Netflix's brand-new sci-fi movie, The Electric State, is based on a dystopian graphic novel of the same name, written by Simon Stålenhag, but the movie deviates considerably from the book. Netflix's The Electric State tells the story of a teenage girl, Michelle (Millie Bobby Brown), who has been orphaned and lost her brother. She is left to navigate a post-apocalyptic world, set in an alternate 1990s, following a robot revolution, wherein robots fought for their rights in a war against humans.

When a robot named Cosmo arrives at Michelle's foster home claiming to be operated by her brother, whom she believed to be dead, Michelle strikes out on a mission to find her real brother. Although that may sound dire—and, at times, it is—often, the plot and tone of The Electric State are actually playful, funny, and charming, and the star-studded The Electric State makes the movie feel even more fun. However, this tone is one of the most obvious departures between The Electic State movie and the graphic novel.

The Electric State Had To Make Some Changes - But Goes Even Further

The Graphic Novel's Artwork Served As An Inspiration

Although Netflix's The Electric State was based on Stålenhag's graphic novel, it wasn't quite possible for the movie to follow the book's plot. Stålenhag's The Electric State is primarily art, which makes it difficult to adapt. There was a story in Stålenhag's novel, but it was a loose narrative, told in a couple hundred words on certain pages of the book. Given that, the movie used the art and the basic concept of the novel, including the story of a teenage girl on a journey alongside a robot, as inspiration and grew a more substantial narrative from there.

The Russo brothers, who directed The Electric State, spoke about this process directly during a New York Comic Con about the movie. Per The Hollywood Reporter, during this , Anthony Russo explained:

"We just looked at the images and the story that he unfolds in the graphic novel. It is very opaque. It’s kind of hard to understand it. You get it in glimpses....You can tell there’s a much larger world behind what he’s telling you in the graphic novel that you can only guess at.

You have to get much more specific about the narrative, so we had great, great fun sort of diving in and using his incredible artwork as inspiration to figure out what kind of story we can tell in this world.”

The Russo brothers certainly ran with the ideas this artwork inspired, as The Electric State ended up becoming a complex plot about not only Michelle and her brother Chris but also a corrupt company, a society that has been effectively mind-controlled, and the very nature of humanity.

The Electric State Movie Loses The Artwork & Graphic Novel's Tone

The Graphic Novel Is Much Darker Than The Movie Tonally

As mentioned, the tone of Netflix's The Electric State actually becomes quite funny and lighthearted at times, and that couldn't be further from the graphic novel. In the movie, there are plenty of laugh lines and goofy moments, many of which involve Chris Pratt's character, Keats, who is frequently the comedic relief. Even outside the overtly funny moments (such as Keats saying he likes one of the robots as "more than a friend"), though, The Electric State ending is one of hope and optimism.

This is a significant deviation from Stålenhag's novel, which remains darker and bleaker in tone. Even visually, this is clear when comparing the movie and the book. Netflix's The Electric State incorporates robots that are much more playful, such as a robot version of the Planters company mascot, Mr. Peanut. These choices are in part why The Electric State's budget is Netflix's most expensive to date, but they also mark a clear tonal shift from the original story to the movie adaptation.

This is a significant deviation from Stålenhag's novel, which remains darker and bleaker in tone.

It's clear that the Russo brothers did draw inspiration from the graphic novel, but they also implemented their own vision and style in the movie. That's apparent in the story, the characters, and the visuals. While those who know Simon Stålenhag's The Electric State well might feel the movie and the graphic novel have very little in common, Netflix's The Electric State was inspired by the original story, but it certainly took these ideas in unique directions.