Synopsis
The Electric State is a 2025 release science fiction adventure film by Anthony and Joe Russo. The movie is set in a fictional alternate America of 1997, twenty years behind Simon Stålenhag’s illustrated novel from which it was adapted. Instead of the nostalgic 90s we remember, it is a near-future dystopian world filled with decaying infrastructure, where humanity is more entranced by technology than ever. The Neurocaster, a virtual reality headset that projects artificial worlds directly into the user’s mind, has all but fully replaced reality.
The protagonist, played by Millie Bobby Brown, is Michelle Greene, a teenage girl who is recently orphaned and emotionally scarred. During her lonely life, she discovers a peculiar robot named Cosmo, who she believes is sent by her younger brother, Christopher, who went missing. Guided by what she believes is a signal and a fading hope that her brother is still alive, she embarks on a treacherous journey that transforms her across the desolate American wasteland in search for her sibling.
Michelle is now accompanied by Keats, the rugged smuggler with a sardonic flair portrayed by Chris Pratt, and a talking robot sidekick, Herman, voiced by Anthony Mackie. They shuttle through ghost towns, junk yards, and the crumbling suburbs choked with ancient, derelict machines. The landscape is dotted with awe-inspiring yet ominous remnants of giant humanoid robots from a bygone failed technological utopia.
Their journey leads them further into what is known as the Exclusion Zone, a quarantined area where several mega-corporations collapsed. The Zone contains decaying infrastructure, unplugged robots, and remnants of perilous factions that have either violently embraced Neurocaster technology or rejected it. As Michelle travels closer to her destination, she pieces together unsettling facts about her brother’s complicity with the technology and the corporations that wreaked havoc by releasing it on humanity.
As such, The Electric State becomes an emotional and philosophical journey, crafting an intricate tapestry of family dynamics, collective memory, and the consequences of relentless progress in technology.
Cast and Crew
Michelle Greene, one of the film’s leads, is played by Millie Bobby Brown, who provides a balanced performance of emotional vulnerability and fierce determination that complexly anchors the narrative. This post-apocalyptic world feels surreal, and her performance allows the audience to ground themselves.
Chris Pratt embodies Keats, an ethically gray guide and Michelle’s protector. Pratt’s portrayal is cynical yet heartfelt, as he slowly unveils empathy within.
Ke Huy Quan’s Dr. Amherst, a scientist associated with the Neurocaster program, fulfills the role of an ethics-laden moral guide. Together with his fellow characters, he reveals the deeper ethical implications of technological advancements in the film.
As Michelle’s younger brother Christopher Greene, Woody Norman brings the role to life. Despite being absent for much of the film, his character’s impact is felt through flashbacks and robotic surrogates.
Anthony Mackie voices Herman, Michelle’s devoted yet sarcastic robot companion. Alan Tudyk voices Cosmo, the enigmatic robot guiding Michelle on her journey. Along with them, Jenny Slate, Woody Harrelson, Brian Cox, and Giancarlo Esposito voice the other robots and AI that populate the film’s world.
The Russo brothers, Anthony and Joe, direct the film. They are best known for directing blockbuster hits like Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, who have worked with the Russos on multiple projects, penned the film’s screenplay.
Alan Silvestri composed the score The Electric State, which features synth-heavy motifs alongside orchestral swells, reflecting the film’s retro-futuristic tone. American wasteland cinematographer Stephen F. Windon captures the wide expanses with a somber and ethereal palette, emphasizing isolation and decay.
Production and Budget
The Electric State is Netflix’s most ambitious and expensive production to date, with a reported budget exceeding $300 million. Filming commenced in 2022 in Atlanta Georgia, with work completing in 2023 after delays from re-shoots and post-production work.
Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Weta FX, and Scanline VFX all worked together to do the film’s visual effects. The design aesthetic draws heavily from Simon Stålenhag’s original artwork depicting retro-futurist America, which is filled with decaying machinery, eerily lifeless landscapes, and surreal depictions of robots coexisting alongside remnants of human life.
Themes and Symbolism
The Electric State serves as a meditation on humanity’s technology dependence. The Neurocaster technology, which allows users to escape into digital landscapes, serves as a metaphor for today’s social media, gaming, and virtual reality immersion. The film critiques this form of escapism, portraying it as seductive but ultimately destructive, leading to societal collapse.
The emotional core of the story is Michelle’s Sisyphean search for her sibling. In a world increasingly dominated artificial constructs, her struggle serves as a beacon of hope for authentic human connection.
The film’s robots serve as mirrors of their human creators. While some are nurturing and protective, such as Cosmo, others are deeply twisted and morally corrupted by their environment. These robotic characters, who are played by a myriad of different vocal performers, participate in the film’s identity, memory, and autonomy discourse rather than simply serve as secondary characters.
The narrative’s road trip motif evokes quite the classic American cinema, from coming-of-age tales to post-apocalyptic epics. Still, unlike those, this one is more philosophical in nature rather than defined by fast-paced action and excitement.
Critical reception
Reception to The Electric State seems to lean both ways. With a score of around 6.9 in IMDb, the film has received some criticism alongside praise, especially regarding its visually breathtaking world and unique design. Quite a number of people appreciated the world’s visuals and the production design, as well as the emotional performances given by the actors, in particular, Millie Bobby Brown.
Regardless of its strengths, some critics took issue with the pacing and tone. The film is described vividly captivating, and yet its narrative was marked by some reviewers as overly contemplative or emotionally stagnant. A few others criticized its overreliance on well-trodden sci-fi elements, asking if it even attempted to defend its gargantuan budget.
Critics and audiences alike seem to appreciate the film’s ambitious scope, marking it as a hallmark achievement. It attempted to dive deeper to tackle serious issues which are usually brushed aside in mainstream blockbusters.
Conclusion
The Electric State is a bold motion picture as well as visually captivating, richly-layered, and introspective aimed at intertwining emotion-infused storytelling within a philosophical framework of science fiction. The film is laced with strong performances especially by Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt, offering a haunting depiction of a world unraveled by its self-destructive creations.
The Electric State brings to life the artistic work of Simon Stålenhag, even if it may not resonate with everyone because of its steady pace and meditative tone. In a world where many blockbusters center around shallow displays, The Electric State stands out because it grapples with escapism and the human experience in an age driven by artificiality.
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