The brothers behind some of the most successful Avengers movies have taken on the adaptation of a Swedish dystopian graphic novel, spending more than $US300 million in the process.

In making the leap from the page to the screen as a 1990s-set adaptation that stretches the definition of “live-action” as much as some Disney’s modern-era remakes, The Electric State unfortunately falls short of matching the source material’s uniqueness and whimsy – despite boasting myriad talents both in front of the camera and behind it.