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The Electric State is a 2025 American science fiction action-adventure film directed by Anthony and Joe Russo. The film is based on Simon Stålenhag's 2018 illustrated novel of the same name. It stars Millie Bobby Brown as Michelle, an orphaned teenager who discovers that her long-lost brother's consciousness is residing in a robot. The film is set in an alternate retro-futuristic version of the 1990s, where robots were once a normal part of everyday life but now live in exile following a failed uprising. Despite its all-star cast, including Chris Pratt and Stanley Tucci, the film received mixed reviews, with some critics calling it disastrous and overproduced, uninspired junk.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Genre | Science fiction action-adventure |
| Director | Anthony and Joe Russo |
| Screenplay | Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely |
| Based on | Simon Stålenhag's 2018 illustrated novel |
| Star cast | Millie Bobby Brown, Chris Pratt, Ke Huy Quan, Jason Alexander, Woody Harrelson, Anthony Mackie, Brian Cox, Jenny Slate, Giancarlo Esposito, Stanley Tucci |
| Plot | Set in an alternate retro-futuristic version of the 1990s, where robots were a normal part of everyday life. The story revolves around an orphaned teenager, Michelle, who discovers that her long-lost brother's consciousness is in a robot. |
| Reception | Negative reviews, criticised for its loose interpretation of the original novel, weak performances, and predictable plot. |
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What You'll Learn
The Electric State's plot
The Electric State is a 2025 American science fiction action-adventure film directed by Anthony and Joe Russo. It is based on the 2018 illustrated novel of the same name by Simon Stålenhag. The film stars Millie Bobby Brown as Michelle, an orphaned teenager living in an alternate, retro-futuristic version of the 1990s.
In this world, sentient robots resembling cartoons and mascots once lived peacefully among humans but now reside in exile following a failed uprising. Michelle's life is turned upside down when she is visited by Cosmo, a sweet robot controlled by her genius younger brother, Christopher, whom she believed to be dead. Michelle discovers that her brother's consciousness is residing in Cosmo, a clunky bot patterned after a once-popular cartoon character. Determined to reunite with her long-lost brother, Michelle embarks on a journey across the American Southwest with Cosmo.
Along the way, she encounters Keats, a scavenger outlaw played by Chris Pratt, who joins her as a reluctant ally. The group ventures into the remote and forbidden "Exclusion Zone," where they face unknown dangers and challenges. The Exclusion Zone is a safe haven for robots, and it is here that Michelle and Keats encounter a unique and captivating world filled with robots in exile.
The film explores themes of family and loss and the relationship between humans and machines in a world where robots have become conscious and fought for their rights. With a reported budget of $320 million, The Electric State features impressive visual effects and a talented cast, including voice actors for the robots, such as Woody Harrelson, Jenny Slate, Anthony Mackie, and Brian Cox.
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The film's cast and crew
The Electric State is an American science fiction action-adventure film produced and directed by Anthony and Joe Russo. The screenplay by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely is loosely based on the 2018 illustrated novel of the same name by Simon Stålenhag.
The film stars Millie Bobby Brown as Michelle, an orphaned teenager who lives in a world where sentient robots once lived peacefully among humans but now reside in exile following a failed uprising. Michelle embarks on a journey with Cosmo, a sweet, mysterious robot controlled by her genius younger brother, whom she thought was dead.
The cast of The Electric State also includes Chris Pratt, who plays Keats, a character he has portrayed in previous works. Other notable cast members include Ke Huy Quan in a dual role, Jason Alexander, Woody Harrelson, Anthony Mackie, Brian Cox, Jenny Slate, Giancarlo Esposito, and Stanley Tucci.
The film features voice actors such as Woody Norman, who joined the cast in October 2024. In November of the same year, it was announced that Giancarlo Esposito would voice Marshall, a menacing robotic drone. The voice cast also includes Anthony Mackie, Billy Bob Thornton, and renowned voice actors like Hank Azaria and Colman Domingo, who portray robot characters.
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Reviews and criticism
The Electric State, a 2025 American science fiction action-adventure film, received generally negative reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, only 14% of 146 critical reviews were positive, with an average rating of 3.7/10. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, gave the film a score of 30 out of 100, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews. Critics panned the film for its loose interpretation of the original novel, its uninspired plot, and weak performances.
Many reviews criticised the film for its significant deviations from the source material. The New York Times' Elisabeth Vincentelli described the plot of the novel as "elliptical in narrative, muted in colour palette and melancholy in mood", while she characterised the film as "obvious, garish and just plain dumb". Several critics also felt that the film's reported $320 million budget was wasted, with Sam Adams from Slate calling the film a "disaster" and Johnny Oleksinski of the New York Post describing it as one of the "worst and priciest movies of the past six years".
Some critics also took issue with the performances of the lead actors. Comic Book Resources' C.M. Ramsburg, for instance, described the performances of Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt as "flat and one-dimensional", arguing that they portrayed their characters "without depth or substance". Screen Rant's Alex Harrison similarly found little to praise in the film beyond noting the resemblance of Brown's and Pratt's appearances to their characters in other films. Other critics described the performances as "weak" and "bored", with one critic noting that "the two stars look lost".
Despite the largely negative reviews, some viewers found the film enjoyable. One IMDb review, for instance, noted that the film had "heart, some light laughs and decent music". The reviewer also highlighted the film's "amazing and captivating effects" and the "talented group of voice actors", recommending it as a "vacation for the soul". Another review on Roger Ebert acknowledged the film's shortcomings but praised Brown's performance as having "a lot of integrity and charisma".
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The film's production
The Electric State is an American science fiction action-adventure film produced and directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, released in 2025. The film is based on Simon Stålenhag's 2018 illustrated novel of the same name. The screenplay is written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, who are frequent collaborators of the Russo brothers.
Plans for a film adaptation were announced in 2017, with Andy Muschietti in negotiations to direct. However, in December 2020, the Russo brothers signed on to direct, with Muschietti remaining as an executive producer. Universal Pictures initially won the distribution rights to the film, but Netflix took over the rights in June 2022.
The cast of the film was gradually revealed between June 2022 and November 2024, with filming taking place in Atlanta, Georgia, in the fall of 2022. The Electric State stars Millie Bobby Brown, Chris Pratt, Ke Huy Quan, Jason Alexander, Woody Harrelson, Anthony Mackie, Brian Cox, Jenny Slate, Giancarlo Esposito, and Stanley Tucci.
The film had a reported budget of $320 million, making it one of the most expensive films ever made. However, despite the star-studded cast and high production value, The Electric State received generally negative reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a low rating of 14% positive reviews, with many critics taking issue with the film's loose interpretation of the original novel and its uninspired plot.
Despite the negative critical reception, some viewers found the film enjoyable, particularly for its visual effects and world-building.
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The Electric State's source material
The Electric State is a 2025 American science fiction action-adventure film produced and directed by Anthony and Joe Russo. Its screenplay by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely is loosely based on the 2018 illustrated novel of the same name by Simon Stålenhag. The novel received starred reviews from Booklist and Publishers Weekly and was named one of the best books of 2018 by NPR.
The film is set in an alternate, retro-futuristic version of the 1990s. It stars Millie Bobby Brown as Michelle, an orphaned teenager living in a world where sentient robots, who once lived peacefully among humans, now live in exile following a failed uprising. Michelle's world is turned upside down when she is visited by Cosmo, a mysterious robot controlled by her genius younger brother, whom she thought was dead. Determined to find her long-lost sibling, Michelle embarks on a journey across the American Southwest with Cosmo, eventually joining forces with Keats (Chris Pratt).
The film adaptation of The Electric State has been criticised for departing from the source material. Critics have described the film as a "banal betrayal" of Stålenhag's haunting and melancholic vision of a dystopian 1990s world. They argue that the Russo brothers prioritised commercialism over the artistic integrity of the original novel, resulting in a generic and forgettable film.
The Electric State has received generally unfavourable reviews, with critics noting its weak performances, lifeless CGI, and predictable plot. However, some viewers have found it to be an enjoyable and light-hearted watch, praising the film's heart, humour, and captivating effects.
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Frequently asked questions
The Electric State is a 2025 American science fiction adventure film directed by Anthony and Joe Russo. It is based on Simon Stålenhag's 2018 illustrated novel of the same name. The film is set in an alternate retro-futuristic version of the 1990s where robots were a normal part of everyday life.
The plot of the movie centres on Michelle (Millie Bobby Brown), an orphaned teenager who discovers that the consciousness of her long-lost brother, Christopher, is residing in a robot named Cosmo. Michelle embarks on a journey to find her brother, accompanied by a scavenger outlaw, Keats (Chris Pratt).
The Electric State received mixed reviews from critics. While some praised the visuals, special effects, and the performances of the lead actors, others criticised the movie for its loose interpretation of the original novel, predictable plot, and lack of depth in character development.
In addition to Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt, the film features a star-studded cast including Ke Huy Quan, Jason Alexander, Woody Harrelson, Anthony Mackie, Brian Cox, Jenny Slate, Giancarlo Esposito, and Stanley Tucci.
The Electric State was released on Netflix on March 14, 2025.
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