Jennifer Lopez is Badass in Sci-Fi Action Adventure Atlas

AI (artificial intelligence) in the cinematic landscape has evolved exponentially over the decades.  Who doesn’t rely on Siri or Alexa daily for a multitude of tasks.  In 2024, the subject of AI has ranged from a SAG strike talking point to film like The Wild Robot (being released later this year from Dreamworks) to the latest Netflix feature starring Jennifer Lopez.

Atlas Shepherd (Lopez), is brilliant  yet complicated data analyst with a deep distrust of artificial intelligence. When she joins a mission to capture a renegade robot (Simu Liu) whom she shares a mysterious past, plans go off the rails and her only hope of saving the future of humanity from AI is to trust it.

At its core, this film is more about trust, loyalty, family and chosen family than anything else.  As humans, we are innately programmed to not trust anyone or anything who is not family.  But, even family, if given a certain set of circumstances can prove untrustworthy.

Lopez often excels in a multitude of romantic comedies, but with films like The Mother, coupled with impressive turns in Enough and Anaconda, my girl is definitely good for more than a comedic quip here and there. From the opening scene wholeheartedly embracing AI to the closing credits, she nevers wavers in providing a compelling and nuanced performance.

Touting an impressively diverse cast including Academy Award nominated Sterling K. Brown and Simu Liu (Barbie and Shang Chi), this Brad Peyton directed film is mostly reliant upon CGI and camera tricks for the storytelling.  But, the story can not be told effectively if you don’t have the talent to back it up.  Not to mention that women led vehicles like Atlas do nothing more than give these action hunks a little more competition in a genre that has predominantly been produced and starring men in cinema for decades.

As far as AI goes – only the future will truly know what it holds for humanity and whether this technology will hinder or help.  What we do know is that it’s here to stay – whether we like it or not.