An ambitious sci-fi movie called “The Electric State” landed with a thud last week on Netflix.
The thud was like the sound of Roomba vac hitting your dining room table or Alex playing the wrong song over and over again. While critics seem to hate the movie, fans are warming up to it. As of writing, “The Electric State” has a woeful 14% on Rotten Tomatoes, though its audience score is 76%.
Still, that’s not great for a movie reportedly made for $320 million by the Russo brothers and starring Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt.
“The Electric State” is set in the ’90s in an alternative universe where Walt Disney invents the first robot — and of course, a robot apocalypse ensues. While the wide shots of robots gathering in St. Louis look impressive and there are some intense battle scenes, TG’s own Alix Blackburn wrote that it “doesn’t quite live up to expectations.”
If you’re looking for a more thought-provoking and entertaining sci-fi film, here are some movies like “The Electric” but better.
‘The Creator’
It’s a shame “The Creator” didn’t get more attention. Directed by Gareth Edwards who was behind one of the best “Star Wars” movies in recent memory (“Rogue One”), this inventive movie is about an AI that takes the form of a small child named Alphie.
Robots also take center stage, some of them taking the form of augmented humans. A few set pieces seem overly staged and a little hard to follow, but the overall theme is profound: how humans and AI could potentially coexist even after we realize we have lost control over the bots.
Watch on Prime Video
‘Ready Player One’
This well-received 2018 sci-fi thriller directed by Steven Speilberg, has some really interesting ideas about consumer obsession. Similar to “The Electric State,” it has a lot to say about pop culture.
A character named Wade Watts finds an Easter egg in a VR simulation that propels him to fame. The movie switches between live-action and animation on a dime. Video game characters pop up everywhere, but themes about living in reality versus a virtual world are even more true today in the age of widespread artificial intelligence.
‘District 9’
Much has been said about this alien-infiltration movie from 2009, but it’s worth watching again. While “The Electric State” mainly shows robot mayhem without a clear reason to keep watching, “District 9” does the opposite — you end up caring about the main character who is dealing with an alien crisis (and some personal drama).
Sci-fi movies are at their best when we see a vision of the future through a relatable character. Plus, “District 9” has some of the coolest weapons, mechs and aliens in any sci-fi movie since “Star Wars.”
‘Finch’
“Finch” makes robots more personal. The movie stars Tom Hanks and deals with some thought-provoking themes about longevity, what happens to the human race once we go extinct and whether robots can serve as adequate companions.
Ask anyone who talks to Siri and Alexa and you’ll find there is value in talking to an AI, even if it’s to find a recipe. My favorite part of the film is how the robot, named Jeff, has a personality and feelings.
Watch on Apple TV Plus
‘Ex Machina’
All sci-fi movies need to learn a thing or two from “Ex Machina.” Like “The Electric State,” it’s a movie about robots and consciousness. What happens when humans do not possess as much intelligence as the AI we’ve created? If you believe the movie, it’s nothing good.
The main robot character outsmarts its inventor, convincing him that “she” has feelings for him. “The Electric State” never manages to hit those philosophical high notes. The main lesson for science fiction fans is that it’s always about the character, never the technology.
Watch on Paramount Plus
