The Electric State co-director Joe Russo has discussed the movie's tonal shift from the novel, and how the author felt about it. Adapted from Simon Stålenhag's 2018 illustrated novel of the same name, the film follows an orphaned teen in an alternative 1990s, who teams up with a smuggler and a robot to search for her missing brother. The Electric State's strong cast is headed up by Chris Pratt and Millie Bobby Brown, Ke Huy Quan, and Woody Harrelson, and the movie takes a more light-hearted approach than the novel on which it is based.
In an interview with ScreenRant, Russo, who co-directed the movie with his brother Anthony, explains the film's tonal shift, and what Stålenhag thought about it. He reveals that, though the source material was darker in tone, the story's message about technology was key for a younger audience, so the decision was made to go for a more family-friendly movie. He also reveals that Stålenhag, who himself has two daughters, agreed with the reasoning behind the change. Check out Russo's comments below:
ScreenRant: What made you want to shift away from the [graphic novel’s] darker tone, and what were some of the challenges and surprises you encountered when translating that unique driven narrative into a full length of character focus?
Joe Russo: It's a great question. It's an interesting shift away to a more family appeal tone, because we felt like the message about technology that was in the graphic novel was most important to be heard by younger audiences, and we wanted to make sure that they would watch the film. And so, it is a broad appeal movie. It is a family film. A 6-year-old could watch it, an 80-year-old can watch it, and everybody in between [can watch it].
We felt like the message was the most important for the six- to 18-year-old range–that generation that's immersed in technology. Simon Stålenhag, who created the book, has two daughters, and he felt it was also really important. He said he created the book in a vacuum, as sort of a way for him to express how he felt about technology in the world, but he didn't intend that to be the only expression of The Electric State, and he felt it was really important that the story also reach his children.
So, when you are taking something from a graphic novel to a movie, it's such a shift in medium that it requires a rethink of how that's presented.
What These Comments Mean For The Electric State
The Changes Can Be Understood But Are Likely To Hurt The Film
While Russo's comments show one of the key rationales behind the change, they also present the issues that come with this tonal switch. The original novel had an important social commentary to make, and its tone was perfectly in fitting with its message, and the story it was trying to tell. By switching the movie to a more family-friendly approach, the Russo Brothers have risked diluting the impact of the source material, and this is illustrated by the dour reviews of The Electric State that deem the movie an over-the-top, clunky mess.
Another probable reason for the movie's tonal shift is that The Electric State is Netflix's most expensive movie ever, and to make the project worthwhile, the film will need strong viewership ratings. A family-friendly film offers broader appeal and increases the chances of picking up more viewers. But, whilst The Electric State could be a big hit for the streaming giants in terms of viewers, the message Russo talks about could get lost among a deluge of explosions, garish color palettes, and mediocrity, and it is surprising that Stålenhag would agree to such a drastic departure.
Our Verdict On The Electric State's Tonal Shift
It Seems Like Netflix Has Opted To Play It Safe Again
Big budget used to mean big ambition, but nowadays that is not always the case. Trying to adapt a story as ambitious and revered as The Electric State's story is certainly a challenge, but in an industry where profit is king, it feels like Netflix is a little too scared to take risks. It feels like the powerful message of Stålenhag's original work has been watered down, and that The Electric State promotes the commentary on technology in a clumsy, clunky way that could have been done much better with a more accurate adaptation.
