‘The Electric State’ movie review: 320 million reasons why the Russos have lost the plot

The Russos are cooked. A bloated and deeply confused adaptation of Simon Stalenhag’s somber, visually arresting illustrated novel, The Electric State is the latest in the streaming giant’s ceaseless quest to manufacture spectacle without substance. Gone is the brutal quiet of Stalenhag’s landscapes, replaced with Chris Pratt quipping his way through another paycheck and Millie Bobby Brown looking increasingly disillusioned with her career choices. The Electric State Director: Anthony and Joe Russo Cast: Millie Bobby Brown, Chris Pratt, Ke Huy Quan, Jason Alexander, Woody Harrelson, Anthony Mackie Runtime: 128 minutes Storyline: An orphaned teenager traverses the American West with a sweet, but mysterious, robot, and an eccentric drifter in search of her younger brother Tonally, The Electric State can’t decide whether it wants to be a dystopian fable or a wise-cracking road-trip comedy, so it splits the difference and excels at neither. It’s hard to muster any genuine investment in the characters, save for the delightfully eager Mrs. Scissors bot — whose dejected whirs upon vocational rejection might be the film’s most honest moment — and Giancarlo Esposito’s robo-bounty hunter, who, in a rare moment of true audience relatability, opts to simply take a seat and power down rather than endure another scene.