THE ELECTRIC STATE

The Electric State rides the talents of its cast while boasting impressive visuals that fully captures the imagination and scale of the post-apocalyptic world of the film, even if the narrative never fully develops and remains in the shadows of far superior and similar stories within the science fiction genre.

Anthony and Joe Russo have directed two of the most expensive movies ever made with Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, so it only checks out that their latest film is not only the most expensive Netflix film ever made, but its budget is very close to their two Avengers films. And having seen The Electric State, it’s easy to see where their budget went. Not only does the film have a massive cast of actors getting their pay up front thanks to the lack of a back end within the streaming model, but its a visual marvel mixing practical effects and set design with CGI elements to bring to life this post apocalyptic version of the 1990s. Even if the story does not do anything audiences haven’t seen before in the science fiction or family adventure genres, the film has an undeniable heart that when combined with a decent cast and outstanding visuals, will make a streaming film that families with younger children will no doubt find being a major hit for their next movie night at home.

With a budget of $320 million for a science fiction action adventure film, expectations are high as to how the film is going to look visually, and it’s clear that the Russo Brothers and their special and visual effects teams put that money to good use. In a world where robots have grown sentient, nearly every scene of the film features non-human characters, and the line between visual and computer generated effects is at hard times to tell. The robots look phenomenal, each with their own unique personality derived from their purpose, movements, design and facial expressions. Bringing them to life through a mixture of animation and motion capture performances, they don’t feel like digital creations but fully rounded characters within the film that viewers are going to feel for (even more than some of the human characters in the film). Combined with strong set design capturing the post-apocalyptic wasteland left after the robot and human war and strong cinematography that truly makes the film pop on the big screen, it’s spectacle filmmaking through and through, which is the Russos bread and butter. Bolstering all of this is Alan Silversti’s grand musical score which captures the scope of the story’s adventure and the heart of the relationship between Michelle and Cosmo, even if it feels like a good portion of the score is recycled from his work on Avengers: Endgame and Ready Player One.

Inspired by the illustrated novel of the same name by Simon Stålenhag, and much like their projects within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Russo Brothers approach their adaptation with a respect for the source material while wanting to tell their own original story. Though, it is not entirely all that original. Trying to evoke that Spielbergian magic of the films of Amblin Entertainment while taking ideas from many science fiction classics, you can see what the Russos are aiming for with their story, with screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely trying to tie the ideas together in the screenplay. A post-apocalyptic world, a road trip to reunite a young girl with the brother she thought dead while bonding with the robot her brother’s mind is inhabiting, a corrupt technology company trying to hide its dark secrets, and the toll the technological advancements have taken on society. These are all the major plot elements of the story, and you can tie each of them to another science fiction story easily as it does emulate the stories that came before it. But, with the heartfelt bond between Michelle and Cosmo at the centre of the film’s story, it's hard not to be entertained as while it’s not doing anything new, it's a competently told greatest hits of the genre that the entire family can enjoy. Never for a second is the story bad, it does its job of taking the audience on the journey alongside Michelle and Cosmo, but it is not a story that you are going to remember long after finishing the film.

It is only natural that to bring to life such a grand adventure that the Russo Brothers have assembled a cast of so many recognizable Hollywood actors. From smaller almost cameo appearances from the likes of Holly Hunter and Colman Domingo, voice performances from Woody Harrelson and Brian Cox to bring to life the robots, an always delightful appearance from Ke Huy Quan, or the film’s villains portrayed by Stanley Tucci and Giancarlo Esposito, the film never for a second lacks star power. Leading the film is Millie Bobby Brown, and she does a good job as Michelle. Capturing the heartache of this young girl grappling with the idea that she is alone in the world after the death of her family, seeing Brown bring joy back to Michelle as she connects with Cosmo is truly moving, once again showcasing Brown’s acting abilities especially with CG characters that she is not always physically interacting with. Alan Tudyk, the king of voice performances himself, is splendid as Cosmo, capturing the lovable robot and ensuring that the character’s heart and love for Michelle is never for a second lost through his limited lines of dialogue that his programming allows for, creating one of the best characters of the film. Anthony Mackie is great as the voice of Herman, only recognizable by the cadence in his voice that captures the small, energetic and sometimes crass robot he voices, while Jenny Slate hits some great comedic moments as the voice of Penny Pal, the postal worker robot, who constantly steals the show. The only weak performance comes from Chris Pratt as Brown’s co-lead Keats. Doing what he has done time and time again in many film roles, Pratt’s routine of the rough Han Solo-esque hero is starting to lose its appeal in what felt like a rather uninspired performance, not helped by the fact that Brown had better chemistry with the non-human robot than him. There is no shortage of talent in any scene of the film, and the cast does a great job infusing the film with the heart that the story tries to achieve on its own, ensuring that the audience is entertained from start to finish.

When it comes to big budget Netflix films, the studio is concerned about popcorn entertainment that will get viewers streaming the title on its first weekend, and I have no doubt that with the cast involved in The Electric State will get viewers close to or breaking streaming records this weekend. With Anthony and Joe Russo in the director’s chair, there is no shortage of grand world building and spectacle driven filmmaking which utilizes their budget to create a cinematic experience that should be experienced on the big screen, even if the story never is truly as original as they would hope it to be. Led by the strong performances of Millie Bobby Brown, Alan Tudyk and Anthony Mackie, The Electric State will capture viewers attention and imagination with its grand world building thanks its to impressive production design and effects work to bring to life the robots that will have you questioning what is real and what is CG generated, even if the story never fully realizes the lofty sentiment at its core and plays out like a surface level greatest hits of the science fiction genre.