'Atlas' Parents Guide: The Netflix J-Lo Sci-Fi Flick Will Make Your Teens Feel Sick

Jennifer Lopez is back in action with the movie Atlas on Netflix. The question for many parents is whether they need to wait to watch this when the kids are in bed, or not.

The official age rating is PG-13. That suggests that it is fine for teenagers and maybe even some tweens. This is definitely going to depend on your children’s personalities, though. While it is fine for my tween, it’s not for one of her friends!

Atlas is set in a world where AI is growing in popularity and usage. A data analyst, Atlas, doesn’t have a lot of trust in AI (not surprising when an AI terrorist who disappeared 28 years ago is still a threat), but she uses it daily anyway. Now it turns out that she may need to put her full faith in AI when a robot goes rogue and destroys the planet.

Atlas Parents Guide: Explaining The PG-13 Rating

For the most part, this is a standard PG-13 movie on Netflix. It has little in the way of language and nudity, but it is on the heavier side when it comes to violence. This may not be a concern for some. The violence makes a movie that is all about robots and the dangers of AI exciting, but is it too much for children?

Sex & nudity: There is limited sex and nudity in this movie. There are a few kisses here and there, but the focus is on the story and the action.

Violence & gore: This is where the movie earns its rating. Right from the start, a rogue robot gets into a fight with people. The robot throws people into walls. Later in the movie, one of the characters gets their eyeballs drilled out, and this is shown a little too graphically for some stomachs.

There is an instance where Atlas uses a magnet on the head of a robot to reset the system and she can get into the code. Soon after, the robot is fried with the magnet again and an eye is seen popping out. While it’s worth remembering this is supposed to be AI, the head looks rather real and can be a little frightening.

There are some suicidal references throughout the movie, so you’ll want to make sure you can have conversations about this with children.

Language: The language is on the moderate side if you ask most people. The F-bomb is mouthed once and written one, but it’s never spoken aloud. The S-word is used a lot throughout.

Alcohol & drugs: There are minimal scenes of characters drinking. This is one of those movies that puts a lot of focus on the future of AI and robots.

Overall verdict: Who is Atlas appropriate for?

While this movie is rated PG-13, I’d recommend taking your children’s personalities into account before putting it on. If they can sit through movies like The Matrix and The Hunger Games, they should be okay with Atlas. This is heavy on the violence and that does get quite graphic, but it can also be on the entertaining side when it comes to the standard sci-fi violence.