We Watched The Electric State So You Don't Have To
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VOICE OVER: Rebecca Brayton
WRITTEN BY: Nick Spake
The Russo brothers are back, but is their $320 million Netflix sci-fi adventure worth your time? Join us as we break down why "The Electric State" falls flat despite its star-studded cast and impressive budget. From generic storytelling to wasted potential, we'll explore how a movie featuring a talking Mr. Peanut robot voiced by Woody Harrelson somehow manages to be forgettable. We examine the film's derivative sci-fi elements, Millie Bobby Brown's thankless role, Chris Pratt's familiar performance, and how the movie fails to capitalize on its impressive robot designs. Despite record-breaking production costs and talented voice actors like Anthony Mackie and Brian Cox, this post-apocalyptic road trip set in an alternate 1994 ultimately joins Netflix's growing list of expensive yet unmemorable content. Ae you going to see the movie? Let us know in the comments.
We Watched Electric State So You Don’t Have To
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re watching Netflix’s “The Electric State”… so you don’t have to.
The Russo brothers have directed some of our favorite TV episodes, not to mention several MCU highlights, from “Winter Soldier” to “Infinity War.” If their post-“Endgame” directorial output has demonstrated anything, though, it’s that Anthony and Joe are only as good as the scripts they have to work with. While “Cherry” and “The Gray Man” weren’t the worst, we struggle to remember anything about them. With an all-star cast, promising source material, and a $320 million budget, “The Electric State” should at the very least be memorable. Somehow, the Russos do the unthinkable: make a movie with a talking Mr. Peanut robot voiced by Woody Harrelson feel generic. By the way, kind of a missed opportunity Harrelson isn’t voicing a Twinkie the Kid robot.
The first ten minutes are a hefty exposition dump overflowing with ideas we’ve seen in countless other sci-fi and young adult stories. A post-apocalyptic world that’s futuristic yet retro, this one set in an alternate version of the early 90s. Sentient robots fighting for their rights in a war-torn world dominated by prejudiced humans. An evil tech genius modeled after Steve Jobs who claims he wants to benefit humanity when in reality, he’s enslaving them. A virtual world humans can escape to as the reality around them crumbles to pieces. And of course, an orphaned teenage protagonist named Michelle, played by Millie Bobby Brown. Initially believing her entire family is gone, Michelle discovers that her brother Christopher (Woody Norman) is still alive… sort of.
Separated from his body, Chris’ consciousness now exists within a robot modeled after a cartoon character, Kid Cosmo - no relatable to Kid Cosmic. To save her brother, Michelle sets out on a road trip with the grinning yellow robot. Along the way, they team up with some other exiled robots and lowlife loner Keats, a Chris Pratt type played by Chris Pratt. “The Electric State” isn’t without inspired touches. The self-aware robots forced to live in seclusion all have unique designs, looking like abandoned amusement park attractions. Meanwhile, human-operated drones all appear identical, ironically coming off as more soulless than the animatronics they oppress. Some robots have expressive faces. Others - like Cosmic - have static faces. Either way, they get a fair deal of personality across.
While the robots are the best part of the movie, they aren’t without drawbacks. Seeing Mr. Peanut pop up as the robot’s leader, we think to ourselves, “This should be funny.” Yet, we’ve seen actual Mr. Peanut commercials with more wit than “The Electric State.” The humor here primarily consists of the robots spouting modern slang. This might’ve been novel in 2007 when the first “Transformers” movie came out, but it got old by 2009 when the second “Transformers” movie was released. Thankfully, none of the robots here are as annoying or offensive as Skids and Mudflap, although we wish more time had been dedicated to fleshing them out. Despite much of the cast being robotic, the main focus is wasted on boring human characters.
Millie Bobby Brown is trying, but Michelle is a thankless role. The bond between Michelle and Chris/Cosmic is supposed to be the film’s emotional core. Outside of one nice scene where they watch an old Kid Cosmic cartoon with the other robots gathering around them, we struggle to get invested. Although he’s essentially playing another authority figure, Giancarlo Esposito has the closest thing to an interesting arc. Chris Pratt does his old shtick, except this time with more needless yelling. Making it even harder to distance him from Star-Lord, Keats is another roguish scavenger who makes an entrance set to a catchy rock song. Where Star-Lord’s entrance perfectly summed up the character, Keats’ introductory needle drop feels empty.
The soundtrack and Pratt’s presence aren’t the only aspects ripped from “Guardians of the Galaxy.” Nostalgia also plays a significant role. Where James Gunn cleverly weaved 80s and 70s nostalgia into the “Guardians” lore, “The Electric State” settles for making random references, hoping it’ll trigger your memory. Remember MTV News? Remember “Masters of the Universe?” Remember the old-school Volkswagen bus? Remember the Clinton administration? Remember the “you’ve got mail” alert? RIP Elwood Edwards. Remember Big Mouth Billy Bass? Wait, that last one didn’t exist until 1998 and “Electric State” takes place in 1994. This doesn’t add up! See? The fact we’re more invested in the singing fish toy goes to show the movie isn’t doing its job very well.
Instead of the next “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Electric State” seems destined to go down as the next “Borderlands”... the “Borderlands” movie, that is. Where “Guardians” balanced eccentric characters and surprising pathos, “Electric State” comes off as tonally confused. Not only are the jokes not especially funny, but some scenes are borderline unpleasant. On more than one occasion, the robots are subjected to torment. Whether or not robots can feel pain, we can’t help but cringe watching Mr. Peanut get his hat torn off. We think intense imagery like this is intended to be powerful. It plays more like that scene in “Short Circuit 2” where Johnny 5 is dying. We guess we’re supposed to feel sad, but it’s just… weird.
The most amusing part is the end credits listing the big names who lent their voices to the various robots. Anthony Mackie, Brian Cox, and Colman Domingo are just some of the A-listers we didn’t recognize. Along with the stacked cast, the special effects shine through in the $320 million budget, a record high for a Netflix feature. The VFX team captures the aesthetic of Simon Stålenhag’s source material and creates robots that truly feel alive. At the same time, the robots spend most of the film standing around, talking. When you have the directors of the two best “Avengers” and “Captain America” movies, we expect wall-to-wall visual splendor. Alas, the inventive robot designs are washed out in a sea of mundane action and ugly backdrops.
It all builds to Michelle giving an impassioned speech about connection and how we need to embrace real life. The film acts as if it’s the first film to share this message, but Michelle’s words sound like they were copied and pasted from the ending of “Ready Player One.” That film found a more satisfying middle ground between pop entertainment and timely tech commentary. “The Electric State” isn’t as fun, thought-provoking, or original as it thinks it is. You can sense the aspirations to turn this into a franchise. Like the “Rebel Moon” movies, though, we don’t understand who “The Electric State” is for. If a sequel gets made, it won’t be because the masses demand it. It’ll be because Netflix needs content to feed the beast.
Is “The Electric State” one of the worst movies we’ve ever seen? By no means. We wouldn’t even say it’s one of the absolute worst movies Netflix has ever produced. Those looking to simply turn off their brains for two hours will essentially get what they expect. This is the kind of movie you fall asleep watching on the couch before it fades into the streaming void forever. That said, Netflix could’ve delivered the same results on a much lower budget. Given the talent, resources, and price tag, we expected something much more from “The Electric State.” Walking away, all we can think about are the countless projects Netflix could’ve produced with that $320 million we’ll never get to see.
Did you wind up watching “The Electric State?” If so, what did you think? Let us know in the comments.
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re watching Netflix’s “The Electric State”… so you don’t have to.
The Russo brothers have directed some of our favorite TV episodes, not to mention several MCU highlights, from “Winter Soldier” to “Infinity War.” If their post-“Endgame” directorial output has demonstrated anything, though, it’s that Anthony and Joe are only as good as the scripts they have to work with. While “Cherry” and “The Gray Man” weren’t the worst, we struggle to remember anything about them. With an all-star cast, promising source material, and a $320 million budget, “The Electric State” should at the very least be memorable. Somehow, the Russos do the unthinkable: make a movie with a talking Mr. Peanut robot voiced by Woody Harrelson feel generic. By the way, kind of a missed opportunity Harrelson isn’t voicing a Twinkie the Kid robot.
The first ten minutes are a hefty exposition dump overflowing with ideas we’ve seen in countless other sci-fi and young adult stories. A post-apocalyptic world that’s futuristic yet retro, this one set in an alternate version of the early 90s. Sentient robots fighting for their rights in a war-torn world dominated by prejudiced humans. An evil tech genius modeled after Steve Jobs who claims he wants to benefit humanity when in reality, he’s enslaving them. A virtual world humans can escape to as the reality around them crumbles to pieces. And of course, an orphaned teenage protagonist named Michelle, played by Millie Bobby Brown. Initially believing her entire family is gone, Michelle discovers that her brother Christopher (Woody Norman) is still alive… sort of.
Separated from his body, Chris’ consciousness now exists within a robot modeled after a cartoon character, Kid Cosmo - no relatable to Kid Cosmic. To save her brother, Michelle sets out on a road trip with the grinning yellow robot. Along the way, they team up with some other exiled robots and lowlife loner Keats, a Chris Pratt type played by Chris Pratt. “The Electric State” isn’t without inspired touches. The self-aware robots forced to live in seclusion all have unique designs, looking like abandoned amusement park attractions. Meanwhile, human-operated drones all appear identical, ironically coming off as more soulless than the animatronics they oppress. Some robots have expressive faces. Others - like Cosmic - have static faces. Either way, they get a fair deal of personality across.
While the robots are the best part of the movie, they aren’t without drawbacks. Seeing Mr. Peanut pop up as the robot’s leader, we think to ourselves, “This should be funny.” Yet, we’ve seen actual Mr. Peanut commercials with more wit than “The Electric State.” The humor here primarily consists of the robots spouting modern slang. This might’ve been novel in 2007 when the first “Transformers” movie came out, but it got old by 2009 when the second “Transformers” movie was released. Thankfully, none of the robots here are as annoying or offensive as Skids and Mudflap, although we wish more time had been dedicated to fleshing them out. Despite much of the cast being robotic, the main focus is wasted on boring human characters.
Millie Bobby Brown is trying, but Michelle is a thankless role. The bond between Michelle and Chris/Cosmic is supposed to be the film’s emotional core. Outside of one nice scene where they watch an old Kid Cosmic cartoon with the other robots gathering around them, we struggle to get invested. Although he’s essentially playing another authority figure, Giancarlo Esposito has the closest thing to an interesting arc. Chris Pratt does his old shtick, except this time with more needless yelling. Making it even harder to distance him from Star-Lord, Keats is another roguish scavenger who makes an entrance set to a catchy rock song. Where Star-Lord’s entrance perfectly summed up the character, Keats’ introductory needle drop feels empty.
The soundtrack and Pratt’s presence aren’t the only aspects ripped from “Guardians of the Galaxy.” Nostalgia also plays a significant role. Where James Gunn cleverly weaved 80s and 70s nostalgia into the “Guardians” lore, “The Electric State” settles for making random references, hoping it’ll trigger your memory. Remember MTV News? Remember “Masters of the Universe?” Remember the old-school Volkswagen bus? Remember the Clinton administration? Remember the “you’ve got mail” alert? RIP Elwood Edwards. Remember Big Mouth Billy Bass? Wait, that last one didn’t exist until 1998 and “Electric State” takes place in 1994. This doesn’t add up! See? The fact we’re more invested in the singing fish toy goes to show the movie isn’t doing its job very well.
Instead of the next “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Electric State” seems destined to go down as the next “Borderlands”... the “Borderlands” movie, that is. Where “Guardians” balanced eccentric characters and surprising pathos, “Electric State” comes off as tonally confused. Not only are the jokes not especially funny, but some scenes are borderline unpleasant. On more than one occasion, the robots are subjected to torment. Whether or not robots can feel pain, we can’t help but cringe watching Mr. Peanut get his hat torn off. We think intense imagery like this is intended to be powerful. It plays more like that scene in “Short Circuit 2” where Johnny 5 is dying. We guess we’re supposed to feel sad, but it’s just… weird.
The most amusing part is the end credits listing the big names who lent their voices to the various robots. Anthony Mackie, Brian Cox, and Colman Domingo are just some of the A-listers we didn’t recognize. Along with the stacked cast, the special effects shine through in the $320 million budget, a record high for a Netflix feature. The VFX team captures the aesthetic of Simon Stålenhag’s source material and creates robots that truly feel alive. At the same time, the robots spend most of the film standing around, talking. When you have the directors of the two best “Avengers” and “Captain America” movies, we expect wall-to-wall visual splendor. Alas, the inventive robot designs are washed out in a sea of mundane action and ugly backdrops.
It all builds to Michelle giving an impassioned speech about connection and how we need to embrace real life. The film acts as if it’s the first film to share this message, but Michelle’s words sound like they were copied and pasted from the ending of “Ready Player One.” That film found a more satisfying middle ground between pop entertainment and timely tech commentary. “The Electric State” isn’t as fun, thought-provoking, or original as it thinks it is. You can sense the aspirations to turn this into a franchise. Like the “Rebel Moon” movies, though, we don’t understand who “The Electric State” is for. If a sequel gets made, it won’t be because the masses demand it. It’ll be because Netflix needs content to feed the beast.
Is “The Electric State” one of the worst movies we’ve ever seen? By no means. We wouldn’t even say it’s one of the absolute worst movies Netflix has ever produced. Those looking to simply turn off their brains for two hours will essentially get what they expect. This is the kind of movie you fall asleep watching on the couch before it fades into the streaming void forever. That said, Netflix could’ve delivered the same results on a much lower budget. Given the talent, resources, and price tag, we expected something much more from “The Electric State.” Walking away, all we can think about are the countless projects Netflix could’ve produced with that $320 million we’ll never get to see.
Did you wind up watching “The Electric State?” If so, what did you think? Let us know in the comments.
