Disappointed by The Electric State? Here's 4 reasons you should watch Tales From the Loop on Prime Video

(Image credit: Amazon Prime)

The Electric State has disappointed fans and critics alike after the Netflix movie received a very low Rotten Tomatoes score of 18%. In his The Electric State review, our senior entertainment reporter Tom Power called the movie "another subpar non-Marvel project to add to the Russo brothers' library of movie and TV show misfires", and many critics have agreed that it's not one of the best Netflix movies.

With that in mind, there's another Simon Stålenhag adaptation that has received a much better response, but it's also been criminally overlooked as I myself had only found out about it recently. Tales From the Loop is so good, that it's worthy of a spot on our best Prime Video shows list, and it tackles similar themes to The Electric State in a much better way.

Here are 4 reasons why you should give it a go this weekend.

1. It has a much higher Rotten Tomatoes score

A young boy uses a camera in a field of flowers while a woman stands and watches him — (Image credit: Jan Thijs/Amazon Studios)

Compared to The Electric State, Tales From the Loop has an impressive 87% score, so it was received a lot more favorably than the latest take on Stålenhag's work.

The critics' consensus on Rotten Tomatoes reads: "Though the show around them burns a bit too slowly, Tales from the Loop beautifully transposes Simon Stålenhag's paintings into moving art and provides a welcome dose of warmth and humanity with its sci-fi."

2. It's a more faithful adaptation

Two people run in the snow, towards large towers in the distance — (Image credit: Amazon Studios)

The Electric State has come under fire for only being loosely based on the Stålenhag novel of the same name, with many fans feeling like the movie hasn't properly captured the essence of his work. Critics have described the movie as being "formulaic" in its approach.

Many consider Tales From the Loop to be a more faithful take, except for the fact it's moved locations from a small Swedish town to the American Midwest. If you're the kind of fan who prefers movies and shows to stick to the source material, you might enjoy this one a lot more than The Electric State.

3. The score and sound design is brilliant

A man stands in front of a giant yellow machine — (Image credit: Amazon Studios)

Movies and shows aren't all about the visuals, and it's important there's some good audio to really elevate the story. I adored Tales From the Loop's score so much, that I found I didn't mind when there were long periods without any dialogue because I could lose myself in the sound and accompanying visuals (which are just as beautiful, by the way). It's an immersive experience that hits differently when you use some of the best surround sound systems on the market.

You can thank composers Philip Glass and Paul Leonard-Morgan for bringing it to life, and if you like it enough, you can also stream the soundtrack on platforms like Spotify or Tidal.

4. Matt Reeves served as executive producer on the show

Oswald Cobblepot stands on a balcony looking behind him in The Penguin Max TV show — (Image credit: Macall Polay/Max)

Everyone's been raving about Matt Reeves' Max show The Penguin lately, and if you're keen to check out some of his other work, Tales From the Loop is just one of the many projects he's got under his belt. While the TV adaptation was created by Nathaniel Halpern, Reeves has a big credit on this series.

The whole team has created something really special, directing a cast made up of names like Rebecca Hall, Paul Schneider, Duncan Joiner, Daniel Zolghadri, and Jonathan Pryce.

Lucy is a long-time movie and television lover who is an approved critic on Rotten Tomatoes. She has written several reviews in her time, starting with a small self-ran blog called Lucy Goes to Hollywood before moving onto bigger websites such as What's on TV and What to Watch, with TechRadar being her most recent venture. Her interests primarily lie within horror and thriller, loving nothing more than a chilling story that keeps her thinking moments after the credits have rolled. Many of these creepy tales can be found on the streaming services she covers regularly.

When she’s not scaring herself half to death with the various shows and movies she watches, she likes to unwind by playing video games on Easy Mode and has no shame in admitting she’s terrible at them. She also quotes The Simpsons religiously and has a Blinky the Fish tattoo, solidifying her position as a complete nerd.