[Nerdspresso] The Electric State's Not So Bright

I have a strange obsession with Funko Pops. You know, those childlike plastic figurines with the big heads and large eyes? I have about 50 of them displayed in my office, which is a nerd friendly zone. Superheroes pose next to sitcom characters along action movie stars. It’s one big happy fanboy party next to my family photos and that trophy I got for eating the most hot dogs at the company picnic last year. Funko Pops are awesome!

They make a lot based on classic movies, comic books and TV, but they try to stay current and put out stuff from new releases here and there. For example, there are Funko Pops now from The Electric State, the new sci-fi extravaganza that recently dropped on Netflix.

You can get Funko Pops based on the robot stars of this movie.

They have several collectibles inspired by this eye candy by the same creative team that brought you Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. You can buy them and then make little dioramas from the movie. Use your imagination and make them have intense conversations about what makes someone human or discuss the dangers of technology.

You can set up a dystopian landscape in your home or office for these little guys to explore, battle, and emerge triumphant. It’s all in your head of course, but this exercise in imagination, whatever you do, will be a better use of use of your time than this movie.

The Electric State is based on an illustrated novel by Simon Stalenhag from 2018, which features photorealistic drawings of a teenage girl (played in the movie by Millie Bobbie Brown from Stranger Things and Enola Holmes) and her robot pal. They traverse an America ravaged by a war between humans and robots during an alternative version of the 90’s where technology has gone gonzo.

The book depicts a dystopian landscape littered with the remains of giant robots. These illustrations are immersive and surreal. The book is basically a storyboard, so it makes sense that Hollywood would come calling. Why wouldn’t you want to see this stuff in a movie?

This movie is based on an illustrated novel from 2018.

A visionary filmmaker could turn these haunting images into an unforgettable cinematic dream that skirts between the familiar and the unknown along the borders of your psyche. Or you could just use the concept to churn out popcorn for the streaming masses. That’s a choice, too.

I’m usually a fan of Joe and Anthony Russo. As co-directors, they made some of the best flicks in the MCU, including The Winter Soldier, Civil War, Infinity War, and Endgame. With the screenwriter team of Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, they crafted some of the most engrossing movies of the past decade.

*The Electric State* follows Millie Bobby Brown and her robot pal.

People talk crap about the MCU, but there’s some good stuff there: cool visuals, tight storytelling, drama, emotion, decent acting. Everything that’s missing from The Electric State (with the exception of the visuals. Those are banging). This film presents an alternative future where sentient robots fight for equality while people lose touch with their humanity through their obsessive relationship with technology.

It’s an ambitious premise, but the Russos never make it pay off. Every moment in this film is a punchline or a setup for the next big special effect. I like to lose myself in comforting dumbness every now and then as much as the next guy, but I was expecting more based on the filmmakers’ pedigree. The Electric State is just lazy storytelling. It uses spectacular imagery to cover its weaknesses.

The robots do most of the heavy lifting in this flick.

The directors and their screenwriting buds Markus and McFeely have taken Stalenhag’s ideas and added more cartoonish robots, wisecracking heroes, and big set pieces. The book is a gloomy, surreal exploration of post apocalyptic America. The movie is straight up popcorn. The book alludes to a war between machines and men whereas the movie unspools that conflict in the film’s opening moments.

There’s also a subplot with everyone addicted to VR headsets. How’s it done here feels very similar to scenes from Ready Player One (both the book and the movie). It was more subtle in Stalenhag’s book, but there’s nothing subtle about this movie. It picks up after the war with the robots. Brown and her robot pal join up with ex-soldier Chris Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World) and his robo chum to find to her character’s little brother.

Brown joins up with ex-soldier Pratt to rescue her brother.

He has been abducted by an evil tech giant who wants to turn humanity into VR junkies. Pratt and Brown are the main meat puppets in this flick, surrounded by a ragtag army of metal men. They unite these robot refugees in an attack on the bad guy’s headquarters to rescue her little brother.

The robots are impressive visual effects and they are voiced by an A-Team that includes Woody Harrelson, Anthony Mackie, Alan Tudyk, Hank Azaria, Jenny Slate, and Brian Cox. These tenacious tin men are the biggest incentive to watch the movie. The talent hidden behind all this CGI is staggering.

The humans in this flick are outclassed by their robot buddies.

They all deliver stronger performances than the flesh and blood actors. Pratt and Brown are mediocre at best while Ke Huy Quan is awkwardly miscast as a friendly scientist. He does better when he’s voicing the character’s computer alter ego.

It’s weird that every actor that you don’t see onscreen in this movie is more compelling than their live action peers. There are some awesome performers in this cast, but legends like Stanley Tucci (Conclave and The Devil Wears Prada), Holly Hunter (Raising Arizona and Broadcast News) and Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad and The Mandalorian) seem to be slumming it here.

Giancarlo Esposito and Stanley Tucci are asking each other why did they sign up for this movie.

All the humans in the cast are mere chess pieces that get moved around to advance the plot. Their dialogue is just words taking up time until the next eye-busting special effect. Did the Russo bros think we would just be satisfied with pretty pictures, funny robots and some nostalgic ’90’s kitsch?

Seems like that’s a big yes. The visuals are captivating, but at its best The Electric State is a mild distraction. It is like watching someone else play a videogame. It looks cool, but you’re never fully engaged. Skip the movie and come over to check out my Funko Pops.

Come hang out with me and my Funko Pops! It’s much more fun than watching *The Electric State*.

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