Remember the hysteria of Y2K and how we have been told to shut off our computer systems at midnight on New Year’s Eve, 1999, in worry of a digital apocalypse? The believed of our trusty desktops rebelling against us was after regarded a genuine be concerned as we have been concerned about an uprising pulling us into the Dark Ages. But quickly-forward to these days and the dread surrounding technologies has grown exponentially with the enhanced presence of artificial intelligence. Movies have considering that capitalized on these anxieties to scare audiences in the exact same way. Though, admittedly, the genuine fright is how some of these films even got greenlit! Because for just about every Terminator, a dozen “Termin-later” wannabes barely develop a spark, a great deal like Netflix’s newest sci-fi action thriller, Atlas starring Jennifer Lopez.

While the film is tonally exclusive, but a bit stretched across its plot, it is deep down a survival story blending Alien with Castaway — full with Wilson vibes! Directed by Brad Peyton, a filmmaker who is no stranger to sci-fi action tentpoles like Rampage and San Andreas, Atlas is just about every bit a science fiction film as you would consider with its cold alien planets and futuristic worlds. With visually striking graphics that evoke a sturdy theatrical spirit and immersive video gameplay feels, the Netflix function set 150 years into the future seamlessly blends the ideal of each by means of detailed futuristic globe-constructing. But even with this hybrid type of entertainment bordering a appreciate story about surviving the reality one’s in to overcome inner trauma, the Lopez-starring automobile co-starring Simu Liu, Sterling K. Brown, and Mark Strong, under no circumstances genuinely comes into its complete type. Instead, it is moderately entertaining thanks to its VFX but falls quick on its performances and story as the general concept exceeds the final solution.

What Is Jennifer Lopez’s ‘Atlas’ About?

Opening up with a realistic news montage stocked with stories about the dangers of A.I. robots, Atlas delivers a fast explainer of the harm and death triggered by these sentient beings led by Harlan (Liu), the world’s 1st artificially intelligent terrorist. Created by an intelligent scientist (Lana Parilla) who ushered the globe into a new era and the mother of our film’s heroine, Atlas Shepherd (Lopez), Harlan is a cunning villain that humans can’t appear to shut down even with all their new technologies — and they have a lot. For starters, the Hollywood sign is digitized in the future. Harlan, with his piercing blue robot eyes and double-dash fade-styled hair, has committed genocide more than the years and killed millions of humans with his comprehensive terrorist sleeper cell of A.I. robots. It’s a really genuine war pitting man against technologies.

Naturally, this is exactly where Atlas comes in — a brilliant but misanthropic counter-terrorist analyst for the International Coalition of Nations (ICN) with a profound distrust of A.I. and a deep contempt for her “brother,” Harlan. She lives quite comfortably in a George Jetson life observed outdoors her window, wears Tom Ford glasses (which, excellent to know, nevertheless exist virtually 200 years later), listens to Chopin, and normally beats the laptop or computer at chess. But she is also deeply distrusting of all robots for the reason that of her marred history with Harlan. Of course, her neuroticisms come into play soon after the ICN’s General Boothe (Strong) pairs her up with Colonel Banks (Brown) to capture the renegade bot who fled Earth and has spent the final 28 years biding his time on a distant planet named GR39. While the film begins to locate its legs 30 minutes in and presents some sturdy action sequences that set off the genuine plot following a mission that has gone awry, it is the slow make-up that tends to make Atlas really feel underwhelming.

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But fortunately, it is this moment that is adequate to enable balance these flawed pacing troubles to develop curiosity. With Lopez and her bouncy Shades of Blue-era hair hunting to save the day, we see her aversion to technologies by means of interactions with the only A.I. getting that can save her life — a mechanical suit named Smith (voiced by Gregory James Cohan). Blending components of The Odd Couple in between Atlas and Smith for lighthearted comedy, Atlas’s potential to trust the technologies to save humanity gets stretched out additional than it wants to and feels hollow. Though it is appreciated that the make-up is an try to develop organic chemistry in between the human and machine and comprehend her childhood trauma, it is just not there and the pair locate their signals dropping additional than after.

The ‘Atlas’ Script Does Not Compute With Its Performances

Atlas has some genuinely enjoyable components and moments, but it is general quite bumpy. When you ultimately assume it is going to choose up, it abruptly diverts into a further void of emptiness that speaks to a frail script. Written by Leo Sardarian and rewritten by Heroes writer and co-producer, Aron Eli Coleite, Atlas includes a lot of disconnective tissue that even the stellar cast can not appear to save. Instead, it feels like so a great deal of the cast is attempting their hardest to make the most of the script, but the performances are just typical in what’s a formulaic stencil of a further Hollywood terrorist film.

Lopez, who has provided us some of her ideal perform in roles like Out of Sight and Hustlers is not vibing properly with the film at all. As a longtime fan and a person who appreciates her taking on a challenge in a diverse filmography, there are instances you can really feel the actress’s unease permeate by means of the, frequently green, screen. You can see Lopez is struggling in scenes when speaking to the A.I. Smith and though her discomfort can be pegged to character traits, it is not convincing adequate of a efficiency. There are instances when she has what seemingly feels like a monologue that operates, but it is in micro-moments for the reason that the script does not supply adequate to perform with. It’s this lack of connectivity in between the actors that leaves Atlas feeling ungreased in so lots of components.

The film co-stars 3 greats in Brown, Liu, and Strong, but they are provided the most unmemorable roles that serve as mere plot devices for Lopez’s character that leave us feeling indifferent. Brown gets a small additional leeway with his character and we comprehend he’s a hardass, but it is also a great deal aligned to a trope that highlights normative masculinity from military films. Meanwhile, Boothe is the understanding boss who vouches for her, but then we under no circumstances see him once again till the finish of the film when he tends to make a quip about a plant she named with Smith though on GR39. Liu has provided us a lot to cheer for more than the years, but this cold Terminator-styled villain is not a single of them. Though Harlan is a excellent A.I. robot at the commence, his wires get crossed and set him on a further journey. It’s type of challenging to differentiate any modify in efficiency in between the two for the reason that the script has him playing them each really cold, even when he was a excellent guy.

‘Atlas’ Gets the Software Update It Deserves With Its Graphics

When it comes to Atlas’ visual effects, this is exactly where the film thrives. Bordering types reminiscent of Pacific Rim thanks to VFX supervisor, Lindy De Quattro’s previous perform on the Guillermo del Toro film and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Atlas provides its all with these gigantic mech suits that really feel grand and spectacular in its creation. Created with an impressive sense of scale and realism, these towering robotic giants have terrific consideration to detail and are really fluid in their movement. Not to mention, there are some really captivating facts and textures observed in the creation of the suits that hold the ICN rangers, like Lopez’s Atlas.

One of the items Peyton does properly with the film is its revolutionary use of lighting and colour, evident in the fight sequences filled with vibrant shades and dramatic illumination. He creates an atmosphere that is desolate and cold but punctuated by some really eerie and otherworldly atmospheres that add to the character’s inner reflections. But it is the battle scenes that are the film’s greatest highlight with visual effects that combine complicated choreography with seamless CGI integration. There is a dynamism behind the film’s camera perform as it hones in on tight, intimate shots. It tends to make audiences really feel portion of the battle by means of an immersive method.

Atlas aims higher with its sci-fi spectacle but across its rather bumpy two hours, it lands someplace in the middle. Peyton tends to make it his job to drop jaw-dropping visuals and action-packed sequences, but the lack of heart and soul leaves it to be just a further film that’ll come and go on Netflix. With an underutilized cast, Atlas under no circumstances comes with each other and misses the mark on discovering its inner algorithm. Lopez, who is normally a powerhouse, didn’t deserve this film soon after providing us some of her ideal perform in the Tarsem Singh sci-fi thriller, The Cell. She is so heavily constrained by a script that didn’t very know what it wanted to be, leaving Atlas to be a missed chance that will locate you wishing for additional.

Atlas (2024)

Evaluation

Atlas struggles with a weak script and underutilized performances, leaving it an entertaining but eventually unfulfilling practical experience.

Pros

• The film’s standout graphics and visual effects develop a sturdy theatrical spirit also reminiscent of robust video games.

Cons

• Despite the film’s visual strengths, the script is frail and disconnected, failing to present the cast with adequate material.
• Lopez seems uncomfortable with the script and the try to make organic chemistry in between Atlas and the A.I. suit Smith falls flat, resulting in interactions that frequently really feel hollow and unconvincing.
• The supporting cast serve primarily as plot devices for Lopez’s character, leaving them with unmemorable components.

Atlas is accessible to stream on May 24 on Netflix in the U.S.

Watch on Netflix