For its first major movie release of 2025 — The Electric State, directed by Joe and Anthony Russo — Netflix is relying on the signature cinematic flair that the brothers brought to films like Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame to wow viewers with a retro-futuristic story about humans and robots.
Based on the 2018 graphic novel by Simon Stålenhag, whose work is celebrated for the way it merges advanced technology and nostalgic landscapes, The Electric State is set in an alternate version of the US in the 1990s. A teenage girl, played by Stranger Things’ Millie Bobby Brown, sets out across a dying world that’s chock-a-block with abandoned robots and the AI-based remains of a bygone era.
As she searches for her missing brother, with a trusty robot friend as her companion, she uncovers dark secrets about the collapse of civilization. Along the way, the pair also team up with an eccentric drifter (Chris Pratt). From the movie’s Netflix synopsis, “In our world, the 1990s were a time of enormous change: The arrival of the internet, the collapse of the Soviet Union, the first baby boomer president of the United States. In the world of The Electric State, the ’90s were even more of an upheaval.
“The emergence of robotic artificial intelligence led to an enormous war between man and machine. Years later, an uneasy peace has settled in — but it may not last for long.”
Netflix’s adaptation looks sure to captivate viewers of all sorts with a mix of stunning visuals (some of which you can check out below), as well as its emotional storytelling and all-star cast that includes Stanley Tucci, Jason Alexander, and Ke Huy Quan. Robots in the film are voiced by Woody Harrelson, Anthony Mackie, Brian Cox, and Jenny Slate.
“The story felt like a fairy tale to us,” Anthony Russo said in a Netflix promotional interview about the movie, which hits the streaming giant on March 14. “We really wanted to play into those very elemental aspects of a fairy tale.”
Adds Joe Russo: “We grew up on a steady diet of science-fiction and fantasy. And so our brains are always [there]. Our creative ethos is always attracted to these big, fantastical ideas that can present really interesting themes but also be highly entertaining at the same time.”
