Atlas: J Lo Shrugged

MOVIE INFO:

A brilliant data analyst with a deep distrust of AI finds it may be her only hope when a mission to capture a renegade robot goes awry.

REVIEW:

With Jennifer Lopez alone in an A.I. mech suit for most of her sci-fi flick Atlas, it’s not a big surprise that the story writers (Leo Sardarian, Aron Eli Coleite) and director (Brad Peyton) focus on the comedic and romantic elements.

Romcoms are what Lopez knows and does best. Bonding, meshing with an A.I. system (voiced winningly by Gregory James Cohan) to beat a super A.I. (played by Simu Liu with the requisite robotic arrogance and disdain, and not much more) is a big part of the plot. Liu’s Harlan and Lopez’s Smith A.I. are indirect competitors for Atlas’ attention. They are the Easter Egg triangle of the movie. Harlan was Atlas’ mother’s creation who went sentient, and after killing his creator, decides next, that the best way to save mankind from itself, was to destroy it and replace it with humanity’s best creation— him, an army of him. He’s all brains and good looks. Smith, a byproduct escape hatch of Harlan’s destruction of Atlas’ ship, is eager to please, fully combat ready, and since he’s a disembodied voice, can float entirely in Atlas’ head.

Atlas must learn to love and trust the right person while destroying the one who hurt her and is threatening to annihilate her world and the rest of humanity with it. Harlan is really the toxic ex who refuses to leave her alone of other J-Lo romances. This dynamic allows Atlas to play with a new sci-fi wrinkle within the genre conventions expected of a Netflix streaming movie.

Harlan’s betrayal has left Atlas guarded and sour. The eventual neural link connection to Smith takes the winding path that is typically meant for rom-coms. Since sex is a non factor, Atlas evolves into a sort of cop buddy flick. She reveals her past, her hurts, her dreams, her secrets and he develops a fluency in her being, her sarcasm. There’s chemistry there. There’s a bond, eventually a good team and teamwork that gets the job done while respecting their individual identities and styles. They’re not human or A.I. but something new, a perfect symbiosis. During the big showdown the two start finishing each other’s sentence, know each other’s actions three steps ahead.

The sci-fi is standard. So is the romance. Lopez’s and Cohan’s chemistry makes it seem new. They have you believing that healing one’s heart is akin to saving the world. That’s good enough for a streamer movie.