The Electric State
A dull story in a retro futuristic world
ESTIMATED domestic box office revenue
$05 – 17MM
Mythosis universal quests used
6
Audience appeal
~0.14%
Hidden potential
NA
The Electric State, directed by the Russo Brothers is based on Simon Stålenhag’s graphic novel. The movie tells the story of a sister determined to find her brother who’s abducted & exploited by a businessman.
The movie’s distinctive world is built on an unstable plot structure composed of several shallow and underdeveloped quests.
1. The Electric State's invisible plot structure
1A. Script of The Electric State borrows 93% of its events from 6 mythological tales
Chris’ under developed quest is driven by the desire to ensure order. The quest borrows events from the tale of Bhishm in Hindu mythology. Both Bhishm and Chris unintentionally unleash chaos that can only be resolved through their sacrifice.
Michelle’s quest is driven by the desire for finding an elusive person/object. The quest borrows events from the tale of Jason in Greek mythology. Jason’s desire to find The Golden Fleece is shared by Michelle’s mission to find her long lost brother.
Skate’s quest is driven by the desire to dominate others. The quest borrows events from the tale of Ravan in Hindu mythology. Both Ravan and Skate take whatever they want without any concern for the consequences.
Keats’ under developed quest is driven by the desire for honour & loyalty. The quest borrows events from the tale of Hanuman in Hindu mythology. Both Hanuman & Keats demonstrate unquestioned loyalty, showing a willingness to sacrifice themselves.
Bradbury’s under developed quest is driven by the desire for fairness and justice. The quest borrows events from the tale of Prometheus from Greek mythology. Similar to Prometheus, Bradbury rebels to stop the exploitation by unscrupulous forces.
Peanut’s under developed quest is driven by the desire to reclaim. The quest borrows events from the tale of Yudhisthir in Hindu mythology. Both Yudhisthir & Peanut return from exile to reclaim their kingdom.
NOTE: Detailed mirroring of each character’s primary quest to their respective mythological tales is in section “3A. Quests of characters and their mythological counterparts”
Mythosis plot structure
# 547
Tales interweaved
Jason & Ravan
I. How does interweaving mythological tales lead to infinite story plots?
II. Can the pursuit of a Desire have more than one quest?
2. Potential of The Electric State's plot structure: $05-17MM
The interweaving of 32 mythological tales can generate a billion unique stories. By using these 32 tales, we can extract the plot structure of any story across various genres. Our study of blockbuster, hit, and flop plot structures led to the discovery of the Mythosis Code, a set of principles for creating compelling stories. The plot structure of a story is analyzed to see how well it adheres to these storytelling principles.
2A. Plot structure evaluation of The Electric State
- All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests. The Electric State uses 2 universal quests of Expedition & Power. The quests of Honour, Idealism, Accumulation & Order are sparingly used.
- In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Michelle mirrors the universal quests of Expedition. Skate mirrors the quest of Power.
- Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Michelle borrows 9% events from the quest of Expedition. Skate borrows 14% events from Power.
- Blockbusters have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.5. Interweaving occurs when events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. Quests in The Electric State aren’t woven resulting in a no score.
2B. Box office revenue estimation of The Electric State
The script haphazardly borrows from several universal quests. Michelle & Skate’s quest are shallow whereas the other quests are non-existent. Moreover, the quests of Michelle & Skate aren’t interwoven.
The Script Score measures a plot structure’s adherence to the four principles of Mythosis Code. We use the Script Score to estimate a movie’s audience appeal & revenues. Blockbuster plot structures have a score of at least 0.64 and appeal to 20% of the audiences.
Script Score
0.004
Audience appeal
~0.14%
I. How is Mythosis Code used to estimate revenues?
II. Aren’t box-office revenues influenced by several factors beyond just the story plot?
3. Ideal plot structure of The Electric State
We have identified 32 mythological tales, the superset of all tales across cultures. The quests of these tales have also recurred over time periods. They represent human behaviours that are deeply embedded in our shared memories. Each tale is the richest expression of the pursuit of a human desire. The tales have a unique pattern of events spread over 5 major arcs.
Mapping a character’s quest to the relevant mythological tale reveals the gaps in their quest, if any. Plugging these gaps with the missing events deepens the character quest. The missing events also provide an opportunity for interweaving the various quests. These events strengthen the story and unlock its hidden potential.
3A.Quest of characters and their mythological counterparts
Quest 1: Michelle mirrors the universal quest for Expedition
Michelle’s desire for Expedition stems from the need to find a person/object. The tale of Jason from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Expedition.
Quest 2: Skate mirrors the universal quest for Power
Skate’s desire for Power stems from the need to dominate others. The tale of Ravan from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Power.
3B.Gaps in the current plot structure
Plot structure of The Electric State is disjointed due to not exploring any of the quests in-depth.
3C.Unlocking the hidden potential
A redraft of the script is necessitated by the fact that THE ELECTRIC STATE doesn’t adhere to any of the first principles of storytelling.
The Electric State book is much more cohesive than the movie and thus has better resonance. The book is a subset of Mythosis Plot structure # 15,440. It interweaves the tales of Bhishm, Jason & Gilgamesh. The movie on the other hand
- doesn’t explore the quest of Bhishm in-depth
- replaces the quest of Gilgamesh with Prometheus and
- introduces several other quests
Mythosis plot structure #15440 helps in deepening the quests explored in the book.
Unlock the potential with Mythosis Plot structure # 15,440
Tags: Jason, Expedition, Ravan, Power, Anthony Russo, Joe Russo, Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely, Netflix, 2025