The Electric State

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 by Simon Stålenhag. The film stars Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt, alongside Ke Huy Quan, Jason Alexander, Woody Harrelson, Anthony Mackie, Brian Cox, Jenny Slate, Giancarlo Esposito and Stanley Tucci.

Plans for a film adaptation were announced in 2017, with Andy Muschietti. The Russo brothers signed on to direct in December 2020. Universal Pictures acquired the distribution rights before Netflix took over the rights in June 2022. Much of the cast was revealed between June 2022 and November 2024, with filming taking place in Atlanta, Georgia in fall 2024. With a reported budget of $320 million, it is one of the most expensive films ever made.<ref>Milici, Lauren (March 7, 2025). "$320 million in the hole, the Russo brothers' new Netflix movie debuts to their worst Rotten Tomatoes score even though it's one of the most expensive films ever made". Yahoo. Retrieved March 14, 2025.</ref>

The Electric State had its world premiere on February 24, 2025, at Grauman's Egyptian Theatre, in Los Angeles, California, and was released on Netflix on March 14, to negative reviews from critics.

Synopsis

An orphaned teen hits the road with a mysterious robot to find her long-lost brother, teaming up with a smuggler and his wisecracking sidekick.

Plot

In 1990, a war between humans and robots has left the world in disarray. With the help of Sentre CEO Ethan Skate, who developed Neurocaster Technology that allowed humans to upload their minds into drone robots, humanity managed to win the war, while robots were banished to the exclusion zone. However, the success of this technology meant many people opted to live their virtual lives in a semi-vegetative state while drones do most of the work.

In 1994, teenager Michelle lives with her abusive foster dad, Ted. Years earlier, she was involved in a car crash along with her family, in which her parents and brother reportedly perished. She has lived with a succession of foster families, unable to find a stable home. She is also having trouble at school due to her refusal to use Neurocaster technology to participate in virtual classes.

One day, the sentient robot Cosmo seeks Michelle out. He is only able to communicate using gestures and a limited set of pre-recorded words, but manages to convince her that he is controlled by her deceased younger brother Christopher, who was a child prodigy. Michelle and Cosmo set out across a dystopian landscape to find him.

Along the way, they encounter Keats, a veteran with a complex past, and Herman, a sentient robot who is able to take on multiple forms. Together, they meet up with a band of robots in the exclusion zone, led by Mr. Peanut.

There, they find Dr. Amherst who explains that Sentre found Christopher in a seemingly permanent vegetative state after the accident and discovered that they could create the Neurocaster technology by exploiting Christopher's exceptional intellect and integrating his consciousness into the Neurocaster; this technology was instrumental in giving humans an advantage during the war against the robots.

However, after Christopher unexpectedly came out of his coma thirteen months later, a remorseful Amherst built a way for his mind to escape. Sentre drones under the command of Colonel Bradbury attack, recapturing Christopher, killing Amherst, and destroying the robots' home.

Determined to rescue her brother, Michelle infiltrates Sentre's headquarters with the help of Keats and Herman while the other robots wage war with Skate's drone army. Disgusted with Skate's inhuman actions, Bradbury defects and helps Peanut to confront Skate while Michelle discovers Christopher in a comatose state, his consciousness trapped within the Neurocaster system.

In a reunion within the virtual realm, Christopher expresses his desire to be freed from his exploited existence. Respecting his wishes, Michelle disconnects him, resulting in his physical body dying. During the battle, Keats almost loses Herman when his large robot form gets destroyed by a drone robot. However, a miniature version of Herman emerges from the wreckage.

Christopher's death triggers the shutdown of Sentre's drone operations, dismantling Skate's control and ending the exploitation of the Neurocaster technology. In the aftermath, Skate is arrested, and the world begins to rebuild from the devastation wrought by the war and corporate greed. Michelle then broadcasts to the world exposing how the Neurocaster technology has affected people's lives and inviting those who wish to live in peace to the exclusion zone.

Cosmo's body is dumped in a junkyard, but he is shown rising up, suggesting that a part of Christopher's consciousness may still reside within the robot.

External links

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References

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