NFL
By: Brook Hill
The Electric State, released on Netflix on March 14, 2025, is a sci-fi action-adventure film directed by Anthony and Joe Russo. Adapted from Simon Stålenhag’s 2018 graphic novel, the film stars Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt, supported by a notable ensemble cast including Ke Huy Quan, Jason Alexander, Woody Harrelson, Anthony Mackie, and many more.
Set in an alternate 1990s, the film imagines a world where a war between humans and robots has led to societal collapse. Humanity achieved victory through Neurocaster technology, allowing minds to inhabit robotic drones. However, this advancement resulted in widespread detachment from reality, and a lot of people chose to just simply live as a robot. Robots don’t experience or feel any hardship, and that is idealized by most humans.
The story follows Michelle , a teenager who believes her brother Christopher died in a car accident years ago. Her life changes when she encounters Cosmo, a sentient robot controlled by Christopher’s former consciousness. Determined to find him, Michelle embarks on a journey across a post-apocalyptic world, joined by Keats, a former soldier, and Herman, a versatile robot. Their quest leads them to uncover dark secrets about Christopher’s fate and the origins of Neurocaster technology.
With a budget of $320 MILLION, The Electric State stands as one of Netflix’s most expensive projects. And yet, somehow, they still let it flop. Filming took place in Atlanta, Georgia, and despite high expectations, the film received predominantly negative reviews. Critics cited it differentiated from the original novel, and it garnered a measly 15 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Keep in mind this is a whole 2 plus hours of your life you won’t get back… I know won’t.
With a star-studded cast full of talented people, I had higher expectations. Although the suck factor isn’t due to the casting. The movie was cast super well, but its plot was thin, nothing was left to the imagination, and the 2 hours felt like 4…so take that as you may. Here is some of the cast lineup:
- Millie Bobby Brown as Michelle
- Chris Pratt as Keats
- Ke Huy Quan as Christopher
- Jason Alexander as Ted
- Woody Harrelson, Anthony Mackie, and Stanley Tucci in various rolls throughout.
The Electric State was a strong attempt at the recreation of a picture book that just fell short. The animations were expensive and impressive, but everything else was underwhelming.
If you want to check this movie out for yourself, and let me know what you think, you can find this movie on Netflix!
Until next time friends!
