ATLAS -- A Tolerable CG Action Fest

Review by Jonathan Berk

Artificial intelligence in movies is not new, but it is likely to have a resurgence in the coming years. Director Brad Peyton's latest film, Atlas, is the most recent entry in the canon of films centering around the technology. While it often looks kind of bad, it manages to find an emotional core that audiences may be willing to invest in. That core — paired with a familiar, yet compelling, formula — makes it very easy to watch. 
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Atlas Shepherd (Jennifer Lopez) is a talented data analyst with deep trust in artificial intelligence. She joins a mission to capture Harlan (Simu Liu), a rogue robot, because of a mysterious connection from her past. It becomes clear that the only chance she has to save humanity from AI is to learn to trust it. 

There is no getting around how silly some of this film looks. The mechwarrior-esque design that Lopez spends most of her time inside of during the film makes it seem like she was in a closet performing many of the scenes. The action cuts from her inside to a CG jungle of robot mayhem. It doesn't look terrible, but it also doesn't look good. It is easy to tell that she doesn't always know how to sell the reactions or the drama. It would be almost intolerable if not for the relationship that is also encased in these moments. 

Lopez's character has an AI called Smith, voiced by Gregory James Cohan, inside the suit. Maybe it's because we live in a world where many of us talk to some form of AI to text our friends, play music, or turn the lights off, but this relationship feels familiar. It could also be that Cohan has a lot of personality in his performance and some genuine chemistry with Lopez. This dynamic helped to get me invested in the movie enough to care about all the nonsense that was present.

Mark Strong, Sterling K. Brown, and Liu don't quite get nearly enough screen time. However, each gets something to do and sells their moments enough to make an impact. While there are plenty of familiar tropes in this film, they manage to not lean into all of them too hard. The military aspects of several characters are actually downplayed a little, which was surprising given how many elements are a bit over-the-top. There is enough restraint in the screenplay that was kind of refreshing to see in a movie like this. 

The sci-fi elements here are on full display in this film. There are obvious Blade Runner references to the "bots" feeling like replicants. After the prologue that establishes the circumstances of this world, we follow a team as they try to apprehend Casca (Abraham Popoola). It's a bombastic action sequence that leads to an interrogation scene. The look of the city and the following interrogation definitely owe quite a bit to Ridley Scott's classic. After those moments, we see the mech suits and then space travel. It's a science fiction smorgasbord.

Atlas doesn't stray far from what is expected for a sci-fi movie focused on the dangers of artificial intelligence. The story is pretty predictable, but that relationship at the core of it all really does some heavy lifting. Of course, if you don't like Smith or Atlas, you probably won't care that much at all. Fortunately, it was enough to get me invested. ​

Atlas will be streaming on Netflix on May 25.

Rating: 3/5