The Electric State came out on Netflix earlier this year, and I remember when because it looked really promising. Then I forgot about it, and I never really heard much talk about the movie. Chris Pratt? Check. Millie Bobby Brown? Check. The Russo Brothers? Giancarlo Esposito? Double check. So why did this movie make such a small splash?

The story is set during a dystopian 1990s, where the age of robots arrived rapidly, while everything else lagged behind. But when robots began thinking for themselves, it sparked a war between machines and humanity. A fragile truce followed, resulting in a Berlin Wall–style divide. Yet humans still relied on technology, using drone robots to do their dirty work… so long as they weren’t powered by AI.

Michelle Greene (Millie Bobby Brown) is the protagonist, a teenager placed in foster care. Her miserable life is turned upside down when an illegal robot, claiming to be her dead brother, appears. She is then forced to flee and hide once her foster “father” discovers the truth.

Along the way, she meets John D. Keats (Chris Pratt), a man unusually sympathetic toward robots. Essentially a smuggler, he lives near the bridge between the two worlds. Against all logic, he chooses to help Michelle when she crosses his path.

The movie’s main antagonist is Dr. Clark Amherst (Stanley Tucci), a genius with the vision of Steve Jobs mixed with the ruthlessness and capitalist greed of the Koch brothers. Yet, at times, he doesn’t seem entirely villainous, more like someone who got in far over his head before realizing it was too late.

I also really enjoyed the robot Herman (Anthony Mackie). I won’t spoil too much, but he definitely deserves a shoutout.

Did I love The Electric State? No. Did I like it? Yes. Now I understand why its reception was lukewarm. The film boasts a stellar cast, superb production values, and two of the most talented directors working today, but the script is… flawed at best. While its commentary on humanity versus AI feels a little too on-the-nose in this age of ChatGPT, the true statement it makes (that racism and mass deportations are morally bankrupt) was something I genuinely appreciated.