Atlas Movie Review: This Friday, Netflix is aiming for a new blockbuster starring Jennifer Lopez, taking the actress to remote locations to save humanity. With artificial intelligence at the center of numerous debates, a topic on which Hollywood is increasingly trying to capitalize, Netflix has decided to combine this theme with one of its most profitable stars, Jennifer Lopez, in the science fiction film Atlas, available today in the catalog.
The project is directed by Brad Peyton, an experienced director of blockbusters with big stars such as San Andreas and Project Rampage with Dwayne Johnson, or Frontier with Jason Momoa. As we will see in this Atlas review, if you expect to find yourself in front of an innovative film, you will be disappointed: the plot revolves around an all-out war between rebel artificial intelligence and humanity. The screenplay by Aron Eli Coleite (Daybreak) and Leo Sardarian (StartUp) doesn't offer the most original story in recent years. Indeed, it is extremely conventional from almost all points of view: but this is not necessarily a bad thing if you are looking for a "comfort movie" without too many pretensions.
Atlas, Jennifer Lopez in a clash with AI
Jennifer Lopez is committed to showing her feisty side in a new role for her. The actress plays an analyst who participates in a mission to capture an artificial intelligence that, 28 years earlier, rebelled against humans, causing millions of deaths. This AI represents a terrorist threat and, for the protagonist, also a personal pain, since it was created by her mother, a pioneer of technological development. The mission on a distant planet thus turns into a deadly trap. With her fellow rangers killed in the attack, the protagonist must fight to survive and face the artificial intelligence. Protected inside a mecha, her only way out is to overcome her reluctance towards advanced AI and collaborate with the computer program that drives this war machine.
Atlas incorporates elements of the eternal battle between humanity and artificial intelligence, similar to those seen in iconic films such as The Matrix and AI. Artificial Intelligence, enriched by philosophical reflections, and the spectacular nature of The Creator, recently released in cinemas. The character played by Jennifer Lopez can be annoying, but this is intentional: she defines herself as a misanthrope and is committed to making herself unpleasant to others. The big bad of Atlas, Harlan, played by Simu Liu (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings), is instead a little out of tone compared to the more positive roles the actor is used to. The film makes good use of Liu's martial skills, but acting-wise, the villain comes across as more of a henchman than a criminal mastermind.
A sci-fi classic, between destruction and hope
Atlas is both captivating and entertaining, even if the narrative and visuals don't surpass its status as a show designed for a streaming platform. While it doesn't offer much in the way of innovation, it reflects the current difficulties of the film industry and the streaming bubble. Atlas builds on suspicions and fears related to the technological advances of artificial intelligence, a feeling embodied in Lopez's character and the premise itself, building her context around the feared rebellion of the machines.
Added to this idea are elements of survival on an inhospitable planet, mecha (the ARC suits worn by rangers), and the synchronization between man and AI to reach maximum potential, with a positive subtext on controversial transhumanism. When Atlas and Harlan, the robotic antagonist played by Simu Liu, meet again, the classic theme of total destruction for a new beginning emerges, with clear references to the Terminator at the climax.
There are some flickers, but they are never decisive
In addition to the technological and science fiction component, Atlas also integrates classical elements into the story structure. This emerges from the protagonist's pain and anger, the emotional implications behind her determination to eliminate Harlan, the theme of the familial bond with her enemy, and the relationship that develops between Atlas and Smith, the AI in the suit that keeps her in life. The narrative revolves around this process of evolution, enriched by moments of humor, even if the dynamics can be repetitive regarding Atlas' mistrust and its causes.
The visual spectacularity of Brad Peyton's films tends to be impersonal and Atlas is no exception: he mixes a multitude of elements and references to recreate his world, offering good visual ideas that allude to the tactile, screens, and augmented reality. He also features ingenious aspects such as the modulation of interrogations in the scene where Atlas accesses information from a robotic head and the detail of the neurological connection behind the ear to connect with the machine. Despite lacking a marked authorial imprint, the film, directed by Brad Peyton, still manages to entertain thanks to its adrenaline-pumping action and the general charm it exerts on the viewer.