The Electric State (2025), Netflix’s $320M sci-fi epic from the Russo Brothers, stars Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt in a retro-futuristic adventure with robots, loss, and survival.
Overview & Origins
The Electric State is a 2025 science fiction action-adventure film directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, loosely adapted from Simon Stålenhag’s 2018 illustrated novel of the same name Wikipedia+1. The screenplay was crafted by long-time collaborators Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, known for their work on the Marvel saga EW.comWikipedia.
Cast & Production
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Millie Bobby Brown stars as Michelle, an orphaned teen navigating a post-robot rebellion world.
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Chris Pratt portrays Keats, a smuggler who reluctantly joins her journey.
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The cast also includes Ke Huy Quan, Jason Alexander, Giancarlo Esposito, Stanley Tucci, and others, while voices by Anthony Mackie, Woody Harrelson, Brian Cox, Jenny Slate, and Alan Tudyk animate the robot characters EW.comWikipediaVanity Fair.
Produced by AGBO Films and distributed by Netflix, the film had a massive budget of about $320 million, making it one of the most expensive films ever made WikipediaReddit.
Plot & Style
Set against a retro-futuristic 1990s backdrop, the story unfolds in the wake of a failed robot uprising that led to sentient robots being exiled EW.comVanity FairWhat’s on Netflix. Michelle embarks on a daring journey across the American West to find her presumed-dead brother Christopher, believed to be inhabiting a robot named Cosmo EW.comVanity Fair. Along the way, she encounters colorful animatronic allies and darker forces lurking beyond the Exclusion Zone EW.comVanity FairNetflix.
The film embraces an “Amblin-style” nostalgia, evoking the wonder of 80s/90s family sci-fi classics like E.T. with a carefully curated 90s soundtrack and retro design elements What’s on Netflix. Robots were carefully crafted to feel familiar and expressive—designed to evoke both nostalgia and emotional connection despite their mechanical form Netflix.
Release & Reception
After premiering at the Grauman’s Egyptian Theatre in Los Angeles on February 24, 2025, The Electric State debuted on Netflix on March 14, 2025, drawing 25.2 million views within its first three days Wikipedia.
However, despite its ambitious scope and star-studded cast, the film was met with overwhelmingly negative critical reception. On Rotten Tomatoes, it garnered a critics score near 15–17%, and it’s been widely described as one of the Russo brothers’ lowest-rated works Business InsiderWikipedia+1. Critics pointed to its shallow storytelling, over-reliance on CGI, and failure to capture the subtly melancholic tone of the source material. Many noted that despite the visual spectacle, the emotional core felt absent PolygonDeciderWikipediaBusiness Insider.
Audience Response & Online Buzz
Online discussions mirror the critical sentiment. One user summarized it well:
“It has all the pieces of a grand sci-fi adventure… but somehow… it just feels… vacant.” Reddit
Another echoed the frustration:
“The Russo Brothers… turned Stålenhag’s aesthetic into a trash movie.” Reddit
Yet, some fans praised the visuals and emotional nuances:
“The visuals are absolutely stunning… Cosmo… brings just the right amount of heart and humor to balance out the heavy themes.” Reddit
Still, sentiment leans heavily toward disappointment for many. Learn more
Final Thoughts
The Electric State aimed high—with remarkable visuals, a sentimental narrative core, and an epic scale. Yet, in execution, it wrestled with disjointed storytelling and emotional inconsistencies, especially when compared to the evocative tone of Simon Stålenhag’s original work.
If you’re drawn to captivating world-building and retro-futuristic visuals and can temper expectations around narrative depth, it may offer moments of spectacle. But if you were hoping for a compelling emotional journey or a faithful adaptation of the poignant graphic novel, you might find it lacking.