SYNOPSIS: Set in a retro-futuristic past, this blockbuster adventure from filmmakers Anthony and Joe Russo follows Michelle (Millie Bobby Brown), an orphaned teenager who traverses the American West in search of her younger brother. Joining her on the journey is a sweet but mysterious robot and an eccentric drifter (Chris Pratt).

MOVIE REVIEW:

Strictly speaking, the Russo brothers have not land a big hit since Avengers Endgames. Sure, they have dabbled in a little seen Apple TV+ drama, Cherry starring Tom Holland, directed a lukewarm, big budgeted spy thriller called The Gray Man for Netflix, other than these the brothers did had a hand in producing an Oscar winner, Everything Everywhere All at Once. Still, everyone is waiting for their next big winner not considering the upcoming Avengers outing.

Costing Netflix a mega sum of $320 million, the Russos’ latest directorial effort is adapted from a graphic novel by Swedish artist Simon Stålenhag and written by their frequent collaborators, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely (Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Endgame). It’s CGI heavy, boasts a huge cast and a more than familiar plotting. In other words, it’s same old Russos pulling the same trick.

Taking place in an alternate USA in the 90’s, the story has it that the war between robots and humans has just ended. The humans won because of a device called neurocaster created by head of Sentre Technologies, Ethan Skate (Stanley Tucci). And what exactly is a neurocaster? It’s simply an advanced version of Apple Vision Pro. Anyway, the main story is about teenage orphan Michelle (Millie Bobby Brown) who embarked on a search for her brother, Christopher’s physical self after a robot, Cosmo that contains her brother’s consciousness came asking for her help one day.

Then they have no choice but to team up with Keats (Chris Pratt), a smuggler and his robot sidekick Herman (voiced by Anthony Mackie) to venture to the dangerous and abandoned Exclusion Zone, where the robot survivors now live to look for a certain Dr. Amherst (Ke Huy Quan) who might know Christopher’s whereabouts.

Again, a large part of The Electric State relies on the imaginary of CGI. To be fair, the visuals onscreen is near faultless and photorealistic. Come on, you know the Russos have a keen eye for visual. The various robotic characters are amazing looking even though most are actually made of scraps. With talents liked Woody Harrelson voicing the leader of the robots, Mr Peanut, Alan Tudyk as Cosmo, Jenny Slate as Penny and Brian Cox, Hank Azaria in the game, you are genuinely entertained by their vocal energy.

Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt are fine. I mean, Brown as a Netflix regular feels that she is in an awkward period whereby she needs stronger material to elevate her acting career. Pratt on the other hand is mainly here playing a variant of Star-Lord. You know the cute anti-hero that somehow saves the world one day. Giancarlo Esposito and Stanley Tucci phones it in by playing some generic villains.

Then comes the most important of all, is The Electric State after all worth catching?

Somehow, everything onscreen seems to be lifted off somewhere. Well, mostly from Steven Spielberg’s A.I. and Ready Player One. The screenplay does little to distinguish itself as a thinking man, original sic-fi. Sure, there is discussion of advanced technology, the harmfulness of it and more. Yet the end results are very much sanitised and pedestrian that the talents assembled and money involved barely worth the final effort.

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee

SYNOPSIS: Set in a retro-futuristic past, this blockbuster adventure from filmmakers Anthony and Joe Russo follows Michelle (Millie Bobby Brown), an orphaned teenager who traverses the American West in search of her younger brother. Joining her on the journey is a sweet but mysterious robot and an eccentric drifter (Chris Pratt).

MOVIE REVIEW:

Strictly speaking, the Russo brothers have not land a big hit since Avengers Endgames. Sure, they have dabbled in a little seen Apple TV+ drama, Cherry starring Tom Holland, directed a lukewarm, big budgeted spy thriller called The Gray Man for Netflix, other than these the brothers did had a hand in producing an Oscar winner, Everything Everywhere All at Once. Still, everyone is waiting for their next big winner not considering the upcoming Avengers outing.

Costing Netflix a mega sum of $320 million, the Russos’ latest directorial effort is adapted from a graphic novel by Swedish artist Simon Stålenhag and written by their frequent collaborators, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely (Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Endgame). It’s CGI heavy, boasts a huge cast and a more than familiar plotting. In other words, it’s same old Russos pulling the same trick.

Taking place in an alternate USA in the 90’s, the story has it that the war between robots and humans has just ended. The humans won because of a device called neurocaster created by head of Sentre Technologies, Ethan Skate (Stanley Tucci). And what exactly is a neurocaster? It’s simply an advanced version of Apple Vision Pro. Anyway, the main story is about teenage orphan Michelle (Millie Bobby Brown) who embarked on a search for her brother, Christopher’s physical self after a robot, Cosmo that contains her brother’s consciousness came asking for her help one day.

Then they have no choice but to team up with Keats (Chris Pratt), a smuggler and his robot sidekick Herman (voiced by Anthony Mackie) to venture to the dangerous and abandoned Exclusion Zone, where the robot survivors now live to look for a certain Dr. Amherst (Ke Huy Quan) who might know Christopher’s whereabouts.

Again, a large part of The Electric State relies on the imaginary of CGI. To be fair, the visuals onscreen is near faultless and photorealistic. Come on, you know the Russos have a keen eye for visual. The various robotic characters are amazing looking even though most are actually made of scraps. With talents liked Woody Harrelson voicing the leader of the robots, Mr Peanut, Alan Tudyk as Cosmo, Jenny Slate as Penny and Brian Cox, Hank Azaria in the game, you are genuinely entertained by their vocal energy.

Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt are fine. I mean, Brown as a Netflix regular feels that she is in an awkward period whereby she needs stronger material to elevate her acting career. Pratt on the other hand is mainly here playing a variant of Star-Lord. You know the cute anti-hero that somehow saves the world one day. Giancarlo Esposito and Stanley Tucci phones it in by playing some generic villains.

Then comes the most important of all, is The Electric State after all worth catching?

Somehow, everything onscreen seems to be lifted off somewhere. Well, mostly from Steven Spielberg’s A.I. and Ready Player One. The screenplay does little to distinguish itself as a thinking man, original sic-fi. Sure, there is discussion of advanced technology, the harmfulness of it and more. Yet the end results are very much sanitised and pedestrian that the talents assembled and money involved barely worth the final effort.

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee