Even before Simon Stålanhag’s The Electric State made it to shelves, it was already destined for the screen. Somehow, however, this $320-million Netflix spectacle deviates from the book’s dark, dystopic commentary on America’s collapse. Guess it’s inevitable, with Anthony and Joe Russo clutching the creative reins. Remember, they did Avengers: Endgame. So, expect a lot of explosions and a lot of flying metal. 

The base premise at least remains. It’s still set in an alternate version of the ‘90s, where humans and robots are perpetually at war and only technological dependence keeps the conflict at bay. Making that truce possible are Sentre CEO Ethan Skate (Stanley Tucci) and his accomplice, Marshall Bradbury (Giancarlo Esposito). Both are chilling, as always, and the retro-futuristic visuals do mesmerize. But that’s about it. 

Millie Bobby Brown stars as Michelle, the teen protagonist traumatized by the loss of genius brother Chris (Woody Norman) and abused by her foster father (Jason Alexander). She suddenly finds comfort in Cosmo (Alan Tudyk), a robot made in the image of her favorite cartoon. After noticing Cosmo’s likeness to Chris, she escapes her foster home and immediately embarks on her quest with the robot in tow. So begins their staggering journey across the ravaged West, which Brown endearingly described in early interviews as a live action Wall-E. Here’s the main difference, though: That one had more heart. 

Marvel mainstays abound, led by Chris Pratt as John D. Keats, a clear knockoff of Peter Quill, and Anthony Mackie voicing Keats’ robot sidekick, Herman. More mysteries are solved when they meet Chris’s doctor, Dr, Amherst, a role originally slated for Michelle Yeoh, but rewritten for her Everything Everywhere All at Once co-star, Ke Huy Quan, instead. The robot retinue unsurprisingly expands, with Jenny Slate, Colman Domingo, Brian Cox, and Hank Azaria joining the voice cast. And it’s mind-boggling how Planters’ Peanut mascot made it to the fray. Here, he’s voiced by Woody Harrelson. 

Sadly, it feels more like a riot than a party, despite the star-studded line-up. Clearly, it’s an attempt to replicate the MCU outside the MCU, down to the obligatory climactic battle. There’s even a plot twist that echoes Groot’s in the first Guardians of the Galaxy. Despite a fairly watchable start, this loose adaptation goes for the everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach, ultimately at the expense of what made the source material a best-seller. Not even the telekinetic prowess of Brown’s Stranger Things character can keep this afloat.