So, you’ve probably seen the headlines. Netflix dropped a staggering $320 million on a single movie. That is basically "small nation's GDP" territory. And at the center of this neon-soaked, retro-robotic whirlwind is The Electric State Chris Pratt, playing a character that feels like a weird, mustache-twirling echo of every hero he’s played before.
Honestly, it’s a lot to process. When the Russo Brothers announced they were adapting Simon Stålenhag’s hauntingly beautiful graphic novel, people lost their minds. The source material is moody, quiet, and deeply unsettling. But then we got the movie. It’s loud. It’s colorful. And it features a robot version of Mr. Peanut leading a revolution.
Yeah. You read that right.
What is The Electric State even about?
If you missed the initial hype, here’s the gist. The movie is set in an alternate version of the 1990s. Think flannel shirts and Nirvana, but with giant, rusting war machines littering the landscape. In this timeline, humans and robots had a massive, devastating war. Society is basically held together by duct tape and nostalgia.
Millie Bobby Brown plays Michelle, a teenager searching for her missing brother. She believes he’s communicating with her through a yellow robot named Cosmo. Enter The Electric State Chris Pratt as Keats. He’s a veteran of the robot war, now working as a smuggler and "useless human junk" salesman.
The two of them trek across the American West—specifically the "Exclusion Zone"—to find the kid. Along for the ride is Herman, a sentient robot voiced by Anthony Mackie who has a very... complicated relationship with Keats.
Why Chris Pratt feels so familiar (and why that's a problem)
Look, we all love Star-Lord. But in this flick, Keats feels like Peter Quill if he never went to space and instead spent a decade drinking lukewarm beer in a trailer. Pratt even admitted it in interviews. He called the character a "Sliding Doors" version of his MCU hero.
- The Look: He’s rocking a shaggy wig and a handlebar mustache.
- The Vibe: He’s an inept, wisecracking slacker who is secretly a softie.
- The Dialogue: Lots of "improvised" banter that feels a bit too much like a Marvel outtake.
Critically, the reception hasn't been kind. Many reviewers felt Pratt was "phoning it in." While he’s naturally charismatic, the script didn’t give him much to do other than look exasperated at CGI robots. There’s a specific scene where he confesses romantic feelings to his robot buddy Herman that was apparently improvised. It’s meant to be funny and touching, but for some, it just highlighted how much the movie deviated from the serious, lonely tone of the book.
The $320 Million Elephant in the Room
Let’s talk about that budget. It is insane. To put it in perspective, this movie cost more than Avengers: Endgame in some markets. Where did the money go?
- The Cast: You’ve got Pratt, Brown, Ke Huy Quan, Stanley Tucci, and Giancarlo Esposito. That’s a lot of zeros on the paychecks.
- The VFX: Every second of the movie is drenched in CGI. From the giant "Mr. Peanut" to the intricate "Neurocasters" people wear on their heads.
- The Music: Alan Silvestri composed the score, and there are big-name needle drops everywhere.
Despite the cash, critics called it "garish" and "obvious." The New York Times was particularly brutal, comparing the "melancholy" book to the "dumb" movie. It turns out that throwing money at a screen doesn't always buy soul.
The "Betrayal" of the Source Material
If you’re a fan of the original book, you might want to look away. Stålenhag’s work is about the "brain rot" caused by VR and the quiet horror of a dying world. The movie, however, turns it into a "Transformers-meets-Ready-Player-One" adventure.
In the book, the war was between humans using drones. In the movie, it’s a "robot uprising" metaphor for civil rights. It feels a bit preachy and, frankly, a bit dated for 2026. The Russos chose to make a "four-quadrant" family movie instead of a gritty sci-fi drama. Whether that was the right call is debatable, but the 4/10 scores from places like IGN suggest the gamble didn't pay off for everyone.
What about the chemistry?
You’d think Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt would be a powerhouse duo. Surprisingly, a lot of viewers found their rapport... lacking. They have a sort of sibling-like bickering that never quite evolves into a deep bond. Brown looks exhausted (which fits her character, I guess?), while Pratt is doing high-energy comedy. It’s a tonal mismatch that makes the 128-minute runtime feel much longer.
Is it worth the watch?
If you just want to turn your brain off and look at cool robots while you scroll on your phone, sure. It’s "perfect Netflix content" in that sense. But if you were hoping for the next great sci-fi epic, you might be disappointed.
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What to do next:
- Read the book: Seriously. Simon Stålenhag’s The Electric State is a masterpiece of visual storytelling. It’s a totally different experience.
- Check out the "making of" clips: If you're into VFX, seeing how they brought the retro-90s robots to life is actually pretty fascinating, regardless of what you think of the plot.
- Revisit the Russos' older work: If this one missed the mark for you, go back and watch The Gray Man or their Marvel films to see the difference in how they handle high-budget action.
Ultimately, The Electric State Chris Pratt is a fascinating case study in what happens when a massive budget meets a beloved indie IP. It’s big, it’s loud, and it’s definitely something you’ll have an opinion on—even if that opinion is just "Wait, why was Mr. Peanut in this?"