What’s It About
Adam Reed, age 13, and still grieving the sudden death of his father a year earlier, walks into his garage one night to find a wounded pilot hiding there. This mysterious pilot turns out to be the older version of himself from the future, where time travel is in its infancy. He has risked everything to come back in time on a secret mission. Together they must embark on an adventure into the past to find their father, set things right, and save the world. The three working together, both young and grown Adam come to terms with the loss of their father and have a chance to heal the wounds that have shaped them. Adding to the challenge of the mission, the two Adams discover they really don’t like each other very much, and if they’re going to save the world, they’re first going to have to figure out how to get along.
MOVIESinMO REVIEW
The Adam Project is a science fiction adventure that tries to mix the nostalgia of 80s Amblin movies with modern thrills, and mostly succeeds with some problems in the storytelling. Directed by Shawn Levy and featuring Ryan Reynolds, this Netflix movie provides a nice mix of action, comedy, and unexpected emotional depth. The film revolves around pilot Adam Reed (Reynolds), who travels through time from the year 2050. He accidentally crashes in 2022 and joins forces with his 12-year-old self (Walker Scobell) to save the future. They are on a mission to save Adam’s deceased wife, Laura (Zoe Saldaña), and face their deceased father, Louis (Mark Ruffalo). Louis’s time travel work has been disrupted by tech mogul Maya Sorian (Catherine Keener). Reynolds gets to show his signature sarcasm and wit, but it’s balanced here with actual heart as he confronts his own childhood demons. The standout, though, is Walker Scobell, the kid actor, who nails Reynolds’ mannerism and way of speaking, so their relationship feels authentic. Their relationship is the highlight of the film, and it makes for funny exchanges and some unexpected heartwarming moments. The remainder of the supporting cast is good, with Jennifer Garner radiating warmth as Adam’s tearful mom. Mark Ruffalo appears later in the movie as the father whose loss affected both iterations of Adam, and he gets the most he can out of his short time on camera. Zoe Saldaña’s part is a bit wasted despite the importance of her character to the story. The movie exhibits its sci-fi aspects with elegant futuristic technology and thrilling action sequences. The ideas about time travel are not too convoluted, so the narrative is straightforward to follow without explanations. Special effects are executed well, particularly in fight sequences that feature the movie’s novel energy weapon – a staff like a lightsaber with some effective fight choreography. The Adam Project succeeds at showing genuine emotion regarding sadness, regret, and father-son relationships. The movie poses a great question: what would you say to your younger self if you met them? The response is more complicated and tear-jerking than you might expect. The older Adam has to come to terms with his childhood anger as he helps his younger self recover. The clever dialogue by Jonathan Tropper, T.S. Nowlin, Jennifer Flackett, and Mark Levin works well to balance funny moments with heart wrenching scenes, but sometimes the story seems to be hurried along. At one hour and fifty-nine minutes, the movie could have used more time on its emotional moments and to develop its villains, who never quite become evil despite Catherine Keener’s efforts. Shawn Levy’s directing shows that he can do both action and comedy. He moves between the different emotions without ever halting the story. His work with Reynolds, after they made their Free Guy movie together, assures audiences that both the actors are experts at mixing laughter with real emotions.The soundtrack of the movie contributes to the nostalgic aspect, using vintage rock songs to complement the action and emotional scenes. Standout is Led Zeppelin’s “Good Times Bad Times,” a crucial piece of the story and an emotional trigger for the characters. The Adam Project wears its influences on its sleeve, evoking memories of 80s sci-fi movies like E.T., Back to the Future, and Flight of the Navigator but with modern concepts. Its narrative strategy is refreshingly straightforward – it doesn’t attempt to set up a franchise or universe but tells a self-contained story with a fulfilling emotional trajectory. The film has some weaknesses, including poorly developed villains and moments where the plot is too convenient. The characters care about the stakes, but sometimes they are unclear for the big picture. Some of the time travel ideas do not hold up, but the film sensibly chooses emotional truth over scientific correctness. As a Netflix original, The Adam Project represents the streaming platform’s increasing stake in delivering polished, star-driven entertainment that might have been a theatrical release in an earlier era. It offers the kind of mid-budget, idea-based filmmaking that has become increasingly rare in franchise- and IP-saturated theaters. For families and parents, the film offers an easy way to understand science fiction principles and to communicate with one another messages regarding acceptance, loss, and the value of time with family. With the exception of some PG-13 language and violence, it is largely family-friendly and might provoke some excellent parent-child discussions. Amidst the crowded field of time-travel movies, The Adam Project doesn’t do anything new but does its familiar tropes with talent and heart. It’s comfort food cinema – not groundbreaking but pleasingly executed, with enough emotional resonance to make it more than just spectacle. For fans of Reynolds, the movie has his signature humor and also allows him to showcase more range of emotions than some of his other films. His relationship with young Scobell delivers many of the movie’s most unforgettable and entertaining as well as touching moments. The Adam Project ultimately works as an entertaining adventure that delivers more emotional depth than expected. Like its protagonist, the film discovers its heart by looking backward – saluting the wonder of films it was influenced by while delivering a story about the healing power of confronting one’s past. It’s a fun, occasionally moving sci-fi adventure that’s perfect weekend entertainment.
OUR RATING – A TIME-TRAVELING 7