THE ELECTRIC STATE 2025 – NETFLIX MOVIE REVIEW

March 19, 2025

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Set in an alternate 1990s America, “The Electric State” presents a dystopian vision of a country in decline. In this retro-futuristic world, advanced robots once coexisted with humans until a catastrophic rebellion forced society to exile them. The film’s desolate landscapes and abandoned highways evoke a sense of loss and a broken promise of technological progress.

Michelle (played by Millie Bobby Brown) is a determined and resilient orphan. Traumatized by the loss of her family in a crumbling society, she clings to one hope the mysterious disappearance of her younger brother, Christopher. Convinced that he might still be alive, Michelle embarks on a journey across the deteriorating American Southwest.

Early in her travels, Michelle encounters Cosmo; a lone, enigmatic robot that appears to be sending her cryptic signals. Michelle interprets these messages as a connection to Christopher, spurring her onward into increasingly dangerous territory.

As Michelle navigates a world filled with decay and danger, she meets Keats (portrayed by Chris Pratt), a rugged, low-level smuggler with a troubled past. Initially skeptical of each other, the pair eventually form a fragile alliance when Michelle’s unwavering determination touches something in Keats. Alongside them is Herman, Keats’s steadfast robotic companion, whose unexpected loyalty and occasional insights prove invaluable in their treacherous journey.

Their path soon leads them to the Exclusion Zone; a barren, lawless desert where exiled robots and remnants of society coexist in a state of perpetual tension. This zone, both a physical and symbolic no-man’s land, holds many of the secrets behind the collapse of the old order.

Inside the Exclusion Zone, Michelle and her companions encounter various factions: some humans struggling to survive amid the ruins and others who have formed uneasy alliances with the exiled robots. As they piece together clues scattered among abandoned outposts and malfunctioning automatons, it becomes clear that the mass exodus of robots was no accident. Instead, it was orchestrated by a powerful, shadowy network of corporate and governmental interests determined to control and ultimately suppress the technological advances that once promised salvation.

The clues lead Michelle to a startling revelation: her missing brother had become entangled with an underground resistance movement. This group believed that the robots, rather than being mindless machines, were key to understanding (and perhaps rectifying) the systemic corruption that had devastated society. Christopher’s actions risking everything to gather evidence and broadcast the truth suggest that his disappearance was part of a larger, deliberate plan to challenge the oppressive forces at work.

In a tense, climactic sequence deep within the Exclusion Zone, Michelle and her allies finally confront the forces behind the conspiracy. In a series of dramatic encounters, Michelle deciphers the final clues left by Christopher messages encoded in the behaviour of the exiled robots and hidden in the ruins of a long-forgotten outpost.

Faced with a moral and physical impasse, Michelle must decide whether to continue her lonely quest or risk everything to expose the corruption that led to her brother’s fate. The confrontation forces her to question not only the true nature of the robots but also the blurred boundaries between humans and machines. In a final act of both defiance and sorrow, Michelle takes up Christopher’s mantle, choosing to broadcast the truth despite knowing that doing so could unleash further chaos.

The film concludes on a sombre note. While Michelle’s actions succeed in unveiling the dark underpinnings of the societal collapse, the victory comes at a heavy price. Many lives both human and robotic are lost in the struggle, and the cost of exposing the truth leaves a lingering sense of melancholy.

In the aftermath, the line between ally and adversary, machine and human, remains irreparably blurred. Michelle is left to forge a path forward in a world where hope and despair coexist. The final moments suggest that while the old order has been irrevocably damaged, there remains a fragile possibility for renewal and reconciliation, a future where the lessons of the past may finally guide society toward a more balanced coexistence.

“The Electric State” weaves a narrative of personal loss and courageous defiance against an oppressive system. Michelle’s journey marked by alliances forged in hardship, revelations about a controlled society, and the ultimate sacrifice of her brother’s legacy serves as a meditation on the cost of progress and the enduring power of hope in even the bleakest of landscapes.