Atlas: Cliched AI and Laudatory Lopez

AI has long been a topic of massive discussion and speculation. Some say it will render humans powerless and obsolete by taking over their livelihood while others see it as a blessing that makes life easier. But with the release of Netflix's mecha-action sci-fi that is 'Atlas', one can rest assured that they definitely will not be making any great movie threat anytime soon.

While the focus of the story is how AI becomes self aware and threatens humanity because of the threat they pose to the world (no it is not Terminator), the movie and the title is basically how cool Jennifer Lopez is and how she is an absolute package.

From the title of the movie to the very last stand against the all destroying AI threat, J-Lo stands tall while everyone else literally just tries to save her for reasons quite ambiguous.

It's difficult to deny that J-Lo is a true powerhouse, with a presence that shines on any screen, regardless of the project's overall quality. 'Atlas' is really no different. This unimpressive Netflix production, which will never make it to the big screen, falls short of classics like 'Minority Report,' 'I, Robot,' or 'Gravity'—films that co-writers Leo Sardarian and Aron Eli Coleite likely drew inspiration from. Despite the mediocre CGI and awkward scenes, Lopez remains compelling, strong, and enthusiastic, ready to deliver any cheesy line 'Atlas' offers.

As Atlas Shepherd, a tense, misanthropic data analyst, Lopez seems like an unlikely choice. She never quite convinces us she's someone who spends her days guzzling coffee in a tech silo, turning her back on the world with perfect hair and makeup.

Her motivations are at least understandable: she grew up with a robot named Harlan (played by Simu Liu), who became the world's first "AI terrorist," sparking a deadly war between humans and machines before escaping to another planet. 

Nearly three decades later, a mission to capture him is launched, led by a disinterested Mark Strong and recent Oscar nominee Sterling K Brown in a glorified cameo, with Atlas joining the team. When the mission goes awry, she's forced to become an action hero and team up with the very artificial intelligence she has come to loathe.

Throughout much of the film, Lopez finds herself inside a robotic mech suit, learning to fight and forming a friendship with an entity named Smith, gradually realising that AI might not be so bad after all. This places a lot of emphasis on Lopez's facial expressions, which (due to mediocre VFX) appear somewhat unsettling against a green screen. Combined with some painfully cheesy dialogue, the role unfortunately highlights her most melodramatic tendencies.

The scenes where she bonds with Smith (which those involved claim is the heart of the film about friendship) are especially cringeworthy. The script by Aron Eli Coleite and Leo Sardarian tries, and repeatedly fails, to infuse humour into their clichéd banter, resulting in dialogue that feels more like a poorly executed AI-generated text, detracting from the story. Considering the current concerns about AI threatening jobs and stifling creativity, the film's message about overcoming tech resistance and embracing machines as our new best friends doesn't resonate as deeply as intended.

Visually, it's clear where much of the $100 million budget went (making it Netflix's most expensive female-led film), with some grand, though unevenly edited, action sequences. However, the film often struggles with an unimaginative vision of the future that looks surprisingly ugly both on Earth and in space, resembling an old, cheap video game. 

There's a distinct lack of awe, with director Brad Peyton (known for disposable Dwayne Johnson films like Rampage and San Andreas) unable to elevate the film beyond a mere streaming imitation of a true blockbuster. For a film advocating for the embrace of big tech, Atlas ironically underscores why we should still stray a little far away from it.