Atlas it is the most classic of pleasant surprises that you didn’t see coming, that you didn’t expect. Indeed, given the average of the products on Netflix and the overall cinematography of Jennifer Lopez (here also as producer) having negative feelings was absolutely normal. And yet this film is a tasty sci-fi adventure capable of entertainingoffering 2 hours of highly enjoyable action, also peppered with a light humor that is not excessiveaddressing the topic of Artificial Intelligence. Who would have thought?
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Atlas takes us to a not so unreal near future. Humanity has almost dug its own grave as usual, using technology to make life easier, in reality it has created a very dangerous nemesis: Harlan (Simu Liu). This was created at the time by the scientist Val Shepard (Lana Parilla), luminary of robotics and AI, who thought he could give humanity a world of highly advanced robots. Harlanthe most ambitious of his projects, however, turned out to be a failure convinced that humanity must be exterminated, given his bellicose nature. But after a decades-long war, Harlan and his friends have been driven from Earth, hiding on a distant planet, contemplating revenge. There is a task force on his trail commanded by General Jack Boothe (Mark Strong) and Colonel Elias Banks (Streling K. Brown), which also includes Atlas Shepard (Jennifer Lopez), AI analyst and daughter of the late Dr. Shepard. When Harlan’s base is located, Atlas asks to be part of the offensive that will raze the robotic threat of his old enemy. To do so, however, despite his misanthropy, he will have to trust the AI Smith (voiced by Gregory James Cohan), mounted on his giant combat robot. But when the mission takes an unexpected turn, Atlas will have to get involved firsthand, join forces with Smith and face her nemesis, with whom she shares more than she’d like. Between battles, escapes, mutual confessions, Atlas will discover that not all AI is the same.
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Atlas bears the signature of Brad Peytona past director of not-as-bad-as blockbusters Rampage, San Andreas And Journey to the Mysterious IslandIn short an expert on mainstream entertainment but with a hand that is not so awkward. The screenplay, anything but banal and monotonous, is by the duo Leo Sardarian And Aron Eli Coleiteand draws from a multitude of different references. The topic of Artificial Intelligence is dominating our time, between pros and cons, between changes and side effects. From the time of 2001: A Space Odysseypassing through the sagas of Terminators, Blade Runner, Starship Troopers, Star Wars And The Matrix, where our hypothetical relationship with them was expressed in many different aspects. There have been recent headlines of great interest Ex Machina, Automata, Her And The Creatorso it was logical to have a bit of skepticism, also given the average quality of Netflix’s sci-fi products. Well, Atlas it is an entertainment product with a nerd and geek soulwhich is based not only on several of the titles mentioned above, but also on Avatars, Edge of Tomorrow, Humandroidthe saga of Transformers and even a cutl like Universal Soldier (come on, you remember it). But be careful, the film is also proudly videogame in its visual dimensionwith droids, robots, technologies that are very carefully conceived, with which one thinks of HALO, Warhammer 40000, in short all that world halfway between cyberpunk, steampunk and risky futurism with which we have delighted ourselves for decades. Plus there’s her, Jennifer Lopez, a very nice, insecure, misanthropic and trouble-making protagonist.
A derivative film but by no means obvious or boring
The former stripper thief of Hustlersfinds a very pleasant character with Atlas, because far from the perfection prevailing in the modern audiovisual market, which depicts women in every film as perfect and invincible beings. No sir, this scientist is arrogant, full of trauma and wounds about her past, she refuses any human contact, but then here she is aboard her combat droid Smith (who blatantly mentions Pacific Rim) when the situation becomes risky, he often gets fooled by a nemesis, to whom Simu Liu knows how to give a very cold and sharp determination. Nothing revolutionary let’s be clearbut if the mega star had dared more often in his career with operations of this type, perhaps things would have gone differently. Sweaty, dirty, on the verge of swearing every three secondshowever, she is also stubborn, tireless and able to understand that the AI Smith is a technological tool and that’s it. What makes the difference of course is the intention with which it is wielded. Atlas it goes well, it has at least 3 action sequences that are worth the price of your Netflix subscription, but it never gives up that air of a genuine and sincere B-moviewhich has made many sci-fi cults of recent years the only source of satisfaction for lovers of the genre, abandoned by the majors. Then there’s the humor, with exchanges between Atlas and Smith which are inserted with surgical precision, in a film where the protagonist’s path towards emotional liberation is not bad at all.
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Science fiction about Ai should definitely take this film as an example, if only for the sake of go beyond the classic pure man-technology contrast. No sir, Atlas it also works because it shows us a plausible future, not far from what it will probably be. Humanity does not correct itself and its mistakes, it hopes that technology will do it for it. It is no coincidence that Harlan connects with great affection to Ultron, who was and remains one of the most interesting villains Marvel has ever conceived. Of course, perhaps a little more space and a little less predictability for this villain would not have been bad at all, but it is still functional in recovering part of that loud and tasty science fiction that made the 80s and 90s unforgettable for anyone who was a fan of the genre. Atlas it will appeal to those looking for intelligent and respectful entertainment, but also those who want a new heroine from the genre. The fact that Lopez sets up this woman as a sort of heir to Ripley’s Alien, says a lot about the semi-derivative, but far from sterile, nature of the operation itself. It would have been nice to have hope for a sequel, but we don’t know. Certainly, to stay on the topic of AI, Atlas it has nothing of the classic algorithmic platform product, or it was conceived by a sort of Harlan, someone who knows us very well, doesn’t particularly like us but it knows how to predict our emotions and preferences perfectly. Which is actually already happening, but it is better to think that in the end we will find an AI that will like us.
