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The Electric State - Suspended Animation

This one completely flew under my radar. I had only caught a brief teaser, and then—bam!—it was out. I had no idea what to expect. After watching it, I have to say, The Electric State is a strange one to rate. It’s good for the wrong reasons and wrong for some of the right ones. Let me explain.

Image by KinoCheck

Visually Stunning, Despite What Some Say

Let’s start with something positive. I’ve seen some media outlets criticize the CG and effects in this movie, and honestly, I don’t get it. I thought they were superb. The way the film blends practical effects with CGI is exactly how it should be done. The bots in particular looked fantastic, feeling weighty and tangible rather than floaty and artificial. The world looks great, and the budget was clearly spent in all the right places—well, almost all.

Image by Screen Rant

A Script That Falls Flat

Unfortunately, while the effects and set design are top-tier, the script is not. The writing fails at some really key moments. Without spoiling anything, there’s a scene early on where Michelle (Milly Bobby Brown) just blindly accepts something completely absurd, with zero hesitation. No buildup, no questioning—just instant acceptance of something that should have been a massive red flag. And that’s a pattern throughout the movie. Instead of showing us crucial moments of character development, the film relies on massive exposition dumps that would have hit way harder if we had actually seen these moments play out. The sibling dynamic in the story also doesn’t land the way it should because we’re never given enough time to know them as people or really understand their bond.

The last thing I'll say about the script is the dynamic between Milly and Chris. There's no tangible relationship here: He's too old to be her lover (ew), he's not mature or wise enough to be a father-figure, they don't come off as friends. They're just...kinda'...there together.

Image by Netflix

A Wasted Cast

Milly Bobby Brown is officially past the high school movie phase, and it really shows here. She does her best, but it’s just not the right fit anymore. Chris Pratt plays… well, Chris Pratt. No surprises there. And Giancarlo Esposito? Completely wasted. The man is an incredible actor, and yet the script gives him nothing meaningful to do. It’s frustrating because he could have elevated the movie significantly if given the right material. But as seems to be the trend these days, the script is short-sighted and underwhelming.
Image by TheWrap

Pacing Issues & A Lack of Depth

Visually, the movie is well-shot, but the pacing is definitely off. There’s easily at least 30 minutes of content that could have been trimmed without losing anything meaningful. And if they needed the full two-hour runtime, they should have used that time to give the characters and story some actual depth instead of stretching thin material too far.
Image by AP News

A Movie You’ve Seen Before

There’s nothing bad about The Electric State. It’s not a “stay away” kind of movie, but it’s also nothing special. At times, it felt like I’d already seen it—like it could have been part of another universe, maybe Terminator or The Matrix. It just struggles to, and never does, find its own unique identity.
Image by InTheSeats

Final Thoughts

Final Score: 5/10. A meh kind of movie. Not terrible, but not memorable either. It had so much potential, but nothing was really done with it. Watching The Electric State is like throwing a firecracker into a pond—you expect an explosion, but all you get is a tiny plop.

Pros:

✅ Fantastic visual effects and set design
✅ Great use of practical and CG blending
✅ Strong cast (on paper, at least)

Cons:

❌ A weak script with poor character development
❌ Underutilized actors, especially Giancarlo Esposito
❌ Pacing issues; could have been trimmed or deepened
❌ Nothing new—feels like a rehash of better films

Verdict: Watch if you have nothing else to do, but don’t expect anything groundbreaking.

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