Joseph Russo and Anthony Russo, the famous Russo brothers, who even created “Captain America” and “Angers”, got us used to visual momentum and spectacularity of action scenes in their films. Their stories about superheroes saving the world attract millions of fans to cinemas and generate sky -high income. This time, however, it is not on the big screen that we will watch their latest production.
“The Electric State” You will be able to see in the comfort of your own home. Just search for the title in the Netflix library and click “Play”. What’s more, the film will already have the opportunity to do it, thanks to the kindness of the streaming service, which shared me “The Electric State” pre -premiere.
I don’t like superhero productions. I prefer an intimate cinema with interpersonal relationships from Marvel Blockbusters. So I was afraid to join the screening of “The Electric State”. However, I was interested in what the film recognized as the most expensive production in Netfix history brings. The budget amounted to $ 320 million, which makes it not only the largest financial undertaking of Netflix, but also one of the most expensive films of all time.
I was afraid that most of the finances were spent only on twisting emotions in the action scenes and improving special effects. Meanwhile, they are not the most important here. The Russo brothers surprise, transferring the burden of history from superheroes saving the world to a teenage girl looking for a lost brother. As it turns out, it was their intended procedure, which they confessed to us in an exclusive interview that you can see here.
“The Electric State” takes us to the retro 90s, but in a completely new edition. Although there are still plaid shirts, gardeners and vests here, instead of colors straight from American pubs with playing wardrobes, we have the remains of humanity after a rebellion, in which feeling machines, looking like cartoon characters, which once with pleasure serve people, now live in exile. People, in turn, operate in broken families, where their loved ones were taken away by the unsuccessful creation of robots, and any contact with the machines is inadvisable.
In all this is orphaned teenager Michelle, in this role Millie Bobby Brown, whose world turns upside down when one evening is visited by a mysterious robot. Not only that she claims that her brother is alive, he also says that he is controlled by him. Michelle, grabbing the sense of hope that she was not alone in the world, she travels with Cosmo by the American southwest to find his beloved brother. With time, she begins to help her a bit crazy Keats smuggler, played by Chris Pratt. Breaking through dangerous zones, they not only realize that it is not work that is a real threat to humanity, and people themselves, they also learn that it is a man and his, not a machine, standing behind the mysterious disappearance of her brother.
Although the Russo brothers set a film in the futuristic version of the 90s, it is extremely current. In my opinion, he answers the question of who can really make artificial intelligence rebel against people. After all, this unrestrained ambitions of man and the ability to pursue the goal at all costs are behind the fact that Michelle was separated with his brother.
“The Electric State” becomes an important voice in the discussion on the regulation of the use of artificial intelligence, suggesting that it only depends on us what will happen in the future with AI. It is we, as its creators, ultimately we have control over her.
“The Electric State”, which can be seen on the Netflix platform from March 14, met mainly with a negative reception of reviewers. Film critics said that the film brings nothing new to the genre. They also accused Russo’s brothers with a lack of loyalty to the original book. Anthony Russo, however, rejects these allegations. He explains that although the original material was fascinating, they decided with his brother that he was unclear and insufficiently developed visually to fully translate it into a film.
So they treated him as an inspiration to create a new story in which they ask a question about where there may be a critical point in which machines will no longer be able to bear development by man and instead of serving him, they will rebel. They believe that this is better in their vision of a retro-phutient society fighting for equal laws and a discussion about what a man can do with technology.
Was such a large budget really needed to create a movie in which man has the most to say? Probably not. However, if only in this way the Russo brothers imagined this story, I consider it to be well spent. Although some believe that this story does not bring anything new, because it balances between a superhero and fairy -tale style and scientific fantasy, a road cinema and a family story, it will find in it both a young viewer and a teenager, and an adult man. This is a great advantage of this film, because the topic of artificial intelligence applies to all social groups. So they would have a movie thanks to which they will be able to talk about their fears.
6/10
“The Electric State”dir. Joe and Anthony Russo, USA 2025, premiere at Netfik: March 14, 2025.
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Especially for Interia: brothers Russo, Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt with the most expensive film in the history of Netflix