“The Last of Us.” “WALL-E.” “The Mitchells v.s. the Machines.” “Ready Player One.”
These are just a handful of post-apocalyptic stories more worth your time than “The Electric State.”
The new Russo Brothers film, adapted from Simon Stålenhag’s graphic novel of the same name, follows Michelle and Keats — two characters whose names I had to look up just now despite having recently watched the movie — as they traverse a robot-ridden hellscape to find Michelle’s long-lost brother. I’m told the graphic novel is decent, but it’s clear something was lost in translation.
“The Electric State” is the kind of movie that even on first watch feels like you’ve seen it before. Tropes abound, every character is an archetype, and unpredictable story beats are nowhere to be found. It isn’t necessarily a bad time, but viewers seeking a fresh experience should look elsewhere.
In addition to becoming Netflix’s new most expensive movie of all time, the film might have another record on its hands. You’d be hard-pressed to find another movie with this much expository dialogue.
The film often struggles in the editing. There was a scene early on where a certain cut was so bizarre I initially couldn’t even tell that the scene had changed. This is immediately followed by a scene in which the main character spouts their entire backstory in monologue form. Immediately after, we see the same backstory she just described except as a dream.
I dare you to find a single screenwriting professor who would argue these are strong techniques.
If there’s one thing everyone can praise this film for, it’s the robot designs and VFX work. My favorite was probably the taco robot who played the piano.
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Alan Silvestri’s score was also unsurprisingly impressive. At one point, an orchestral rendition of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” made me initially cringe but eventually won me over. Plus, there are moments when the score lets you pretend you’re watching an “Avengers” movie.
As one of ten remaining Chris Pratt fans on the planet, I didn’t mind his performance here. I think his character was entirely responsible for the handful of times I laughed.
The film certainly has no shortage of excellent actors, from Millie Bobby Brown to Giancarlo Esposito and Ke Huy Kuan to Stanley Tucci. They all turned in fine performances, but with figures of such caliber, one wouldn’t be wrong for wanting a stronger film from them.
I cannot deny certain scenes were effective in eliciting emotional responses from the audience, but this is another sign indicative of the film’s true nature. These emotional beats work because they follow basic storytelling principles that we’ve seen for ages, not because the film itself is committed to excellence.
If nothing else, this film offers hope to all aspiring screenwriters. If a film of this quality can get picked up by Netflix for $300 million, the door is wide open. Some early scenes even reminded me of first drafts of screenplays I have written.
Ultimately, “The Electric State” is a pretty vapid experience. It’s certainly not the worst way to spend two hours, but there’s a massive backlog of similar films and TV shows that are sure to linger much longer in your mind