Atlas is a 2024 American science fiction action film directed by Brad Peyton and starring Jennifer Lopez, Simu Liu, Sterling K. Brown, and Mark Strong.
In the year 2043, an artificial intelligence terrorist cell led by the humanoid android Harlan (Liu) revolted against humanity, before fleeing to the stars. The devastation was so great that humanity is terrified of the A.I. left on Earth performing a similar mutiny. In the present day, Dr. Atlas Shepard (Lopez), the daughter of Harlan's designer and the rogue's adoptive sister, is consumed with this paranoia and works as an analyst. Atlas is recruited to help hunt down Harlan on a desolate and inhospitable planet, only for Harlan's forces to ambush and slaughter the unit accompanying her. Atlas is left stranded on the planet and hunted by Harlan's forces. Her only hope of survival is the mecha suit ARC - and Smith, the AI piloting it.
Atlas contains examples of:
- A.I. Is a Crapshoot: Experimental and highly advanced android Harlan was treated with kindness and love for his upbringing, and his creator Dr. Val Shepherd raised him like a son. The second he learned about humanity's flaws, he decided AI was the superior form of life, murdered Val in cold blood, and decided to wipe out humanity. The film, however, implies that AI don't lack moral agency and implies there are plenty of benevolent AI like Smith. Harlan and his followers simply made their own choices.
- All According to Plan: Harlan's location being discovered was planned by him to lure in the Rangers with the objective of capturing Atlas, who Harlan knew would insist on accompanying the team, and the carbon bombs on the accompanying task force.
- Artistic License – Chess: In the beginning of the movie we see Atlas playing a computer at chess. Ignoring the fact that humans can't beat computers (we can just rule she had it on an easier setting), Atlas checkmates the computer to establish she's intelligent. This is fine, but Atlas was in check and has to move her king out of danger before checkmating the computer, and is thus an illegal move.
- Benevolent A.I.: Smith is nothing but kind and gentle. Atlas eventually comes to view him as an autonomous person in his own right, and the ending implies she brought him Back from the Dead out of sincere love.
- Big Bad: Harlan, the evil humanoid AI who seeks to wipe out humanity.
- Bittersweet Ending: Atlas Shepherd, loses her AI partner Smith in a heroic sacrifice but is ultimately reunited with him in a new form.
- Cain and Abel: Atlas' mother raised Harlan as a son, and Atlas viewed him as a brother. After realizing humanity's flaws from forming a mental link with Atlas, Harlan immediately murdered her mother in front of her and began his genocidal campaign. Understandably, Atlas was left vengeful and paranoid afterwards. She later confides to Smith she was jealous and allowed the mental link to happen to get her mother's attention.
- Insufferable Genius: Atlas is arrogant, rude, and assumes she knows more than everyone else in the room. She's also usually right.
- Tragic Bigot: Atlas hates AI so much because Harlan murdered their mother in front of to her and decided to wipe out humanity the second he decided AI was the superior form of life.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Atlas feels incredibly guilt over Harlan's rebellion due to her allowing him to interface with her led directly to Harlan gaining the freedom he needed to kill her mother and rebel against humanity.
- Utopia Justifies the Means: Harlan reveals his objective in rebelling against humanity is to wipe out a majority of humanity so that the remainder can be kept at a sustainable level under the guidance of AI.