Netflix’s The Electric State cost 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 two Captain America movies, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: 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 State now stands as Netflix’s most expensive movie in history. In fact, The Electric State‘s enormous budget gives 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 for The Electric State have been rough. The movie’s 19% score on Rotten Tomatoes currently sits as the brothers’ worst-rated directed movie, just a bit lower than You, Me, and Dupree. While they’ve had success in the MCU, it seems the MCU elements incorporated into The Electric State aren’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 among The 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 on The 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 State also features noteworthy MCU actors such as Giancarlo Esposito, Anthony Mackie, Colman Domingo, and more.

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 of The Electric State’s cast list also have experience with Marvel projects outside the MCU. For example, Woody Harrelson and Jenny Slate both had roles in the Venom movies, while Hank Azaria once voiced Venom/Eddie Brock in Spider-Man: The Animated Series during the mid-90s. Alan Tudyk even had a brief role in ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool 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 for The 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 State unites old robots to face off against a common villain who claims they want to “save” humanity. If that doesn’t sound a lot like Infinity War and Endgame, 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.

Interestingly, The Electric State is 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 about The 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 State often 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 that the Russos’ approach to projects outside the MCU doesn’t seem to be working. The Electric State‘s underwhelming reviews continue an unfortunate trend for the Russo Brothers since Endgame‘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 to The Gray Man, the Russos’ streaming movie Cherry acquired 37% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Granted, it’s very important to note that audience scores for The Gray Man and the Tom Holland-led Cherry on Apple TV+ are much higher compared to the critic’s scores. Movies are inherently subjective, so it’s no surprise to see that The Electric State‘s audience score is higher at 64% (at the time of writing). It could turn out to be a mᴀssive 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 direct Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes