is only able to communicate using gestures and a limited of pre-recorded words, but he eventually explains to her that he is controlled by her younger brother Christopher, whom she thought had perished in the car crash. The robot volunteers that she must find Dr. Amherst, who was the medical professional helping their family when they suffered their accident, and that he will know and help her locate him. They both leave since the robot is also being hunted, and set out towards the Exclusion Zone in order to located the doctor and rescue Christopher.
One can't help but think of Steven Spielberg's "AI" and even Steve De Jarnatt's "Cherry 2000", both very different films, but whose influences trickle down and appear throughout this rather bland and uninspired film. The most surprising thing about "The Electric State" is indeed its bloated budget, since the film from a narrative and character development standpoint, doesn't have much to volunteer. Much like "AI" we have a young hero on a quest, one who is helped by someone who is an unexpected partner, in the case of Steven Spielberg's feature, that was the sex worker Gigolo Joe embodied (perfectly one may add) by Jude Law, and here we have the former military and now a somewhat bitter mercenary portrayed by Chris Pratt. Along the way there are a series of discarded robots, who are only trying to exist, and who have been relegated to pariahs or second class citizens (again much like Spielberg's feature), living in what appears to be a post-apocalyptic type of scenario. The film and the narrative is a bit of a head scratcher, since you have one veteran military guy who does everything by the book on the pursuit of this small and motley group, while the villain is quickly established to be the corporate honcho, who is milking a child's body and abilities for his own profit. We never know much about any of these characters, or whatever motivation they seem to have for that matter. Ultimately the film aims to be a Steven Spielberg type of homage, including the score from Alan Silvestri which is very evocative of the work from John Williams, but sadly these characters never entirely gain much presence, and by the time the film is over, it literally feels as if nothing has just happened. The cast is a bit of mixed bag, with Chris Pratt playing a variation of what he did with Peter Quill from "Guardians of the Galaxy", whereas it's difficult to understand if Millie Bobby Brown is playing a teenager or someone from the Real Housewives of New Jersey. Ke Huy Quan hopefully will make better role decisions in the future, as this part adds nothing to his career, the same going for Stanley Tucci, who definitely fared better in Edward Berger's "Conclave". The production team is rather serviceable, but there isn't a truly rapturous moment of dazzlement here, which is shocking considering the resources this team had. It's not as atrocious as some reviews have portrayed it to be, but it is indeed forgettable and dare I say it, unnecessary.
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