Here is a very bland and derivative sci-fi adventure from Netflix, directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, freely adapted from the illustrated YA novel by Swedish artist Simon Stålenhag. It drains away the book’s thoughtful human complexity and turns it into a laminated Spielberg/Lucas knockoff with bits of Toy Story and Guardians of the Galaxy, as well as simply too many other individual borrowings to count. I even wondered if Millie Bobby Brown’s hairstyle was supposed to make her look like Chewbacca.
It’s a kind of retro-tech romp set in an alternative-reality version of the 90s and 00s, perhaps indicating a yearning to go back to a time before social media, VR and AI ruled over us. During the Bill Clinton administration – and there are some neat satirical laughs in the flashback news montage, I admit – humanity is supposed to have suppressed a massive uprising on the part of the “the bots”, artificial humanoid helpmeets and domestic servant machines which wanted to be treated as human. Now this defeated robo-clan live like underdog heroes in a ruined reservation in the desert.
The robots were beaten using devices developed by creepy tech supremo Ethan Skate (that name sound like anyone you know?), played in sleek Dr No-style clothing by Stanley Tucci. He invented a way for everyone’s consciousness to participate in all activities remotely via VR headsets, including piloting the robo-warriors that defeated the robots.
Our heroine is orphaned teen Michelle (Brown), whose parents and adored kid brother Christopher (Woody Norman) were killed in a car wreck. She is astonished one day when a terrified shivering robot shows up at her foster dad’s home, claiming to be her brother. But if her brother’s soul is somehow in this robot, is his body also alive somewhere? She and the robot go on a quest to find out, joining up on the way with a roguish adventurer played by Chris Pratt, who basically reprises every performance he has ever given.
The Electric State is a fundamentally unsatisfying and muddled film, even leaving aside the deja-vu. Robots are good … and Ethan Skate’s robo-tech is bad? Do robots die? Will they all just wear out and rust away (presumably solving humanity’s robot problem) or do they live forever or reproduce somehow? The film sort of hints at an answer, but all the sly, satirical fun implied when it was just humans v robots is removed.
There is a gallery of wacky individuals of all shapes and sizes, providing some undemanding work for voice-artists including Brian Cox, Woody Harrelson, Alan Tudyk and Colman Domingo. But there’s no soul, no originality, just a great big multicolour wedge of digital content.
One thing: Michelle’s abusive foster dad is played by Jason Alexander, who looks not a day older than when he played George Costanza in Seinfeld in the 90s. Is this the ultimate 90s reference?
• The Electric State is on Netflix from 14 March
