Streaming on Netflix
In an interview with one of the Russo brothers (who directed this monstrosity), he said they wanted to take this fascinating concept and make it more "palatable" for mainstream audiences. This was our first indicator that the film they would provide would not only miss the point and feel of the original source material but also be lifeless and (for want of a better term) without a soul. Netflix's The Electric State is a film that does too many things wrong, most of which is showcasing the limited and one-note talent of the cast, writers, and directors involved in its unmitigated and misguided creation. Even with a few decent parts here and there, this film embodies and displays everything wrong with modern cinema, and I rue the day I ever sit through something even worse this year!
Loosely based on the graphic novel written and illustrated by Simon Stålenhag, the story is set in an alternative 1990s, when robots have evolved to the point of sentience and lost an uprising, causing robotkind to be banned to exclusion zones (think Terminator meets District 9 but without any of the intelligence from either film). Our "hero" is a young girl named Michelle (Millie Bobby Brown), who is surviving her latest round of foster care after losing her family, including her younger brother, to a car accident some years prior. Michelle's life takes a turn for the weird when she's accosted by a small robot claiming to be her brother (human consciousness can be transplanted into robot bodies in this mythology) and asking her for help finding and freeing his human body from confinement by the mega-corporation that runs the entire technological dystopia.
Along the way, they encounter an annoying analog for Han Solo and Chewbacca in the form of Chris Pratt playing yet another slight variation of himself and Anthony Mackie trying his best impression of Rocket the Racoon, but as a robot. Together, they travel to the forbidden lands of exiled robots, where they meet their leader, Mr. Peanut (voiced by a seemingly indifferent Woody Harrelson), who helps them find their way toward the plot twist that makes no sense and only serves as a weak attempt to make you cry for no justifiable reason other than suffering through the painful disrespect and disregard of such a fascinating concept that deserved much better treatment!
The graphic novel, lovingly created by Simon Stålenhag, presents a haunting and visceral world destroyed by hyperconsumerism crumbling before the eyes of two observant survivors. Think The Last of Us or Cormac McCarthy's The Road, but with robots. It's a journey through a creepy yet possible world that reflects the dangers of our overreliance upon technology and how, if we allow it, it can make us lose our connection to reality. It's a book loaded with eerie yet fascinating images and ideas that would make for a fascinating cautionary tale of a movie or mini-series, exploring the dark and uncertain aspects of our existence while contemplating what might be done to prevent this possible future from happening.
This film adaptation by The Russo Brothers doesn't have any of that! Instead, the film decides to strip away all of the dark and unsettling aspects of the original story in favor of a fast-paced, easily digestible Marvel superhero-style movie that offers nothing substantial to the audience other than weak homages to the graphic novel in an attempt to at least pretend they understood anything from the book, a demonstration of how to waste away three hundred million dollars (yes, that was the budget for this piece of garbage) and the feeling of being robbed of your time!
The Russo Brothers seem incapable of making movies that don't conform to the Marvel formula! The script is full of clunky, unnatural-sounding dialogue filled with lazy exposition and poor attempts at character and world-building! Chris Pratt's "charm" only worked for his portrayal of Starlord, and Millie Bobby Brown doesn't have the range or talent to carry an entire movie on her shoulders! The whole "war against the machines" angle has been done to death, so much so that Issac Asimov has rolled over in his grave enough to drill toward the center of the Earth! And again, I must stress they spent over three hundred million dollars on this one braindead and unfeeling visual spectacle pretending to be a movie!
They could have spent that money on other potentially more fascinating smaller projects or even donated it to a worthy cause. But that would imply that the Netflix producers have anything resembling a conscience, which, let's face it, no one in the Hollywood system (and yes, Netflix and most of the streaming platforms are part of Hollywood, whether they admit it or not) has enough of a heart to care about anything other than grabbing the next I.P. they can milk to death for the next decade!
Netflix's The Electric State is an insult! It is a slap in the face to talented storytellers and feels more like a work of arrogant and indifferent propaganda demanding that you give up asking for better works of art. Well, to that, I say, "Never give up! Never surrender!"
My fellow artist friends and I will continue making our own works of art that better speak to the human condition and demand the same from Netflix and all the other streamers like it. We will not remain silent while corporate media insists that what they say is the end all be all of artistic expression and expectations. We will speak the truth because you're too afraid to do so.
We are creators; hear us roar!
Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm; thank you all for reading.
No comments:
Post a Comment