Jennifer Lopez takes on AI in Netflix's sci‑fi thriller "Atlas"

Jennifer Lopez is a star who captivates millions of fans in cinemas and huge stadiums. Lately, she has shown a keen interest in collaborating with Netflix, which rightly sees her as a lucrative investment and is keen to fund her upcoming productions. Brad Peyton's "Atlas" is soon to arrive on the platform.

J.Lo has developed a fondness for streaming. In 2023, the VOD giant's catalogue featured "Mother" by Niki Caro, an action thriller in which a killer, targeted by dangerous adversaries, emerges from hiding to protect her long-lost daughter. Despite crucial criticism of the production (with just 43 percent positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes), the audience reception was significantly more positive. To underline this, the film was watched for nearly 84 million hours, marking one of the best debuts among last year’s features. In total, it garnered an audience of 136 million people.

Unsurprisingly, the platform is quick to release another title starring Lopez a year later. Last month, the first teaser was launched online, signalling the promise of a successful science-fiction thriller. An extended trailer has been released, offering further insights into what to expect from the upcoming premiere.

According to the official Netflix synopsis, the title of its latest offering comes from the protagonist, Atlas Shepherd, a brilliant yet misanthropic data analyst who deeply distrusts artificial intelligence. The story follows her as she joins a mission to capture a renegade robot with whom she shares a mysterious past. However, when their plan derails, her only hope to save humanity's future from artificial intelligence is... to place her trust in it.

The latest trailer shows views of a "modern city," resembling many we have seen in films before. A significant portion of the trailer focuses on Lopez's character, who finds herself needing to collaborate with a notably large robot, seeking refuge within it. While the theme of AI is certainly timely (we have recently discussed a production entirely generated by artificial intelligence), it isn’t a novel premise in cinema – recall, for example, "Her" by Spike Jonze, starring Joaquin Phoenix. "Atlas" seems unlikely to become a philosophical discourse on loneliness and the role of artificial intelligence in our lives.

The trailer, however, hints at a potentially engaging watch. The snippets suggest a substantial budget of around £80 million, pointing to impressive special effects. It suggests that the protagonist, Lopez, will spend much of her time in confined spaces, prompting her to rethink some of her beliefs, in addition to a fair amount of action.

Brad Peyton's film "Atlas" will be available on Netflix on Friday, May 24, at 00:00 GMT.