On March 14, Netflix premiered the sci-fi adventure mega blockbuster «The Electric State», based on the 2018 graphic novel of the same name by Simon Stalenhag. With the Russo brothers, who worked on the super spectacular «The Avengers», in the director’s chair, and the film’s budget reaching an impressive $320 million, the project looked promising from a visual point of view at least. However, the critics unanimously destroyed novelty, while the initial reaction of the audience turned out to be much more favorable. Let’s find out which of the two sides of this eternal movie battle is right in the review below.
Genre sci-fi action adventure
Directors Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Starring Millie Bobby Brown, Chris Pratt, Jonathan Ke Kwan, Stanley Tucci, Woody Norman, Jason Alexander, Martin Klebba, Giancarlo Esposito
The roles were voiced: Woody Harrelson, Anthony Mackie, Brian Cox, Jenny Slate, Alan Tudyk, Hank Azaria, Colman Domingo, Billy Gardell
Premiere Netflix
Year of release 2025
Website IMDb
Alternative 90s. Mankind has dumped all the unattractive routine on robots, who are constantly working as hairdressers, waiters, merchandisers, postmen, laborers, and God knows what else. But one day, the metal slaves lose their patience and, as you might guess, they organize a machine uprising. Disturbing news is broadcast on TV, Bill Clinton is determined to fight back against the rabid cans, and war is inevitably approaching.
Two years after the conflict began, inventor Ethan Skate played a decisive role. His latest technology allowed him to connect human minds with mechanized droid bodies, changing the course of the war in favor of humanity. Now it was possible to destroy enemies remotely, without leaving home, without human losses. As a result, it helped to suppress the resistance of the rebels, and the leader of the bots, Mr. Peanut, had to sign a surrender act.
Meanwhile, young Michelle, who lost her entire family in a tragic car accident, meets an unfamiliar robot who Bumblebee-style claims that it contains the mind of her dead younger brother Christopher, and that the boy is actually alive. So the girl sets out to find her relative, enlisting the support of an unlikely ally: former U.S. Army officer and smuggler John D. Keats.
After the large-scale Marvel battles and fateful snaps of fingers, things did not go smoothly for the Russo brothers, as their return to Marvel, may be useful for both sides in the future. In the meantime, filmmakers have switched to streaming and even slowed down their epic blockbuster efforts at first. But none of the subsequent projects can be called directly impressive.
The crime drama «Cherry» (2021) with Tom Holland, which was broadcast on Apple TV+, had its fans, but few people remember it today. And the $200 million action movie «The Gray Man» (2022) with Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans, which was already premiering on Netflix, offered expensive but mechanistic, soulless action that left no room for emotion for both the star performers and the audience.
Probably taking this factor into account, the brothers-directors and screenwriters Christopher Marcus and Stephen McFeely, who also worked on «The Gray Man», tried to give «The Electric State» at least some soul, despite the significant presence of robots. And this can be considered a step forward without irony.
But don’t get your hopes up: from a plot point of view, it’s still a formulaic, weak movie that will quickly go out of your head. In fact, it may upset some people because of its outright childishness, so if someone suddenly expects a gloomy sci-fi set piece with mutilated metal giants in the background, they will inevitably be disappointed. The Russo’s are going out of their way to make a completely safe, innocent family movie with the obligatory inflection into levity and crass humor.
On the other hand, the fervor with which English-language critics have torn the film apart, and the miserable 19% on Rotten Tomatoes, is hardly deserved. Yes, they didn’t bring a sane story or a darker, more adult vision of it here. Yes, it’s not a sin to fall asleep during the first half. Yes, the robots are strange. Yes, Chris Pratt once again delivers a batch of semi-clownish Star Lordand Millie Bobby Brown is a pretty good dramatic actress. And yes, in general, this is nonsense, which fans of last year’s «Mars Express».
By the way, this brings up an interesting point: in our paradoxical times, a sci-fi cartoon can be much more adult and multilayered than a thematically close movie with live performers.
But even so, «The Electric State» can claim to be worth a single viewing. Still, the final act looks more or less exciting, not to mention the high-quality CGI. And the aforementioned attempt by the authors to add drama really works.
The novelty will be especially relevant for those who want to avoid bothering and are looking for easy family entertainment on the screen. Subjectively, it is better to watch this movie at home in comfort than to go to the cinema to see a completely failed movie «In the Lost Lands». And to make your viewing experience more enjoyable, don’t forget to stock up on good beer.
In short, with a stretch of its modest 3 out of 5, or according to the ITC scale, 6 out of 10, the new creation of the Russo brothers earns. The main thing to keep in mind before watching is that this is a cut for the little ones because how could it be otherwise in a movie that features a character named Mr. Peanuts.