Netflix’sThe Electric Statecost a whopping $320 million to make, and even though it’s essentially an MCU movie at its core, it has not been well-received. The sci-fi adventure movie comes from Anthony and Joe Russo, the sibling filmmaking duo known for their work in the Marvel Cinematic Universe after directing twoCaptain Americamovies,Avengers: Infinity War, andAvengers: Endgame. Their latest project for Netflix is an adaptation of a dystopian graphic novel, and the movie stars Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt, two figures that Netflix viewers and MCU fans will be familiar with.
The Electric Statenow stands as Netflix’s most expensive movie in history. In fact,The Electric State’s enormous budgetgives it a spot among the top 15 most expensive films ever made. There’s no doubt that the Russo Brothers and Netflix had high expectations for the movie, but so far,reviews forThe Electric Statehave been rough. The movie’s 19% score onRotten Tomatoescurrently sits as the brothers' worst-rated directed movie, just a bit lower thanYou, Me, and Dupree. While they’ve had success in the MCU, it seems the MCU elements incorporated intoThe Electric Statearen’t paying off.
A Lot Of MCU Talent Is Involved In Netflix’s The Electric State
The New Netflix Movie Doubles As An MCU Reunion
As a leading character amongThe Electric State’s cast, Chris Pratt will likely be the most notable MCU vet reuniting with the Russo Brothers for the Netflix movie. However, digging deeper,there are many names onThe Electric State’s cast and crew list that have experience with the MCU, proving that the Russos lean into familiarity when developing new projects. Aside from re-teaming with co-writers, an editor, and a composer,The Electric Statealso features noteworthy MCU actors such as Giancarlo Esposito, Anthony Mackie, Colman Domingo, and more.
The Electric State Role
Anthony & Joe Russo
Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, Agent Carter (Joe)
Directors
Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely
Captain America: The First Avenger, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame
Co-writers
Alan Silvestri
Captain America: The First Avenger, The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame
Composer
Jeffrey Ford
Captain America: The First Avenger, The Avengers, Iron Man 3, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Werewolf by Night
Editor
Chris Pratt
Guardians of the Galaxy, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, Thor: Love and Thunder, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Actor (Dr. Amherst /voice of P.C.)
Actor (Colonel Marshall Bradbury)
Anthony Mackie
Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Captain America: Brave New World
Actor (voice of Herman)
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man
Actor (Wolfe)
While Anthony and Joe Russo have worked with some MCU vets directly, others have appeared in various franchise projects across movies and TV shows at different points in their careers.A few other members ofThe Electric State’s cast list also have experience with Marvel projectsoutside the MCU. For example, Woody Harrelson and Jenny Slate both had roles in theVenommovies, while Hank Azaria once voiced Venom/Eddie Brock inSpider-Man: The Animated Seriesduring the mid-90s. Alan Tudyk even had a brief role inDeadpool 2.
The Russos Are Repeating Their MCU Formula In Streaming Movies
The Gray Man Also Borrowed Aspects From The MCU
Aside from the Russo Brothers bringing together a bunch of MCU talent forThe Electric State, the duo also interweaved several notable elements from their past MCU work into the Netflix movie. Without giving away too much about the movie,The Electric Stateunites old robots to face off against a common villain who claims they want to “save” humanity. If that doesn’t sound a lot likeInfinity WarandEndgame, there’s also the point that this villain is focused on balance, similar to Thanos, but in this case, it’s with robots and humans, before the conflict boils over into an epic battle.
The Gray Man, released on Netflix in 2022, repeated many of the same elements as Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which the Russos also directed.
Interestingly,The Electric Stateis not the first time the Russos have repeated MCU storytelling formulas in their non-MCU movies.The Gray Man, released on Netflix in 2022, repeated many of the same elements as Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which the Russos also directed.The Russos have spoken aboutThe Gray Man’s MCU similarities, admitting that the movies are “companion pieces in a lot of ways” when it comes to the story focus and themes. There’s also the fact that Chris Evans stars in both movies, driving the similarities even deeper.
The Electric State’s Rotten Tomatoes Score Continues A Post-MCU Russos Trend
The Russo Brothers' Movies After Endgame Haven’t Done Well With Critics
At times,The Electric Stateoften looks and feels like an MCU movie. While that’s not always a bad thing for the Netflix movie, there’s not enough to set it apart, reiterating thatthe Russos' approach to projects outside the MCU doesn’t seem to be working.The Electric State’s underwhelming reviewscontinue an unfortunate trend for the Russo Brothers sinceEndgame’s release in 2019. They’ve had some success with movies and shows they’ve produced but not so much with their directed projects. In addition toThe Gray Man, the Russos' streaming movieCherryacquired 37% on Rotten Tomatoes.
19%
64%
45%
90%
37%
72%
94%
85%
92%
89%
Granted, it’s very important to note that audience scores forThe Gray Manand the Tom Holland-ledCherryon Apple TV+ are much higher compared to the critic’s scores. Movies are inherently subjective, so it’s no surprise to see thatThe Electric State’s audience score is higher at 64%(at the time of writing).It could turn out to be a massive success for Netflix, depending on viewership. Even if it’s not a true MCU movie, Anthony and Joe Russo will be making their return to the franchise in the near future, with both set to directAvengers: DoomsdayandAvengers: Secret Wars.
