The Electric State

In the grand tradition of Hollywood throwing mountains of cash at sci-fi epics, The Electric State arrives with a budget so colossal it could fund a small nation — or at least a few more seasons of Stranger Things. Directed by the dynamic duo of Anthony and Joe Russo, the film is based (loosely, because of course it is) on Simon Stålenhag’s hauntingly beautiful 2018 illustrated novel of the same name. It has a cast packed with well-regarded names. But does the star power mean the movie works? Let’s dive into everything we know about The Electric State, including its plot, ending, cast, trailer, and a brief movie review. We mentioned Stranger Things above because this film stars Millie Bobby Brown in the lead. If you are waiting eagerly for the fifth and final (sob) season, this might serve as an amuse-bouche if you are a fan.

Someone on social media the other day posted that each of the last 15 Best Picture winners at the Oscars could’ve been funded for the amount that Netflix spent on The Electric State, the astronomically expensive new movie from directors Joe and Anthony Russo. We’re talking about films like Oppenheimer, which itself would’ve taken up $100 million of this cash pool, leaving the remaining $220 million to be spent on landmark films such as Parasite, 12 Years a Slave, and this year’s Anora. Starring Chris Pratt and Millie Bobby Brown, The Electric State is the kind of movie that seems to get longer while you’re watching it. No matter how deep into it you are — it could be the end of the first act or the second — it always feels like there’s an hour still left. On the face of it, The Electric State isn’t a particularly long movie. It taps out at around 120 minutes, which is positively merciful of the Russos, whose first gig after the global success of the three-hour-long Avengers: Endgame was Cherry, a 141-minute drama about a drug addict who robs banks to fund his habit.

The Netflix film takes place in a dystopian past where the world was taken over by a war with robots and turned the world into a different kind of machine obsessed society decades ago. Set in the 90s the film explores what happens when robots take over everyday activities, gain conscious awareness and decide this is their world too. A war breaks out and one evil is replaced with another. The film is reportedly based on Simon Stalenhag’s illustrated book of the same name. However, reports have revealed that the makers took creative liberty with the tone and aesthetic of the film which is far from the original material. The film has its own version to offer but the source seems way more cooler. Netflix’s film is more focused on being a child’s film enjoyable by the adults while be wholesome and also sharing its deeper message of human bonding. However, if the reports are true and the film has been using AI without considering its impact and consequences, then the irony of the film loses its impact totally. Millie Bobby Brown’s film begins amid the war with machines, where her character Michelle’s brother is taking a test for college applications. He is deemed a genius who has the potential to save the world and humans from the war against machines. However, just as their lives were about to get better, the family ends up in an accident and Michelle is the only one who survives.