Common Sense Media Review
By Jennifer Green
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Tense sci-fi action tale has strong violence, language.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
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Atlas
What's the Story?
ATLAS (Jennifer Lopez) is a military analyst in the distant future who is called in to interrogate a captured robot with intel about the location of the universe's most wanted terrorist. That terrorist is also an AI robot named Harlan (Simu Liu) who has been trying to destroy humanity for the last nearly three decades and is now hiding out on a distant planet. With that intel in hand, the military plans an attack, and Atlas insists on accompanying them. Colonel Elias Banks (Sterling K. Brown), who is leading the mission, has his doubts about her, but she soon proves them all wrong. Together with the help of another AI character, Smith (voiced by Gregory James Cohan), Atlas might be the only person who can save the human world.
Is It Any Good?
This tense, sci-fi action film is enjoyable, so long as you can suspend disbelief and withstand an overly sentimental final act. You also need to appreciate Lopez, who is in most scenes, often as the only human, in the titular character role of Atlas. It's a shame the film's creators felt the need to fashion a happy ending—especially considering the dire stakes of artificially sentient robots attempting to eliminate humanity (even if it is to save the planet from our selfish ways). The idea of neural links between humans and AI bots is frightening enough to call for at least a more ambivalent closure.
Instead, the way Lopez and her robot Smith bond is all human sentimentality, including some metaphysical philosophizing about the meaning of life and death. Their bonding leads to several awkward lines and moments in the film's final act. Other dialogues throughout the film can also feel a little clunky, but if you focus mostly on the nonstop action, Atlas makes for a fun watch.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the idea of linking human minds with robots, as in Atlas. Does the concept worry you? Where do you see it already happening, as the film suggests?
Why does Harlan feel justified in wanting to blow up the planet? Do you agree with his motivations at all? Why, or why not?
Is the violence in this film necessary to tell the story? Do you feel it goes overboard at any time? Why?
Where do Atlas' trust issues stem from? How does she demonstrate courage in overcoming these fears and in facing Harlan and his AI army?
What aspects of the portrayal of a future world stand out to you in this film's production design?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : May 24, 2024
- Cast : Jennifer Lopez , Simu Liu , Sterling K. Brown
- Director : Brad Peyton
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Latino Movie Actor(s) , Asian Movie Actor(s) , Black Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Science Fiction
- Topics : STEM , Robots
- Character Strengths : Courage
- Run time : 120 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : strong sci-fi violence, action, bloody images and strong language
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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