{"id":1299,"date":"2025-03-07T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-07T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/?p=1299"},"modified":"2025-03-13T18:21:58","modified_gmt":"2025-03-13T18:21:58","slug":"netflix-just-spent-a-reported-320000000-on-soulless-nostalgia-bait","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/07\/netflix-just-spent-a-reported-320000000-on-soulless-nostalgia-bait\/","title":{"rendered":"Netflix just spent a reported $320,000,000 on soulless nostalgia bait"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Electric State, with a star-studded cast led by Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt,is Netflix’s latest mega-budget movie (Picture: Netflix\/Paul Abell)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Netflix<\/a>\u2019s The Electric State is the streamer\u2019s most expensive original movie<\/a> to date \u2013 but sadly it doesn\u2019t show much value for money as the Millie Bobby Brown<\/a> flick is far from its best.<\/p>\n

At a rumoured cost of $320million (\u00a3247m), she and Chris Pratt<\/a> star in a muddled sci-fi action comedy<\/a> stuffed with robots<\/a> that isn\u2019t actually as awful as I feared, but isn\u2019t particularly good either.<\/p>\n

There are glimpses of personality throughout the movie, which show what this could have been throughout, but its seven years in development are evident<\/a> as The Electric State seems confused about what exactly it\u2019s supposed to be \u2013 and who it\u2019s supposed to be for \u2013 even with the passionate involvement of producers and directors Anthony and Joe Russo right from the off.<\/p>\n

Based on Simon St\u00e5lenhag\u2019s 2018 illustrated novel of the same name, the film sets up a reimagined version of the \u201890s, in the aftermath of a failed robot uprising where sentient bots tried to fight for their rights to exist on equal footing with humans in society.<\/p>\n

Tech billionaire Ethan Skate (Stanley Tucci<\/a>) also lurks on the sidelines with an invention \u2013 the neurocaster network \u2013 and a robot hunter-cowboy minion (Giancarlo Esposito) that further threaten their existence.<\/p>\n

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Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro’s TV Newsletter.<\/p>\n

Sign up to our newsletter<\/a> and then select your show in the link we’ll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Meanwhile Brown is troubled orphan Michelle<\/a>, who embarks on a quest to find her missing brother Christopher (Woody Norman), linking up with drifter Keats (Pratt) and his robot pal Herman (voiced by Anthony Mackie<\/a>). <\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t{“@context”:”https:\/\/schema.org”,”@type”:”VideoObject”,”name”:”Metro.co.uk”,”duration”:”T1M57S”,”thumbnailUrl”:”https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2025\/03\/03\/15\/95785065-0-image-a-10_1741014640969.jpg”,”uploadDate”:”2025-03-03T15:11:44+0000″,”description”:”Starring Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt, and directed by the Russo Brothers, The Electric State arrives on Netflix March 14.”,”contentUrl”:”https:\/\/videos.metro.co.uk\/video\/met\/2025\/03\/03\/3565731298819132960\/480x270_MP4_3565731298819132960.mp4″,”height”:270,”width”:480}<\/p>\n

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class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-headline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder\">\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-headline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\t\twindow.addEventListener(‘metroVideo:relatedVideosCarouselLoaded’, function(data) {<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tif (typeof(data.detail) === ‘undefined’ || typeof(data.detail.carousel) === ‘undefined’ || typeof(data.detail.carousel.el_) === ‘undefined’) {<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\treturn;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t}<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tvar player = data.detail.carousel.el_;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tvar container = player.closest(‘.metro-video-player’);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tvar placeholder = container.querySelector(‘.metro-video-player__up-next-placeholder’);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tcontainer.removeChild(placeholder);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tcontainer.classList.add(‘metro-video-player–related-videos-loaded’);<br \/>\n\t\t\t});<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>They travel cross-country through a dystopian America and into the Exclusion Zone, where robots now live in exile.<\/p>\n<p>The robot voice cast \u2013 which also includes Woody Harrelson as Mr. Peanut, Jenny Slate and Alan Tudyk \u2013 give some of the film\u2019s best performances, from Mackie especially (even if voice-distorted) as the wisecracking Herman, who often lifts the energy of scenes. <\/p>\n<section class=\"metro-comment-cta\">\n<div class=\"metro-comment-cta__inner\"><span class=\"metro-comment-cta__text-wrap\"><title>Comment now<\/title><span class=\"metro-comment-cta__text\">Are you going to watch The Electric State on Netflix?<\/span><\/span><a class=\"metro-comment-cta__button\" href=\"#metro-comments-container\">Comment Now<\/a><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>And that\u2019s no shade to Brown or Pratt; they\u2019re just stuck being reliably fine in the same kind of roles we\u2019ve seen them perform before in more well-defined cinematic worlds.<\/p>\n<p>The Electric State looks great in parts, inspired by the striking imagery from St\u00e5lenhag\u2019s original work, but it otherwise could be mistaken for any other retro-futuristic sci-fi film in its design, which is a shame.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"270\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"article-image wp-image-22671084 lazyload\" alt=\"The Electric State. Herman (voiced by Anthony Mackie) provides a helping hand to Michelle (Millie Bobby Brown), Cosmo (voiced by Alan Tudyk) and Keats (Chris Pratt) in The Electric State. ???\/?? 2024 Netflix. Used with permission.\" loading=\"lazy\" data-src=\"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/SEI_242595515-7556-e1741357725964.jpg\">\t<\/div><figcaption>The sci-fi film has some incredible -looking vistas and imagery, but still fails to distinguish itself (Picture: Netflix)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Alan Silvestri\u2019s music is also sweeping and seems very appropriate for the era although slightly glaring when fans are only ever going to see this blockbuster-aspiring movie on small screens. The rest of the music is likely to frustrate fans though, with the inclusion of Oasis and Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch seeming like calculated nostalgia baiting \u2013 or just plain irritating.<\/p>\n<p>The film itself struggles from this issue, as a movie difficult to connect with \u2013 who is it for? Millennials who can sense the cynicism in the film\u2019s deployment of nostalgia? Fans of the novel who have already <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/03\/05\/netflix-accused-butchering-electric-state-bad-joke-a-trailer-drops-22670524\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">railed against the film<\/a> in reaction to the trailer? Brown\u2019s fanbase, who are likely too young to feel any strong connection with the film\u2019s setting? It\u2019s a bit baffling.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"271\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"article-image wp-image-22671971 lazyload\" alt=\"The Electric State. (L to R) Michelle (Millie Bobby Brown) and Keats (Chris Pratt) in The Electric State. ???\/?? 2024 Netflix. Used with permission.\" loading=\"lazy\" data-src=\"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/SEI_242605700-457b.jpg\">\t<\/div><figcaption>It’s hard to know who the film is for, as it struggles to connect (Picture: Netflix)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>However, among the other occasional strong bits of The Electric State are Tucci giving good baddie, a few quirky and fun asides in the screenplay by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, and <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2023\/03\/16\/oscar-winner-ke-huy-quan-fearful-history-will-repeat-itself-18455342\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Oscar-winner Ke Huy Quan<\/a> as Dr Amherst \u2013 a human key to Michelle\u2019s journey, but also another outstanding vocal performance as the voice of P.C., a very polite robot indeed.<\/p>\n<p>The Russo Brothers are not only synonymous with the most successful period of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the Avengers movies, but they also directed one of <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2022\/07\/20\/the-gray-man-review-ryan-goslings-200000000-netflix-snooze-fest-17026378\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Netflix\u2019s most-watched films in The Gray Man<\/a>. Just below it on that list is <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2024\/06\/05\/bland-netflix-film-left-critics-cold-becomes-unlikely-top-film-2024-20974245\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Brown\u2019s last effort for Netflix<\/a>, Damsel. <\/p>\n<p>Perhaps the same fate awaits The Electric State \u2013 but I still wouldn\u2019t call it hundreds of millions of dollars well spent. <\/p>\n<p><strong><em>The Electric State releases on Netflix on Friday, March 14.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Got a story?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">If you\u2019ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\">Metro.co.uk<\/a> entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/submit-stuff\/\">Submit Stuff<\/a> page – we\u2019d love to hear from you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Electric State, with a star-studded cast led by Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt,is Netflix’s latest mega-budget movie (Picture: Netflix\/Paul Abell) Netflix\u2019s The Electric State is the streamer\u2019s most expensive original movie to date \u2013 but sadly it doesn\u2019t show much value for money as the Millie Bobby Brown flick is far from its best. At a rumoured cost of $320million (\u00a3247m), she and Chris Pratt star in a muddled sci-fi action comedy stuffed with robots that isn\u2019t actually … <a href=\"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/07\/netflix-just-spent-a-reported-320000000-on-soulless-nostalgia-bait\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> “Netflix just spent a reported $320,000,000 on soulless nostalgia bait”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1288,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[9],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1299"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1299"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1299\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1304,"href":"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1299\/revisions\/1304"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1288"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1299"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1299"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1299"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}