There’s a particular kind of heartbreak that comes with loving a movie only to open Google and see that it received a deplorable 15 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Unfortunately, that was my exact experience after watching Netflix’s new sci-fi epic, The Electric State.
Directed by the Russo brothers, The Electric State is a dystopian adventure set in a world where remnants of war-torn technology litter the landscape. The film follows Michelle (Millie Bobby Brown), a resilient and determined orphan, as she sets out on a treacherous mission across the crumbling American West to find her long-lost brother, whom she thought was dead.
She’s accompanied by a friendly robot who may know the truth behind where her brother really is and a drifter (Chris Pratt) with some secrets of his own. Together, they traverse a world where artificial intelligence is on the rise, and the line between humanity and machines has begun to blur.
On paper, this should be a massive hit. No one is denying that the film is visually stunning, with sprawling landscapes and detailed CGI. The film made use of its unprecedented $320M budget. The performances of A-list actors Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt are strong, carrying the weight of the film even when the script lacks originality.
The prevailing consensus of critics? The film is all spectacle and no soul. One scathing review even went as far as to say that The Electric State is “one of the worst movies to be rolled out this year.” Others highlighted that while the film was visually appealing, it tried too hard to appeal to the masses and overall lacked human imagination.
Many were also eager to point out that the movie is a far cry from the book, which left it falling flat. One review said, “The Electric State didn’t just dumb down its source material. It lobotomized it.” In an attempt to connect with everyone, the movie seemed to miss the mark for many critics.
One possible explanation for the negative reception is the weight of expectation. The Russo brothers are best known for their work in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, delivering billion-dollar hits like Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
Fans and critics alike expected The Electric State to carry that same level of energy, but this film is something entirely different. It’s quieter, more introspective, and at times, deliberately ambiguous. Instead of fast-paced action sequences and witty banter, it offers slow, atmospheric world-building and moments of quiet reflection.
Though critics bashed nearly every aspect of the film, I and many others have come to its defense. While I can understand some of the criticisms — yes, the pacing drags at times, and no, it doesn’t reinvent the sci-fi drama — the sheer level of criticism aimed at this film feels excessive. Not every movie needs to reinvent the wheel; sometimes, a film’s purpose is simply to transport the audience to another world, and The Electric State does exactly that.
Does The Electric State have its flaws? Of course. No film is perfect, but to dismiss it entirely as “soulless” is to ignore the many things it does right. It may not be the blockbuster spectacle that audiences were expecting, but it offers something else: a visually striking, thought-provoking journey through a world that feels both eerily distant and hauntingly familiar.
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