Jennifer Lopez’s latest sci-fi thriller, Atlas, has captured significant attention on Netflix, amassing nearly 60 million global views and maintaining the top spot on the platform’s top 10 film chart for two consecutive weeks. Despite its popularity, the film struggles to deliver a compelling narrative.
Directed by Brad Peyton, known for San Andreas and Rampage, Atlas features Lopez as a reluctant soldier fighting a rogue AI determined to end humanity to achieve peace. Simu Liu co-stars as the robot terrorist leading the uprising. While the film promises a gripping battle for survival, it falls flat due to a weak script filled with clichés and uninspired dialogue.
The movie’s visual effects and high-stakes setting on a perilous alien planet offer some spectacle but fail to mask the narrative deficiencies. Lopez’s performance is competent, yet hampered by a script that provides little character depth. Her interactions with the AI, a core aspect of the plot, feel contrived and lack emotional resonance.
Atlas has outperformed Lopez’s previous Netflix hit, The Mother, in some metrics, with 28.2 million views in its first two days and 31.6 million in the following week. However, its commercial success greatly contrasts with its critical reception. The film topped the Netflix charts in 93 countries, showing a disparity between viewership and quality.
