Netflix has shared the first trailer for Atlas, a new Jennifer Lopez-starring sci-fi film that looks like a cross between Terminator and The Creator with Evangelion-like mechs thrown in for good measure.
Set for release in late May, the teaser for one of 2024's many new Netflix movies doesn't give too much away about its plot. Suffice it to say, though, it appears to be a potentially gripping sci-fi spectacle that will hopefully – I write with as much conviction as I can – contain enough substance to go alongside its flashy visuals.
Per a Netflix press release, Lopez will play the film's protagonist Atlas Shepherd, a "misanthropic data analyst with a deep distrust of artificial intelligence". However, Shepherd is forced to undergo something of an internal paradigm shift when the mission she's on becomes compromised, meaning she has to team up with a renegade sentient robot if she has any hope of saving humanity from the machines that threaten our existence.
All of the above taken into consideration, Netflix's latest attempt at making a solid sci-fi flick bears all the hallmarks of similar genre fare we've seen countless times before. Indeed, from the Terminator franchise and The Creator (the latter is available to stream on Hulu and Disney Plus), to I, Robot and even Netflix's Heart of Stone – the Gal Gadot-starring action flick that bombed in mid-2023 – it seems Atlas is pulling from numerous sources to, ironically, distinguish itself from the pack. For its sake, I pray it isn't another generic Netflix film offering.
There are reasons to believe it might not flatter to deceive, too. Its plot has been penned by Leo Sardarian and Aron Eli Coleite, who have written acclaimed TV shows in the past – Sardarian worked on crime drama StartUp, while Coleite is well known for his scripts for Star Trek: Discovery (viewable on Paramount Plus). Brad Peyton, perhaps best known for directing two bang average Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson films in Rampage and San Andreas, is in the hot seat for this one. If nothing else, at least we know what we'll be getting from a Peyton flick, but I live in hope it'll be better than I expect.
A new look at Jennifer Lopez in ATLAS. Her mission begins May 24. pic.twitter.com/EqaGU9KolBMarch 13, 2024
Regardless of whether it ends up being any good or not, Atlas has a pretty famous cast that has the necessary pulling power to draw in viewers. Joining Lopez on the roster are Marvel stars Simu Liu (Shang-Chi, Barbie) and Sterling K. Brown (Invincible season 2, Black Panther), plus Gregory James Cohen (Winning Time), Mark Strong (The Kingsman), Lana Parrilla (Once Upon A Time), and Abraham Papoola (Extraordinary).
It remains to be seen if Atlas will make its way onto our best Netflix movies list but, given the on-screen talent attached to it, I'm sure it'll be a hit for the world's best streaming service. There are many examples of Netflix films that have been poorly received by critics, only to storm the streamer's movie charts when they've been released to the public. Netflix, then, will be hoping Atlas can do likewise – you know, unless it's actually good, which, as I've said enough times already, I hope it is.
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