Ryan Shoots First: The Electric State (2025)

The Electric State is an interesting case of where we are in movie making, how we consume them, and how we critique them. The Electric State isn’t based on a well-established hero, or a classic franchise, or a deep-established lore. It was originally a book of illustrious and short passages depicting the story of a young girl and her robot journeying across the country. This left much room for interpretation and not a huge fanbase ready to complain about how “faithful” it was. And yet… here we are with everyone taking victory laps on a 10% rotten tomatoes score 2 weeks before it even releases. 

So why did it seem so many wanted this to fail? It’s on Netflix, it’s not a remake or a sequel, it’s from directors in the Russo brothers with a proven track record in the MCU. I can’t claim to know as it’s probably no single thing but more a combination of them, it’s cooler to be on the outside, it’s not a proven franchise so it’s easy to pick apart, some people don’t like the Netflix effect on cinema, some people taking out their MCU fatigue on the Russos, some don’t like Chris Pratt now. Any number of things, but is the movie REALLY as bad as the pre-release hype was saying? No, it’s not. 

Don’t get me wrong, The Electric State misses some things, but it also hits on some other ways that work. As someone whose first exposure to the original work came from YouTube videos late at night trying to fall asleep, I was captivated by the style and aesthetic they gave. That this was a story decades old, maybe centuries and we are discovering it as we flip through this series of pictures. It’s reserved, empty, and eerie. So when they announced it was gonna be a movie I was intrigued how they would pull it off. Then when I heard it would be on Netflix from the Russos and have Pratt in it I think I had a clearer picture. There are plenty of movies like iRobot where a studio reads a short story, takes one or two cool concepts then fills in the rest. It’s nothing new and sometimes it’s cool, I like iRobot. It’s not trying to be a faithful adaptation, it’s a “hey that’s a really cool concept let’s make a movie around that”. When you come at it from that understanding The Electric State works much better. Sure a gritty, low-budget, indie take on the book with almost no exposition as we move through the war-torn USA would have been cool, this was always gonna be a blockbuster. And that means the first 5 minutes are heavy exposition dumps in the form of newsreels, for a property that had almost no exposition at all.  It means it’s all gonna end in a big battle and there are going to be some logic holes. Comes with the territory. 

Even in that though some parts of the movie shine. There are multiple shots that do seem to be taken straight from the book, that hazy, fog-filled quiet image of a robot covered in wires and moss, the idea that there are stories there lost to time. We get that a few times as nods to the source material and it is beautiful. I also really enjoyed all the robot characters. With a stellar voice cast led by Woody Harrelson, Brian Cox, and Anthony Mackie one is so unique and bursting with character. And the Visual effects are insanely good. For real for all the people constantly complaining about how bad CGI is in modern blockbusters this movie looks fantastic. The weathered cracking metal and fiberglass of the robots, the dirt and wires, they nailed the robot look. They make up so much of the cast and the movie hit on them in a way that was essential. If I’m being honest the most robotic delivery and the most artificial thing in the movie is Millie Bobbie Brown. She is without a doubt the worst thing in the movie and brings it down quite a bit. She’s just not a very good actress, for some reason, she has a ton of makeup in every scene, you’re in a post-apocalyptic wasteland and you have a shopping spree at Sephora on at all times. Her rousing speech at the end is generic and wooden. It’s just bad, a version of this movie with someone else I think could go a long way to moving the haters. 

I don’t know how we judge the success of The Electric State, it’s on Netflix, and I am sure it will be the number 1 movie. A ton of people will watch it and in the end, that’s what they want. If you watch it don’t cancel your subscription after they really got all they needed out of the exchange. They care not for Rotten Tomato scores and there are no box office numbers to pick apart. So for those desperate to call it a flop, I don’t even know how you classify it. It’s an ok blockbuster with some big names, of an unproven property, on a service we all have already. I think it just IS. I look forward in the coming days to see the reaction and if it finds an audience but I think many were so eager to crush it before giving it a chance and while yes some things didn’t work, some things did and for people looking to just watch a movie on the weekend to justify their $25 Netflix sub (or whatever it costs now) I think they will deem it a success.