What critics are saying about The Electric State days before Netflix release

The Russo brothers, Anthony and Joe, know how to make some fun pieces of film. Anthony has directed a bunch of good Marvel-related films, including the fantastic Avengers: Endgame. Joe has also directed, but has produced a number of winners. Will their latest, The Electric State, which premieres on Netflix on March 14, also be good?

On paper, it should be. Millie Bobby Brown (you might know her from a little show called Stranger Things) stars as an orphaned teenager who searches the American West in search of her lost brother. With her on her journey are a military veteran who has turned into a long-haul tricker (played by Chris Pratt) and a mysterious robot who has a nice side. A doctor named Amherst, played by Ke Huy Quan, is also trying to help locate the brother.

The story is based on a 2018 book by Simon Stalenhag. There should be a lot of fun involved in the sci-fi adventure. Netflix subscribers, of course, can make up their own minds about how good the film is upon its release later this week.

Critics do not like Netflix's The Electric State

Professional critics already have an idea of the quality of the Russo-led film. Both Anthony and Joe are listed as directors, and Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeeley, who wrote the script for Avengers: Endgame, adapted the book. There is enough talent (and money) involved for the film to be a hit.

After all, the reported cost of making the film was $320 million. That makes it one of the most expensive films ever made. The difference, of course, is that the flick will drop on a streamer and not need to make its money back with a theatrical release. The loss would be Netflix's if the movie fails.

And critics are already telling us the film is not good. Metacritic has given the movie a score of 30 based on the reviews, just five days before the film's release date. Alistair Ryder of Looper wrote that The Electric State "is a soulless exercise in the same vein as a Borderlands or an Argylle, a joyless affair that feels cobbled together by studio executives..."

Still, there are many fans of Argylle and Borderlands, and there will likely be many fans of the Electric State. The cast is great, and the Russos have proven to deliver fine projects. Let's hope this is another one and that the critics are wrong.

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