I’m genuinely not sure where to begin with the trailer for The Electric State, the new movie from the Russo brothers, Anthony and Joe, who are still riding their Avengers: Endgame high despite the intense middling-ness of that movie. (I do not recommend a rewatch.)
Let’s start with Oasis. Did someone actually have strong feelings about using an echoey, pared-back version of “Champagne Supernova” in this trailer before the Oasis reunion news (the movie is set in an alternate 1990s, so it’s possible), or is this a calculated choice in order to make suckers like me complain about it, therefore putting Oasis’ name in our write-ups of the trailer, therefore maybe misleading an Oasis fan or two to the news of this movie’s existence? (If so: Sorry, Oasis fans.) Putting Oasis in your movie trailer is the emotional equivalent of putting that grainy, oily frosting on cupcakes. Technically it gets the job done, but it feels manufactured and wrong.
But then, so does this trailer. I will give it one point: The robots look cool. But otherwise, it has all the emotional resonance of a fake frostinged cupcake. It begins with Millie Bobby Brown’s character explaining that after a rebellion, “Robots lost their freedom. Humans lost connection with each other. And I lost everyone I loved. Or so I thought.”
Are the Russos (and Endgame writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely) here to deliver an emotionally manipulative movie about connection? Get bent.
The Electric State is based on the 2018 graphic novel by Simon Stålenhag, which was described as “bleak, emotionally rich dystopian science fiction” (Booklist) about a “quiet, sad adventure” (Publishers Weekly). Frankly, I would like to watch the bleak, sad, quiet adventure version, but that does not seem to be what we’re getting here.
Brown is joined on her brother-finding quest by Chris Pratt; the rest of the cast includes Ke Huy Quan, Jason Alexander, Woody Norman, Giancarlo Esposito, Stanley Tucci, Woody Harrelson, Anthony Mackie, Brian Cox, Jenny Slate, Hank Azaria, Colman Domingo, and Alan Tudyk. As we know, Tudyk does great cranky robot, if that’s his job here. But will that be enough to make the movie worth your time?
The Electric State is on Netflix March 14, 2025.
