The Electric State, a recent sci-fi adventure comedy directed by the Russo brothers, brought Simon Stålenhag’s dystopian illustrated novel to life. Starring Millie Bobby Brown as Michelle; an orphaned teenager, the film follows her journey across a retro-futuristic American West alongside a robot (Cosmo) and Chris Pratt’s eccentric drifter, Keats. With a star-studded cast and themes of human-robot collaboration, the Netflix blockbuster premiered globally on March 14, 2025, after a glitzy Los Angeles debut. While the visuals dazzled, behind-the-scenes revelations about AI usage sparked debate.

The Russo brothers dropped a bombshell: AI was not just part of the story; it shaped the film itself.

The Russo brothers revealed to The Sunday Times that artificial intelligence played a critical role in voice modulation during production of The Electric State. Joe Russo likened the process to something “any ten-year-old could do after watching a TikTok video,” downplaying its complexity. He admitted AI is widespread but underreported use in Hollywood, citing fear and misunderstanding as reasons for industry silence.

Russo emphasized AI’s current “generative state,” where “hallucinations” limit its reliability for high-stakes tasks like self-driving cars or surgery. However, he argued its creative potential remains untapped. Inspired by Pixar and Amblin, the brothers aimed to deliver challenging material for kids, framing the film as a cautionary tale about technology’s corrosive impact-particularly on younger generations.

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Audiences flocked to Netflix, but critics slammed the $320M spectacle.

The Electric State dominated Netflix charts within hours, topping streams in 79 countries and trending in 93 territories. Yet its Rotten Tomatoes score cratered at 19%, with critics panning its execution. The $320 million budget, one of the largest in film history drew comparisons to Netflix’s Red Notice and The Gray Man, which similarly split audiences and critics. Central to the story were neurocasters, dystopian VR headsets symbolizing humanity’s tech addiction.

The film’s visual style mirrored Stålenhag’s haunting novel, blending decaying Americana with retro-futurism. Russo drew parallels to the 1990s internet boom, highlighting how society often overlooks technology’s unintended consequences until it is too late. Despite its polarizing reception, the film’s success underscores a growing divide between audience appetite for spectacle and critics’ demand for depth. As AI continues to infiltrate Hollywood, The Electric State may be remembered as both a cautionary tale and a catalyst for creative experimentation.

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Did The Electric State strike the right balance between AI innovation and storytelling? Share your thoughts below!