I Didn't Think The Electric State Trailer Could Hurt Me

There was never a world in which I was excited by The Electric State’s film adaptation. Simon Stålenhag’s post-apocalyptic road trip art book recently inspired a tabletop RPG by the same name, but the big-budget Netflix film is snagging all the headlines. With Anthony and Joe Russo in the director’s chair—using a screenplay written by longtime Marvel collaborators Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely—this project seemed destined to become an Avengers movie without the licensed characters. I had closed off my heart and wrapped it in the pessimist’s armor. I would watch the eventual train wreck with detached fascination, safe from all disappointment.

Or so I thought until I watched the latest trailer. Understanding that marketing material hardly ever portrays its subject accurately, these two-and-a-half minutes illustrate a version of The Electric State that is less translation and more direct extrusion from the Marvel Cinematic conveyor belt. All of the markers are there: wide panning shots of the ensemble cast, frenetic battles caked in special effects, and wise-cracking sidekicks designed to deliver both one-liners and merchandise opportunities.