My quick rating – 6.4/10. The Electric State delivers a visually impressive, often intriguing journey through an alternate 1990s where robots are seamlessly embedded into society, but its narrative doesn’t quite hit the mark it sets out for.
Directed by the Russo brothers, this post-robot-war odyssey sees an orphaned teen (Millie Bobby Brown) hitting the road with a mysterious robot companion to find her long-lost brother. Along the way, she teams up with a smuggler (Chris Pratt, nearly unrecognizable under a scruffy makeover) and his snarky sidekick. The world they traverse is one where society never collapsed, Terminator-style—instead, it adapted. It’s a clever, almost optimistic reimagining of tech’s role in culture, and the 1990s setting adds a rich nostalgic flair. Virtual reality meetings launched via AOL invites are just one of many charming touches that breathe life into this retro-futuristic vision.
Millie Bobby Brown steps into a new kind of role here, one that plays with both vulnerability and resilience, though the character’s emotional arc sometimes feels muted by the film’s uneven tone. The film shifts frequently between mature themes—grief, identity, existential crisis—and lighter, family-friendly moments, which can make it hard to pin down exactly who it’s for.
Chris Pratt’s Keats, somewhere between Star-Lord and Andy Dwyer, provides comic relief and heart. His instantly recognizable voice helps anchor the character, even if his rugged look initially throws you. The supporting cast gets a fun boost from Woody Harrelson as a flamboyant AI mall leader modeled after Mr. Peanut—an imaginative and surreal highlight that shows the creative team wasn’t afraid to get weird.
Visually, the film is undeniably stunning. With a reported $300 million budget, you expect spectacle, and you get it. From the vast robotic junkyards to the neon-lit cyber malls, the aesthetic is lush and immersive. The integration of live-action with VFX is some of the cleanest and most convincing seen in recent memory, and the world-building, from robot etiquette to tech norms, feels deeply considered.
That said, while the setting is rich and the journey is long, it often feels like the film is circling rather than progressing. The emotional stakes never fully land, and by the end, it’s hard to shake the feeling that the movie had more potential than payoff. It’s less of a destination story and more of a meandering road trip through an alternate timeline that’s worth seeing, even if you won’t remember every stop along the way.
Despite the media flack it reportedly received, The Electric State isn’t a misfire—it’s just not the genre-defining epic it might’ve aspired to be. It’s imaginative, well-produced, and occasionally poignant, but it coasts more on its production value and cool ideas than on a solid emotional core.
Have you watched anything else recently that gave you similar “ambitious but uneven” vibes?
This one is currently on Netflix alone for your viewing.