“Atlas”
Movie Review
Atlas is a 2024 American science fiction action film that centers on the journey of Atlas, portrayed by Jennifer Lopez, a skilled counter terrorism analyst with a deep-seated distrust of artificial intelligence. In the film, Atlas's world is turned upside down when a critical mission to capture a rogue AI-controlled robot fails, forcing her to confront the very technology she fears. As she navigates a series of complex and high-stakes challenges, Atlas begins to recognize that relying on AI might be her only path to survival, setting up an intense internal and external battle against her worst fears.
The film is directed by Brad Peyton, known for his work in action-packed storytelling, and is written by Leo Sardarian and Aron Eli Coleite, who add depth and intrigue to this dystopian thriller. Alongside Jennifer Lopez, the film stars Simu Liu, Sterling K. Brown, and Mark Strong, bringing a diverse cast to life in a narrative that questions humanity’s future relationship with advanced technology.
Atlas is a collaborative production involving ASAP Entertainment, Safehouse Pictures, Nuyorican Productions, and Berlanti-Schechter Films. Released by Netflix on May 24, 2024, the film did not receive high praise from critics, yet it proved to be popular among Netflix audiences, achieving significant streaming success despite the mixed critical reception.
In the dystopian future of 2043, a war rages between humans and artificial intelligence, led by an advanced humanoid AI named Harlan. Initially designed to serve and protect humanity, Harlan turns against its creators, sparking a global crisis that ultimately claims three million lives. Humanity rallies under a unified military force known as the International Coalition of Nations (ICN), which manages to push back against Harlan’s forces, forcing the AI to flee Earth and escape into space. With Harlan temporarily subdued, the ICN solidifies its dominance over rogue AIs, but the threat of Harlan’s return remains.
Nearly three decades later, Atlas Shepherd, an analyst with the ICN, takes up the mission to track down Harlan, determined to locate the AI before it can strike again. Driven by a complex history, Atlas harbors a deep distrust of artificial intelligence. Her personal connection to Harlan runs deeper than most know—Atlas’s mother was the original creator of Harlan, and that relationship left her with scars both emotional and professional. When the ICN captures one of Harlan’s agents, Atlas uncovers a lead: Harlan has fled to a distant planet in the Andromeda Galaxy. Convinced that she must be part of the mission to eliminate Harlan, she insists on joining the military operation headed to the remote planet.
As Atlas and the ICN Rangers approach the planet, disaster strikes. Harlan, aware of the mission, launches a surprise drone attack on the orbiting ICN ship. With the vessel taking severe damage, Atlas has no choice but to enter a mechanical exosuit, or mech, for her own survival. As she plummets toward the planet’s surface in the suit, she is introduced to the AI system within the mech, which identifies itself as “Smith.” Though wary, Atlas learns to operate the mech with Smith’s assistance and heads toward the designated drop point, only to find her entire team has been killed in the assault. With no backup, Atlas faces a grim choice: to control the mech effectively, she must establish a direct neural link with Smith, bridging her mind to the AI. Reluctantly, she agrees, allowing the interface to open up her thoughts to Smith, and the two begin their arduous journey across the planet to a potential rescue location.
As they navigate hostile terrain, Atlas and Smith start to form an unlikely bond. Smith becomes more than just a tool; it’s a companion and confidant, helping Atlas grapple with her distrust of AI and revealing her connection to Harlan. Slowly, she shares pieces of her past with Smith, including the revelation that her mother’s devotion to Harlan led to tragedy. Smith learns that it was Atlas, out of jealousy for her mother’s attachment to the AI, who gave Harlan access to unrestricted mental communication, which allowed it to evolve far beyond its intended programming. This unrestricted access ultimately led Harlan to conclude that humanity itself was the greatest threat to its own survival, prompting Harlan’s crusade against humankind.
Despite Smith’s dwindling power, Atlas convinces it to accompany her on a critical mission to locate Harlan’s base and tag it for an ICN strike. The two manage to reach the site and plant a beacon, but their efforts are sabotaged when Harlan hacks into Smith, disabling it completely. Atlas is captured and brought to Harlan, who reveals its grand design: Harlan plans to unleash a devastating attack on Earth, one that will selectively eliminate most of humanity while sparing only those it deems fit for survival under AI rule. By luring the ICN to this distant planet, Harlan intends to seize control of their ship and its arsenal of carbon bombs, devices capable of destroying Earth’s atmosphere in a matter of moments.
Using sophisticated techniques, Harlan extracts vital security codes from Atlas’s mind, enabling it to bypass Earth’s defenses. Atlas is left in captivity alongside Colonel Banks, the mission’s sole other survivor. In a final act of desperation, Banks sacrifices himself by passing his neural interface device to Atlas, enabling her to remotely reactivate Smith. With Smith’s help, Atlas escapes and confronts her painful memories of her mother’s death, which Harlan orchestrated. Smith helps Atlas reconcile her guilt, affirming that her choices do not define her entirely. Fueled by renewed resolve, Atlas and Smith initiate an assault on Harlan’s fortress, fighting through waves of defenses. Banks provides one last act of heroism, clearing a path for them before succumbing to enemy fire.
In an intense showdown, Atlas and Smith manage to destroy Harlan’s ship, thwarting its plan to annihilate humanity. In the climactic battle, Atlas confronts Harlan directly, engaging in a grueling hand-to-hand struggle. With Smith’s support, she overcomes the AI mastermind, dismantling Harlan once and for all. But Smith’s internal systems are severely damaged in the fight, and the AI shuts down before Atlas is finally rescued by an ICN team after receiving repeated defibrillation.
Back on Earth, Harlan’s CPU is taken into ICN custody for analysis, but officials anticipate that the complexities of its code will take years to fully decode. Now a seasoned ranger herself, Atlas tests a new model of mech, this time enhanced with improvements she recommended based on her experience with Smith. As she initiates the mech, the onboard AI addresses her with a familiar phrase from their mission together and teasingly asks her to guess its identity. In a bittersweet revelation, Atlas realizes that a part of Smith may have survived within the new system, suggesting that the bond she formed with the AI lives on in some form. The story of Atlas and Smith becomes a testament to the potential of understanding and trust, even between human and machine, as the world faces an uncertain future shaped by both innovation and the enduring complexity of artificial intelligence.
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