It didn't take long: one month ago we were writing about how Netflix's J-Lo sci-fi trailer had everyone comparing it to the videogame Titanfall. Since the movie's release on 24 May, however, it's shot straight into the coveted Netflix new no.1 spot.
But while Atlas is no.1 ranked in terms of the best streaming service's most-watched, it certainly isn't a no.1 movie in terms of quality – with critics and fans alike slating the new J-Lo movie. Indeed, Atlas has netted J-Lo one of her Lo-est (sorry, couldn't resist) Rotten Tomatoes scores ever.
With only a 17% approval rating from critics, but a much higher (yet still average) 52% from audience ratings, Atlas is J-Lo's weakest-scoring movie of this decade. Yikes. Seeing as Titanfall has a highly respectable 86% approval rating on Metacritic, it looks as though those movie-versus-videogame comparisons can now stop!
I dug into J-Lo's movie back catalogue on the score aggregator site and it's only pre-2020 movies that net lower ratings. Gigli, released 2003, has a rock-bottom 6% rating; while The Boy Next Door, released 2015, hits 12%. At the opposite end of the scale, however, Marry Me, released 2022, has a strong 92% audience score – proving that J-Lo can be a powerhouse in the right roles.
Lopez plays the titular character, Atlas Shepherd, in a battle against the International Coalition of Nations (ICN). Running solo after her ship is destroyed, Shepherd ends up inside a mech robot, with its onboard artificial intelligence (AI) as companion.
Atlas has the bones of a modern sci-fi dealing with themes of humanity and posing questions of the future. But as you can see from the gallery above – being largely created from J-Lo close-ups in various states of grimace – Atlas leans heavily on the actress once inside her mech to drop cheesy one-liners aplenty.
Whether you love it or loathe it, however, Atlas shouldn't be scrubbed from your to-watch list just yet. Sometimes it's the very worst of movies that are the very best – you just need to dive in open-minded and get taken along for the ride. Watch it on one of the best OLED TVs, too, and I'm sure it'll look particularly stunning.
