Anthony Mackie – STREAMING MOVIE NIGHT

2025 Netflix

Rated: PG-13

Length: 2 hr 8min

Action ~ Adventure ~ Sci-Fi

Starring: Millie Bobby Brown, Chris Pratt, Ke Huy Quan, Jason Alexander, Woody Harrelson, Anthony Mackie, Brian Cox, Jenny Slate, Giancarlo Esposito and Stanley Tucci.

“Rage with the Machines.”

THE BOOK:

The Electric State A Graphic Novel by Simon Stålenhag 2018

In late 1997, a runaway teenager and her small yellow toy robot travel west through a strange American landscape where the ruins of gigantic battle drones litter the countryside, along with the discarded trash of a high-tech consumerist society addicted to a virtual-reality system. As they approach the edge of the continent, the world outside the car window seems to unravel at an ever faster pace, as if somewhere beyond the horizon, the hollow core of civilization has finally caved in.

THE MOVIE (Netflix Tudum):

In the world of The Electric State, the ’90s look a little different. Sure, plaid flannel shirts and grunge black eyeliner are still in, but a catastrophic war between humans and robots has left the world scarred and divided. With robots banished to a remote wasteland, an uneasy peace has been reached — but it may not last for long.

The Electric State tells the story of Michelle ( Millie Bobby Brown), a young woman traveling with a sweet but mysterious robot. The pair reluctantly team up with eccentric drifter Keats (Chris Pratt), and set out on a cross-country road trip to find Michelle’s younger brother. Along the way, they have to navigate an electrified, retro-futuristic US landscape with eerie similarities to our own time.

The Electric State is an explosive adaptation of Simon Stålenhag’s 2018 graphic novel of the same name about a young girl and her small yellow toy robot who travel west through a high-tech wasteland. The Russos’ version takes the story concept and runs with it, expanding the world while remaining true to the emotional threads Stålenhag weaved into his work.

“I’m blown away by the movie,” Stålenhag told Netflix. “It was an amazing experience watching things that I have drawn come to life this way. What resonated most with me was the emotional core of the movie, which is the need for family. Even though the movie has changed genre from the book a bit, that main core is still the same and has been expanded on beautifully.”

The Russos and writers Markus and McFeely were in communication with Stålenhag throughout the film’s development, and he was pleased to see the creative liberties they took to make the film stand on its own. “They asked me questions about the timeline and backstory, but it’s their work,” he said. “They’re the best in the world at what they do, and to see them work on a project that comes from me, it’s beyond satisfying, surreal. I am so positively surprised by the end result.”

THE REVIEW:

I didn’t know that the movie was based upon a book until after I watched the movie. I included a lot of information about that because I think I would have had a better appreciation of the movie if I had known that going in. After the fact, looking at the illustrations of the book, the movie does a great job of bringing those illustrations and the book to life. I love Millie Bobby Brown and I think she was good in this, but I don’t think the movie would have survived with another actress. Chris Pratt was good as well but I think the stars were Millie, Cosmo and Devyn Dalton. Devyn Dalton is the Motion Capture actress that played Cosmo.

I appreciated all the robot characters, they started to grow on me. Herman (Anthony Mackie), Mr. Peanut (Woody Harrelson), Popfly (Brian Cox) and Penny Pal (Jenny Slate) were my favorites, after Cosmo of course. Yes, they started to feel like human beings to me. They drew me in to their struggle to be accepted. Robots co-existing side by side with Humans. And to quote Millie in the end, “We are going to do it right this time.” I liked it, but if you don’t like Robots and Sci-Fi, you’re gonna think it was dumb.

Again, take a look at the book the movie was based on, you’ll appreciate it more.

2024 Vertical Entertainment

Rated: R

Length: 1 hr 31min

Action ~ Sci-Fi ~ Suspense

Directed by: George Nolfi

Starring: Anthony Mackie, Morena Baccarin, and Maddie Hasson.

“Don’t go down without a fight.”

The Synopsis from The Official Movie Website:

The world has changed. The only habitable place left for humanity is in the high mountains, above 8000 feet. Below 8000 feet dwell the creatures that killed 95% of the human population less than three years ago. To save the life of his young son, a father (Anthony Mackie) is forced to venture below “The Line” with a scientist (Morena Baccarin) he despises, but who just might hold the key to defeating the monsters, and a young woman (Maddie Hasson) determined to keep them both alive long enough to save the human race.

Thoughts and Questions:

A Quiet Place above 8000 feet:

It is very similar to the A Quiet Place Movies. In Elevation the creatures came up from below the ground. In A Quiet Place they came from the sky.

In A Quiet Place the creatures destroy anything that makes a sound and humans make all the noise. In Elevation the creatures destroy humans who seem to make all the noise. Later in the movie we see wild horses everywhere, why aren’t they destroyed by the creatures?

Nina (Morena Baccarin) the scientist explains, “The creatures have CO2 sensors and track humans. They never sleep, they never eat, it seems their sole purpose is to track humans and kill them. I think it is divine retribution for man’s evil ways.” Don’t the animals give off CO2 as well? Yes, but it seems again that this is Divine Retribution for Man’s Evil Ways and only Humans are targeted for extermination.

In A Quiet Place The Abbott family quietly venture into town for supplies and medicines they need and in Elevation Will, Nina and Katie venture down from the mountain for supplies and the medicine Will needs to keep his son alive.

In A Quiet Place the creatures were called Death Angels, in Elevation they are referred to as Reapers. Both sound like Divine Retribution names.

Why 8000 feet?

What happens between 7999 feet and 8000 feet that the creatures can’t cross the white rocks that were placed at the 8000 feet mark to mark the line the creatures can’t cross? As we see later in the movie the creatures are machines and not living creatures. Again, according to Nina the Scientist, “It is in their programming, they can’t cross into any altitude above 8000 feet. They were programmed to wipe out humanity. Divine Retribution for Man’s wicked ways.”

The Creature’s Weakness:

In the A Quiet Place Movies, the creatures weakness is found. Death by a high frequency that blows their eardrums and head apart. In Elevation Nina discovers that bullets coated with Cobalt trigger an electric charge that causes the Reapers to implode rather violently.

A Quiet Place: Day One Prequel?

I couldn’t find any information that alludes to Elevation being a prequel to A Quiet Place: Day One. But at the end of the movie right after the credits start rolling there is a scene where Will and Nina are looking up at the sky through a telescope and see something coming down from the sky, very similar to the beginning of A Quiet Place: Day One.

My Recommendation:

I liked it, although I don’t think I would watch it again. Just not that memorable. It was good enough to hold my interest, although at times it seemed a bit slow or forced. At an hour and a half it went really quick though. So yes it’s worth a watch, just a one-off though. More like a B Sci-Fi movie than the Blockbuster The A Quiet Place Movies were.