With The Electric State, the Russos recycle old ideas for a two-hour, brain-dead distraction.
With a loving smile, she sets baklava before her son, which Skate accepts warmly.
In the very next shot, we see Skate sitting at his shiny office desk, wearing a headset.
The rest of directorsJoe and Anthony Russos latest is just a series of signifiers slapped together into a movie.
The machines that we created for manual labor turned against us, leading to a short but bloody war.
From just those barest of plot points, it’s possible for you to guess the entire movie.
Proper filmmakers would worry about the baggage carried by these tropes and an overreliance on typecast performers.
Such storytellers would strive to make these characters and performances defy or exceed audience expectations.
Not so with the Russos.
In that way, the Russos make perfect sense as the duo to helm Netflixs bold blockbuster gamble.
You might even chuckle at some of the one-liners and say oooh!
when something goes boom.
Youll get to feel engaged even if you arent engaged.
No, of course not.The Electric Stateisnt saying anything.
Its all about how the stuff looks, not what it means.
Its a good thing, then, thatThe Electric Statedoes actually look pretty good.
As with Marvel, the Russos have strong source material to bring to the screen.
Moreover, their movements are pretty impressive, especially those of the smiley-faced robot that represents Christopher.
Sadly, the same cannot be said forThe Electric Stateitself.
Every feeling in the movie is faked, every idea borrowed and flattened.
Then again, who needs to feel something when theres laundry to do.
Rating:
1 out of 5
