A weak screenplay and forgettable performances current The Electric State because the poster little one for Netflix’s algorithm pushed movie making.

The Electric State has so many issues going for it—an intriguing sci-fi premise, charismatic actors, and fascinating manufacturing design. But, one way or the other, the movie manages to squander all of it. The lackluster screenplay has a paint-by-numbers plot and is so stuffed with cliches that it looks like Netflix’s notorious algorithm gained sentience simply lengthy sufficient to write down it.

The Russo Brothers and longtime collaborators Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely proceed to show that maybe they weren’t the particular sauce behind their MCU hits. Millie Bobby Brown, Chris Pratt, and the remainder of the forged fail to imbue the paper skinny characters with any sort of life. The 2 hour run time is the ultimate nail within the coffin of a movie that one way or the other accounts for a 320 million price range.

Wasted potential.

The Electric State introduces a a model of earth the place robotic know-how developed quickly and resulted in sentient robots main a civil rights marketing campaign and finally to a human-robotic battle. That’s an fascinating premise that’s introduced in probably the most uninteresting approach doable. Holly Hunter narrates this historical past over a montage introduced as an in universe information report or documentary. The academy award successful actress proceeds to vanish for the remainder of the movie. She makes one other extraordinarily minor look to offer a neat wrap up abstract report close to the top of the movie.

This pattern of presenting probably fascinating concepts and completely refusing to have interaction with them continues for everything of The Electric State. Humanity wins the battle utilizing drone-like robotic avatars that permit them to separate their consciousness to primarily be in two locations without delay. One a part of their thoughts could be in a digital world experiencing no matter actuality it desires whereas the opposite half offers with the drudgery of the true world through the drones. In ten minutes The Electric State manages to mash collectively Severance, Wall-E, Westworld, and extra earlier than punting all of it away to give attention to a really fundamental story of a lady searching for her brother.

Copy and paste.

A easy story in a posh world can work in a great movie. However the narrative in The Electric State overwhelms itself with cliche that there’s nothing to dig into. Brown and Pratt play reheated variations of characters they’ve performed earlier than solely this time they’re in horrible wigs. Stanley Tucci’s villain has zero complexity and has about three strains of dialogue to ship a feeble try at a backstory. Giancarlo Esposito’s antagonist is a glorified roomba along with his face on it whose motivations vacillate wildly in order that he can advance the plot. There’s nothing within the story that comes near an precise character arc. The themes fail to maneuver past milquetoast platitudes about “overcoming variations” and “coming collectively.”

A number of the 320 million greenback price range is tangible on display. The robots transfer and work together with the world in a approach that feels believable and there are some genuinely enjoyable concepts for a way these boots had been designed to satisfy particular features. Pratt’s robotic sidekick Herman, voiced by Anthony Mackie, has a nesting doll design that will have despatched me straight to my mother and father to beg for a toy after I was eight years previous. In a greater movie he might have simply been a breakout character however as a substitute finally ends up being a barely seen vibrant spot.

The underside line.

Screenwriters have cited that they’re receiving notes from Netflix to write down dialogue that explains what is going on on display for viewers who’ve Netflix enjoying within the background. The Electric State is the consequence of these kind of movie making rules. A cliff notes model of a narrative expanded again out with none of the main points added again in. A replica of a replica of a replica that embodies the accusations levied on the robots within the opening of the movie: soulless and disposable.

The Electric State is now streaming on Netflix. Watch the trailer here.

Pictures courtesy of Cr. Paul Abell/Netflix ©2025