The Adam Project, the new film from director Shawn Levy, draws inspiration from films of the 1980s. Films like E.T., Back to the Future, or Explorers. One thing that makes The Adam Project feel like a 1980s movie is its short length. In the modern world of superhero films, fantasy epics with 12 different endings, and eight-hour TV series binges, there is something refreshing and delightful about a movie that jumps right in when it starts. That is The Adam Project. The film grabs you and doesn't let go after you press play. In the very first scene, we see Adam flying a super plane in the future. He has done something wrong, he is being chased, and it is a bit of a blur. He runs into his younger self, played by Walker Scobell, when he jumps back in time. There is no fat on The Adam Project. It's 106 minutes and from minute one you're enamored with the idea of a rogue solider from the future going back in time to meet his younger self. The entire movie could have been based on this set-up. The Adam Project goes on. Big Adam deals with the situation in surprising and complex ways. The idea of two different versions of the same person is a joke. Big Adam is not happy to see his younger self. This is not a version of himself he is particularly proud of and the resentment gives the audience a chance to reflect on their own childhoods. Were we good kids? What changes would we make if we could? In Adam's case, most of it has to do with his mom, and the scenes of Big Adam seeing his mom when he was a boy are heartbreaking. They add a depth to the characters that helps distinguish the film from the ones it was inspired by. It feels real and honest like those movies didn't.
Marty McFly sees his mom as a young woman in Back to the Future. It is not shocking or goofy in The Adam Project. Levy handles the character development with an expert touch, never letting it distract from the main story. Instead, he uses the right way to enrich the film.
All of that is happening below the surface. The main time-travel story is what drives the film and it has a commendable escalation. Adam's quest starts small but quickly becomes a dissection of the very essence of time travel, how that impacted history, and what the people in present day can do to save it. The Adams aren't just fighting for themselves, they're fighting for the world. The roles of Big Adam's wife Laurie and his dad Louis come in, as well as smaller roles by the likes ofZoe Saldana. Catherine Keener is a great choice to play the villain because she ties the whole story together in a very satisfying away.
Along that way, Levy has some excellent action scenes, both on the ground and in the sky, with plenty of very cool, invented sci-fi technology, and enough nostalgic needle drops for a 1990s mix tape. The movie has a propulsive energy because the story moves so fast, but also because the stakes are continually being raised.
At this point, we kind of expect Ryan Reynolds to be playing Ryan Reynolds again. The script by Jonathan Tropper, T.S. Nowlin, Jennifer Flackett, and Mark Levin gives him plenty of places to stretch that into some deeper, sadder places, which is nice and works well. Beyond Reynolds, most of the other stars don't have a lot to do, but each brings their A-game to the table, with Garner in particular really giving the movie its heartbeat. Scobell, who is both excellent at playing a kid version of Reynolds while also keeping an innocence and wonder that endear him to us, is the only one who comes close to touching him. It is a star-making performance.
I couldn't help but finish The Adam Project in a bit of a mess, even though it was an asset at the beginning. It has been a long time since I was as impressed by a streaming film as I was. The recent loss of my mother made those maternal scenes especially hard, but I think The Adam Project is phenomenal. One of the best movies I have seen this year, and one that has never been released on the internet.
The Adam Project is now on a streaming service.
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