Film Review: The Electric State

Welcome back to the blog readers. I think it is safe to say that Netflix films are pretty hit and miss. I do my best to try to avoid most of them because I do not have the power to sit through a lot of crappy films. Since this film is from one of my favorite director duos, I had faith that this would be one of the rare exceptions where I liked an original Netflix film. Would my hope be proven to be true, however? Stick around to find out.

The Electric State was directed by Joe and Anthony Russo from a screenplay by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, based on the illustrated novel The Electric State by Simon Stålenhag. The film stars Millie Bobby Brown, Chris Pratt, Ke Huy Quan, Jason Alexander, Woody Harrelson, Anthony Mackie, Brian Cox, Jenny Slate, Giancarlo Esposito, and Stanley Tucci. In the film, a young renegade girl joins forces with a former soldier to reunite with her brother in the aftermath of a war between humans and robots.

Such as in the film War of the Worlds (2025), I did not watch this film when it came out in March (!!!) because of the negative reception it received. It sucks, since I love the Russo brothers and their style. On the last day of 2025, I watched this film with a bit of hesitance, and I was saddened to find that this film was absolutely boring. Most of the performances seemed phoned in (save for one), the story was pretty lackluster, and the visual effects were lacking in a pretty significant way.

I want to talk about the performance of MIllie Bobby Brown first. Brown is beginning to become one of the more frustrating actors in my opinion. She was great in Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019), is great in Stranger Things (2019-25), and marrying Jon Bon Jovi's son in real life. But then, we get her in things like Damsel (2024) and this stinker of a film. Her performance is so lifeless and dull that I could care less about Michelle Greene (aka her character in this film). This is a damn shame, because I like Brown as a person, but she has a terrible agent that cannot select good films for herself.

Next up, we have to talk about the performance of Chris Pratt. Speaking of one of my favorite people in the industry, Chris Pratt has been one of the actors I have grown up with. From taking on the role of Peter Quill in the MCU to his performance in Parks and Recreation (2009-15), Pratt is someone who is extremely likeable in the business. But this film made me really not like him, especially as John Keats. This character comes off as so irredeemable and braggadocious that he is just so damn unlikable. And it is a shame, because when he can deliver, he can DELIVER. Just look at his powerful work in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) for proof of what I mean. Also, is he going to be in Avengers: Doomsday?

Before I move on to more of the things I do not like in this film, I want to talk about the one performance I alluded to actually liking in this film. That honor goes to Woody Norman, a young man from Hampstead, London. He was never in anything major, aside from a small role in the smaller film The Last Voyage of the Demeter (2023), but as Christopher Greene, I actually believed he was the best part of the film. He brings a warmth to the character that nobody else was able to give their characters, not even the vets lending their voices to robots. Norman's grounded and innocent portrayal of Chris was the emotional anchor of the film and I really felt for his character. Kudos to him for really carrying this film and showing he can hang, because he proved to me that he can really be special if given the right opportunities.

Back to the reason you all are probably here, and that is for the things I did not like about this film. Chief among them would have to be the script. As I mentioned in the informational paragraph, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely were behind this script. I have a question: Markus and McFeely can give us classic films such as Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019), but then they can turn around and give us things like The Gray Man (2022) and this soulless, lifeless, and overall dull script? I did not care about the dialogue of the film, because it was not sharp and witty at all. MIllie Bobby Brown's monologue at the end of the film felt like a child wrote it, and none of the lines were any believable.

And finally, I want to talk about the visual effects that we get in the film. I want to leave you with a singular statement regarding the film, and I want you to tell me what you think about it. Ready for the statement? Here we go. This film was made for $320 million. Now, your next logical response to that statement would be to ask why this film cost that much to make. After that, you may remark that you did not see $320 million worth of visual effects, and you would be correct. This film very well could have been made for $100-150 million less and had the same desirable effects in my opinion. At this point, it looks like the Russos stole a bit of Netflix money like that one guy who was just convicted for taking money and never making a show.

In conclusion, The Electric State is a dull and boring adaptation that cost way too much to make, but does feature a star in the making. Thank you all for reading, and I will see you for the next post.