Jennifer Lopez's New Netflix Thriller 'Atlas' Sets Streaming World Ablaze
Jennifer Lopez captivates millions of fans on both the big and small screens. Recently, she has shown interest in collaborating with Netflix, which sees great potential in her to generate substantial profits and is eager to back her future projects. Brad Peyton's "Atlas" will soon premiere on the platform.
J.Lo has grown fond of streaming services. In 2023, Netflix's lineup included "Mother" by Niki Caro, an action thriller about a former assassin, pursued by formidable enemies, who emerges from hiding to protect her estranged daughter. Despite harsh reviews from critics (with a mere 43 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes), audiences responded much more positively. Remarkably, the film was viewed for nearly 84 million hours, marking one of the strongest debuts for a feature film last year. In total, it reached an audience of 136 million people.
Following the success, it’s no surprise that Netflix will release another movie featuring Lopez a year later. Last month, the first teaser dropped online, hinting at a promising science-fiction thriller. A longer trailer has since been released, offering deeper insights into the anticipated premiere.
What is "Atlas" about?
In the official Netflix summary, "Atlas" revolves around Atlas Shepherd, a gifted yet cynical data analyst who deeply mistrusts artificial intelligence. Shepherd is part of a team assigned to capture a rogue robot with whom she has an enigmatic connection. However, when their plan goes awry, Shepherd finds that her only chance to save humanity's future from an AI takeover might be to trust it.
The latest trailer showcases scenes of a "modern city," similar to many we’ve seen in films before. Yet, a large portion focuses on Lopez's character, forced to collaborate with a significantly sized robot, seeking refuge within it. While the theme of AI is highly relevant (notably, a production entirely generated by AI was discussed recently), it's not a novel concept in the film – recall Spike Jonze's "Her" starring Joaquin Phoenix. "Atlas" seems less concerned with delving into philosophical musings on loneliness and AI’s role in our lives.
The trailer, however, suggests an entertaining watch is in store. The snippets reveal a roughly $100 million lavish budget, hinting at impressive special effects. We can anticipate Lopez's character spending much of the film in confined quarters, prompting her to question her beliefs amidst a fair amount of action.
