Why do they love movies we don’t?

Film Review

Tinashe Kusema

ONE of the many things that I often find puzzling when discussing film and television is the disconnect that exists between production critics and the general public.

I feel it is the same disconnect that apparently exists between Hollywood and its target market.

On the streets, I often meet people who have a bone to chew with me, either for a movie I praised yet they do not like it, or vice versa.

One thing for certain is that it is not possible to please everyone, especially with opinions. However, it is interesting to find out where the disconnect is.

Let us take Netflix’s latest offering “Atlas”, for instance.

The film centres on Atlas Shepherd (Jenifer Lopez), a technology analyst who has led a guilt-ridden life after the death of her scientist mother when she was a child.

Atlas’ mom invented an artificial intelligence (AI) robot named Harlan (Simi Liu). The robot becomes self-aware and leads an AI revolt that leaves millions of people dead across the planet.

Humans mount one last revolt and manage to chase Harlan off the planet. The robot, however, swore to return and wipe out the rest of the human species.

Some 20-odd years later, an alliance created to fight Harlan — and made up of numerous nations from around the globe — acquires reliable intelligence pertaining to the robot and its whereabouts.

A small team is assembled to go to the said planet to destroy Harlan and retrieve his chip for further study.

Atlas gets herself into this team that is led by Colonel Elias Banks (Sterling K. Brown). She argues that no one else knows Harlan and the way the robot thinks better than her.

The movie then follows the team’s long journey and its inevitable fight against Harlan and its new army of robots.

Critics have since blasted the film, particularly Lopez’s lifeless performance, the lousy computer-generated imagery (CGI), cinematography, and the thin and basic plot.

“Atlas” currently has a Rotten Tomato score of 18 percent from critics but jumps to 46 percent from test audiences.

And, yes, I was one of those so-called critics who slammed the film, albeit on a different platform — ZTN Prime’s “Morning Rush”.

The funny thing about this film is that it has done moderately well since its release in May.

According to the Netflix Global Top 10 Movies chart, “Atlas” had 28,2 million views from May 20 to 26, which equates to 56,3 million viewing hours in its first three days of release — enough for the film to top the streaming platform’s global list.

The movie was also number one in the United States’ Top 10 movies chart and finished in the Top 10 in 93 countries that have Netflix overall.

Using “Atlas” as a case study, I may have a theory, and it boils down to the movie’s subject matter.

AI is a very big topic not only here in Zimbabwe but also on the entire planet and it is high time Hollywood puts some thought into its subject matter.

The disconnect between Hollywood and its target market is not restricted to this movie alone. There have been similar cases in the past.

Off the top of my head, I can think of two examples — 2011’s “Contagion” and 2012’s “Locked Down”.

When released, “Contagion” was rubbished as one of those run-of-the-mill medical disaster films that did nothing but wasted a very talented cast that comprised the likes of Matt Damon (Mitch Emhoff), Jude Law (Alan Krumwiede), Kate Winslet (Dr Erin Mears), Lawrence Fishburne (Dr Ellis Cheever) and Marion Cotillard (Dr Leonora Orantes).

The film then had a sudden resurgence in 2021, almost a decade after, courtesy of its subject matter on a medical pandemic that hit close to home.

It was the same thing with the Anne Hathaway and Chiwetel Ejiofor-led “Locked Down”.

The film was originally advertised as romance-comedy but plays down both elements. It dramatises the spills and thrills of living in a Covid-19 pandemic lockdown.

In short, it is about a couple that devises plans to rob a jewellery shop during a lockdown but there is no heist and very few laughs.

In both cases, the subject matter resonated with the audience and was a hit.

It is a lesson Hollywood needs to consider when filmmakers pitch their ideas. Similarly, it is something critics should take into account when reviewing films, instead of just concentrating on performances and things like cinematography and CGI.

I still do not like the movie “Atlas” but will not judge those who do.