Netflix And Chill: Atlas (2024)

It would be nice to have a week when some movies don't feel all about A.I. They're either using A.I. as a threat (existential, physical, or both) or they are put together in a way that has people being far too quick to accuse the film-makers of using A.I. to bash together their slick, but ultimately empty, feature. Atlas falls into both of these camps, from the online discourse I have seen about it. I actually think it's a decent little sci-fi action movie, however, and those looking to insult and dismiss it are being a bit harsh. I may well forget all about it within the next six months, but I don't regret having watched it just now.

Simu Liu plays the big baddie here, an A.I. being named Harlan Shepherd who sees the end of humanity as the solution to all of life's major problems. He may not be completely wrong, but plenty people want to stop him. Heading to the planet where he has based himself after fleeing Earth, Atlas Shepherd (Jennifer Lopez) is the one person who has been trying to warn everyone around her of just how dangerous Harlan is. Whatever attacks are planned, Harlan will always be a step or two ahead. Unwilling to use tech that can be all-too-easily hacked, Atlas is forced into a difficult situation when the soldiers around her are quickly taken out of action. Yes, she has to clamber into a mecha-suit that has a built-in A.I. core. Can Atlas trust the tech around her? Can the tech adapt well enough to the situation to truly help our leading lady? It's not hard to see where things will go, but it's a pleasant enough journey as we head to the predictable third act.

Written by Leo Sardarian and Aron Eli Coleite, this checks every box that you expect to be checked. Thankfully, it has a cast that are all capable of carrying viewers through the weaker moments, has an impressive visual palette throughout, and Lopez has enough screen presence to hold your attention while she spends a lot of time panicking while confined in an unwieldy mecha-suit. Liu is an impressive and plausible villain, Abraham Popoola is a decent secondary villain, and Gregory James Cohan is a good choice for the voice of the suit. While both Sterling K. Brown and Mark Strong are always welcome, both are largely wasted in their supporting roles.

Director Brad Peyton can do well with silly and spectacular entertainment, as he has shown with the likes of San Andreas and Rampage, and a few other less successful outings, but this shows that he can handle more serious fare equally well. The premise is still quite silly, at the heart of it, but it's all crafted with enough seriousness and attention to detail to draw viewers into the world and keep them invested in the plot. The script sets everything up with an impressive economy, and Peyton uses the framework to deliver a satisfying smorgasbord of fireworks and meditative moments. 

I am once again in the minority here, a lot of people have rushed to declare this as yet another stinker from the Netflix movie stable, but there's nothing here that made me angry, and I was never bored. Compared to the last Netflix movie I watched with J-Lo in the lead role (The Mother), this was a pleasant surprise. It didn't stop me from wishing for the day when we'll stop having so many movies focused on the looming threat of A.I., but it entertained me well enough for most of the 118-minute runtime.

7/10

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