Being generic is a crime these days and if you’ve seen the headlines then you’ll know that The Electric State is guilty of that very offense. It’s true; the writing is very, very standard for a Hollywood sci-fi. Most of the elements in the story are designed to have the appearance of depth without having any. However, the visuals and production design save the film from being a complete waste of time.

It’s the mid-90s’ and AI has arrived almost a century early. After a 2-year war, all robots have been placed in an exclusion zone. Hence Michelle (Millie Bobby Brown) is stunned when a robot approaches her claiming to carry the consciousness of her late brother. With the help of a rogue veteran (Chris Pratt), Michelle journeys through a war-torn landscape to reunite her brother’s mind with his body.

The Characters

Michelle is another one of those bereaved leads whose whole arc is come to terms with her loss. We learn that her brother and her parents died in a car accident. Since then, she’s lived with a number of foster parents, becoming more withdrawn from life.

When she discovers that her brother may still be alive in some form, nothing gets in her way. As a surrogate for the audience, Michelle works well as her determination to find her brother takes her all over the film’s world.

Keats is the veteran Michelle encounters and he has all the delightful charisma that only Chris Pratt can deliver. He and his robot Herman (voiced by Anthony Mackie) have great chemistry and provide some decent comic relief. Neither bring anything to the plot beside helping Michelle to get where she needs to be.

Giancarlo Esposito plays a cop who’s paid to capture Michelle. He’s like Dennis in the first Spongebob film but devoid of humour and irony.

Stanley Tucci plays the only interesting character. He’s the CEO of a company that designed the technology that defeated the robots in the war. He has an optimistic view of technology and its potential, specifically for recreating memories in virtual reality. He’s the big bad of the film who hires Esposito’s cop as well as deploy troops to stop Michelle. He’s the only character who has any blatant dimension hence when he’s not being the villain of the piece, he can be fun to watch.

The Worldbuilding

I cannot describe how wonderful it is to watch a film about robots where the robots actually look like robots. A lower budget and a lack of imagination would’ve had the robots look like people as many other Hollywood sci-fis have done. These robots come in all different shapes and sizes, each designed for a specific purpose. They look great.

It’s also refreshing to see AI tackled in a retrofuturistic style. No holograms. No touchscreens. Just keyboards and fat monitors. If there’s one thing The Electric State aces it’s the production design. The world it presents is very well crafted.

Despite its beauty however, the film’s story is not one you’ll want to hear again. It’s just too generic. Only the visuals make the film stand out.

I give The Electric State a gorgeous but shallow 6 out of 10.