This post containsspoilers for The Electric State.
There they meet the leader of the robot resistance… Mr. Peanut.
If that sounds familiar, well, thats because nothing inThe Electric Stateis new or original.
And thats not just becausethe Russo Brothersarent Spielberg (who is?).
Its also a key to the late Hallidays fortune and control over the OASIS.
In other words, its a glistening promise of fulfillment and happiness in an empty world.
Delightful as the race is, it always ends in failure.
Spielbergs camera does one of his signature push ins as Parzival has a realization.
And in the next scene, we watch him go through the race again.
But this time he doesnt continue to barrel forward when he gets to the end.
Instead he goes backwards, unlocking the secret to winning the race.
Thus he is the hero.
Its incredibly sappy, not just because its accompanied by a piano cover of Wonderwall by Oasis.
Its sappy because no part ofThe Electric Statehas earned the emotional catharsis it wants.
It looks back at all of the stuff that came in the wake of Spielbergs career and criticizes it.
The Electric State is now streaming on Netflix.
