Review of ‘Atlas’ Movie: Jennifer Lopez’s Action Film on Netflix Hits Rock Bottom for Tent-Poles

Some movies just don’t hit the mark, especially when it comes to Netflix originals. Netflix seems determined to keep lowering the quality bar with each new big-budget release. The latest film, ‘Atlas,’ starring Jennifer Lopez, falls short even compared to Netflix’s other recent flops like ‘Damsel’ and ‘Rebel Moon – Part 2: The Scargiver.’ ‘Atlas’ is a futuristic action flick where Jennifer Lopez plays a scientist who distrusts artificial intelligence in a high-tech Los Angeles threatened by a rogue cyborg named Harlan, portrayed by Simu Liu. The movie is filled with clichés, absurdities, and lacks any redeeming qualities. Lopez’s character, Atlas, has a history with Harlan, as she unknowingly played a part in his turn to villainy when she was young, inadvertently sparking a chain of events leading to the downfall of humanity. It’s a bit like the situation with the James Franco character in the Planet of the Apes movies – he aimed to cure Alzheimer’s but ended up upsetting the one chimpanzee capable of leading a rebellion against humans. Whoops!

Directed by Brad Peyton, known for his work on films like San Andreas and Rampage, ‘Atlas’ takes a different turn as he ventures into the world of streaming. The movie follows Atlas, a brilliant yet unconventional character, who embarks on a mission to capture Harlan on a distant planet. However, the film falls short in technical finesse compared to Peyton’s previous works and lacks the playful charm they had. As the story unfolds, Atlas finds herself in a mech suit reminiscent of ‘Aliens,’ struggling to overcome challenges and trust the very AI she’s meant to defeat. There are moments where the action stalls, leaving Lopez’s character immobilized and delivering exposition from an unusual position. It’s like expecting a cricket star to hit boundaries with one hand tied behind his back.

This movie isn’t meant to be taken too seriously. It’s the type where characters casually drop lines like, ‘It’s my turn,’ in the midst of a bullet storm or yell out, ‘He’s aiming for my fusion reactor!’ while ducking for cover. Lopez’s character spends a lot of time on her own or interacting with the AI assistant in a way that feels a bit flat. The attempts at creating buddy banter between them come off as forced and uninspired. It seems like Lopez never left the studio, not even breaking a sweat. The real heroes sweating it out are probably the underappreciated visual effects team, who sadly might get the blame for the movie’s less-than-stellar visuals. ‘Atlas’ might not be winning any beauty contests; it’s definitely not easy on the eyes, making it the least visually appealing movie of the year. But let’s not look back with rose-tinted glasses at ‘The Gray Man.’

It feels like most of the movie could have been planned out on a computer even before they started filming any live-action scenes. There’s a certain lack of heart in this type of filmmaking. Interestingly, in ‘Atlas,’ artificial intelligence isn’t just the enemy; it could have probably created the whole thing if given the chance. It’s kind of ironic that no one seemed to notice.

‘Atlas’
Directed by: Brad Peyton
Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Simu Liu, Sterling K Brown, Mark Strong, Gregory James Cohan
Rating: 1 out of 5