Netflix just spent a reported $320,000,000 on soulless nostalgia bait
The Electric State, with a star-studded cast led by Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt,is Netflix’s latest mega-budget movie (Picture: Netflix/Paul Abell) Netflix’s The Electric State is the streamer’s most expensive original movie to date – but sadly it doesn’t show much value for money as the Millie Bobby Brown flick is far from its best. At a rumoured cost of $320million (£247m), she and Chris Pratt star in a muddled sci-fi action comedy stuffed with robots that isn’t actually as awful as I feared, but isn’t particularly good either. There are glimpses of personality throughout the movie, which show what this could have been throughout, but its seven years in development are evident as The Electric State seems confused about what exactly it’s supposed to be – and who it’s supposed to be for – even with the passionate involvement of producers and directors Anthony and Joe Russo right from the off. Based on Simon Stålenhag’s 2018 illustrated novel of the same name, the film sets up a reimagined version of the ‘90s, in the aftermath of a failed robot uprising where sentient bots tried to fight for their rights to exist on equal footing with humans in society. Tech billionaire Ethan Skate (Stanley Tucci) also lurks on the sidelines with an invention – the neurocaster network – and a robot hunter-cowboy minion (Giancarlo Esposito) that further threaten their existence. Get personalised updates on all things Netflix Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro’s TV Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your show in the link we’ll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you. Meanwhile Brown is troubled orphan Michelle, who embarks on a quest to find her missing brother Christopher (Woody Norman), linking up with drifter Keats (Pratt) and his robot pal Herman (voiced by Anthony Mackie). To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Up Next Previous Page Next Page They travel cross-country through a dystopian America and into the Exclusion Zone, where robots now live in exile. The robot voice cast – which also includes Woody Harrelson as Mr. Peanut, Jenny Slate and Alan Tudyk – give some of the film’s best performances, from Mackie especially (even if voice-distorted) as the wisecracking Herman, who often lifts the energy of scenes. Comment nowAre you going to watch The Electric State on Netflix?Comment Now And that’s no shade to Brown or Pratt; they’re just stuck being reliably fine in the same kind of roles we’ve seen them perform before in more well-defined cinematic worlds. The Electric State looks great in parts, inspired by the striking imagery from Stålenhag’s original work, but it otherwise could be mistaken for any other retro-futuristic sci-fi film in its design, which is a shame. The sci-fi film has some incredible -looking vistas and imagery, but still fails to distinguish itself (Picture: Netflix) Alan Silvestri’s music is also sweeping and seems very appropriate for the era although slightly glaring when fans are only ever going to see this blockbuster-aspiring movie on small screens. The rest of the music is likely to frustrate fans though, with the inclusion of Oasis and Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch seeming like calculated nostalgia baiting – or just plain irritating. The film itself struggles from this issue, as a movie difficult to connect with – who is it for? Millennials who can sense the cynicism in the film’s deployment of nostalgia? Fans of the novel who have already railed against the film in reaction to the trailer? Brown’s fanbase, who are likely too young to feel any strong connection with the film’s setting? It’s a bit baffling. It’s hard to know who the film is for, as it struggles to connect (Picture: Netflix) However, among the other occasional strong bits of The Electric State are Tucci giving good baddie, a few quirky and fun asides in the screenplay by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, and Oscar-winner Ke Huy Quan a
Netflix’s The Electric State is the streamer’s most expensive original movie to date – but sadly it doesn’t show much value for money as the Millie Bobby Brown flick is far from its best.
At a rumoured cost of $320million (£247m), she and Chris Pratt star in a muddled sci-fi action comedy stuffed with robots that isn’t actually as awful as I feared, but isn’t particularly good either.
There are glimpses of personality throughout the movie, which show what this could have been throughout, but its seven years in development are evident as The Electric State seems confused about what exactly it’s supposed to be – and who it’s supposed to be for – even with the passionate involvement of producers and directors Anthony and Joe Russo right from the off.
Based on Simon Stålenhag’s 2018 illustrated novel of the same name, the film sets up a reimagined version of the ‘90s, in the aftermath of a failed robot uprising where sentient bots tried to fight for their rights to exist on equal footing with humans in society.
Tech billionaire Ethan Skate (Stanley Tucci) also lurks on the sidelines with an invention – the neurocaster network – and a robot hunter-cowboy minion (Giancarlo Esposito) that further threaten their existence.
Get personalised updates on all things NetflixWake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro’s TV Newsletter.
Sign up to our newsletter and then select your show in the link we’ll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you.
Meanwhile Brown is troubled orphan Michelle, who embarks on a quest to find her missing brother Christopher (Woody Norman), linking up with drifter Keats (Pratt) and his robot pal Herman (voiced by Anthony Mackie).
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Up Next
Previous Page Next PageThey travel cross-country through a dystopian America and into the Exclusion Zone, where robots now live in exile.
The robot voice cast – which also includes Woody Harrelson as Mr. Peanut, Jenny Slate and Alan Tudyk – give some of the film’s best performances, from Mackie especially (even if voice-distorted) as the wisecracking Herman, who often lifts the energy of scenes.
Comment nowAre you going to watch The Electric State on Netflix?Comment NowAnd that’s no shade to Brown or Pratt; they’re just stuck being reliably fine in the same kind of roles we’ve seen them perform before in more well-defined cinematic worlds.
The Electric State looks great in parts, inspired by the striking imagery from Stålenhag’s original work, but it otherwise could be mistaken for any other retro-futuristic sci-fi film in its design, which is a shame.
The sci-fi film has some incredible -looking vistas and imagery, but still fails to distinguish itself (Picture: Netflix)Alan Silvestri’s music is also sweeping and seems very appropriate for the era although slightly glaring when fans are only ever going to see this blockbuster-aspiring movie on small screens. The rest of the music is likely to frustrate fans though, with the inclusion of Oasis and Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch seeming like calculated nostalgia baiting – or just plain irritating.
The film itself struggles from this issue, as a movie difficult to connect with – who is it for? Millennials who can sense the cynicism in the film’s deployment of nostalgia? Fans of the novel who have already railed against the film in reaction to the trailer? Brown’s fanbase, who are likely too young to feel any strong connection with the film’s setting? It’s a bit baffling.
It’s hard to know who the film is for, as it struggles to connect (Picture: Netflix)However, among the other occasional strong bits of The Electric State are Tucci giving good baddie, a few quirky and fun asides in the screenplay by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, and Oscar-winner Ke Huy Quan as Dr Amherst – a human key to Michelle’s journey, but also another outstanding vocal performance as the voice of P.C., a very polite robot indeed.
The Russo Brothers are not only synonymous with the most successful period of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the Avengers movies, but they also directed one of Netflix’s most-watched films in The Gray Man. Just below it on that list is Brown’s last effort for Netflix, Damsel.
Perhaps the same fate awaits The Electric State – but I still wouldn’t call it hundreds of millions of dollars well spent.
The Electric State releases on Netflix on Friday, March 14.
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