Man versus machine is a tale as old as time. Many storytellers have given their spin on this, and now filmmaking duo Anthony and Joseph Russo have presented their take with their 2025 film, “The Electric State.”

Loosely based on Simon Stålenhag’s science fiction graphic novel of the same name, “The Electric State” tells the story of an alternate 1990s in a dystopian technology-reliant society after humans and robots went to war. This war led to robots being outlawed in human society.

The film follows Michelle, portrayed by Millie Bobby Brown, who lost her entire family in a car accident during the human and robot war. After she is found by a robot that possesses her genius brother’s mind, she sets out on a mission to find her brother. On this adventure, she meets Keats and his robot partner Herman, played by Chris Pratt and Anthony Mackie, who help her find a secret society of Robots operating in an abandoned shopping mall.

The portions of the film that take place within the mall are where the story presents some of its best elements. The environment is filled with unique characters with whimsical and detailed designs. The designs of most of the robots are one of the highlights of the film. They fill the screen with color, providing a great contrast against the somber, dull backgrounds they are placed against.

The visual effects are another highlight of the film. They are so realistic that they help immerse the viewer in the world of the film, even with these larger-than-life characters. Still, the visual effects are often overused at points, which leads to nothing on screen feeling real. The visuals become easily forgettable, just like gray shapes moving around on the screen.

The overall visuals of the film are good, but still nothing special. The film is lit very well and works well with the tone of the film, but the color and lighting do not convey any emotion to the viewer. The foggy gray colors work with the dystopian vibe of the film, but the film often abandons this visual style, which makes many scenes feel empty and void of true emotional weight. Many scenes carry lots of emotional weight, but the issue is that whenever the film begins to make the audience feel something, it cuts to another character’s reaction or makes an unnecessary joke.

Michelle’s relationship with her brother carries the emotional weight of the film. Every scene the two share instantly makes the viewer feel more emotion than any other portion of the film.

While the plot is primarily well-written, the overall story falls into many science fiction and robot movie cliches. This makes the film very predictable, unable to trick the audience with any major twists. The first act sets up a fascinating and unique take on this classic science fiction trope, but instead, the film falls back on the classic story beats that many other films have used.

Directors Joseph and Anthony Russo are most well known for their work in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which shows in this film. While the film was a Netflix original, when watching, it seems like the Russo brothers intended for this story to be told in theaters. It carries all the basic elements of a classic science fiction blockbuster, but the aspect it lacks the most is the medium in which it is being viewed.

Another flaw is the pacing. The film often lingers in one environment that doesn’t progress the story forward much, but then rushes through situations that could have led to a far better plot and development for storylines and characters. These flaws lead to the film feeling far longer than it is.

The film’s most significant flaw is the underdeveloped human characters; the worst offender of this is the villain. The film spends lots of time setting him up and attempting to convey his emotions, but the absence of interactions between him and the main cast leads to him feeling like a rushed element of the film that was thrown in to allow the characters more concise motivation. Several characters are given development at the end since they were poorly developed or not at all developed across the course of the film.

“The Electric State” is a film full of whimsical characters and fun visuals, but it lacks the creative writing necessary when adapting a very common concept. The film falls into cliches and becomes very predictable throughout. While these flaws are prominent throughout the film, the story does possess a compelling representation of a loving family relationship, making this a great film to share with your loved ones as long as you can overlook the flaws.

This story was originally published on Lakewood Times on March 20, 2025.