netflix

NFLX
just released his new hit movie, The Adam Project, with Ryan Reynolds, Walker Scobell, Jennifer Garner, Mark Ruffalo, Zoe Saldaña and Catherine Keener. Directed by Shawn Levy, just two years after his last film free guy also featuring Reynolds, The Adam Project has been on the streaming platform since March 11 and has already been slammed by some reviewers, though it’s sure to be a crowd-pleaser.

The Adam Project has all the nostalgic charm of the movies it references, namely Back to the future and AND the extra-terrestrialas well as star wars and of course, 13 Ongoing 30. But behind these references, or homages, hides an action-packed sci-fi film, full of humor and emotion, even sometimes too sentimental, about bereavement, the father-son relationship and his own relationship to himself. .

The Adam Project sees Ryan Reynolds play Ryan Reynolds as a pilot named Adam Reed, who meets his 12-year-old self as he time travels to 2022. Walker Scobell plays the 12-year-old version of Ryan Reynolds, here named Adam, in quite a compelling performance, capturing Reynolds’ dull/witty banter (depending on your mood or taste). Young Adam is bullied and regularly suspended from school, much to the dismay of his mother (played by a tall Jennifer Garner), who begs the school principal for compassion for her son after losing his father less than a year ago. After asking his youthful age, middle-aged Adam realizes he’s got the wrong year. It was supposed to go until 2018, but finally ended up in 2022.

The Adam Project happens implicitly. The beginning of the film never reveals the real reasons why Adam time travels to his past or why he comes into contact with his younger self (which is strictly forbidden in the time travel rule book). The opening sequence shows Adam in 2050 being chased and shot down by another plane before flying into a wormhole, but the reasons for this aren’t explained until much later in the film. It’s not until he reunites with his wife, Laura (played by Zoe Saldaña), or rather when she reunites with him, that it becomes clear that it’s her Adam was looking for. When he reunites with Laura, Adam (and by extension, viewers) discovers the real reason he should have traveled to 2018: to meet his late father, Louis Reed (played by Mark Ruffalo), and save the world from a power…and money-hungry villain, Maya Sorian (played by Catherine Keener).

Although the film flows implicitly, its narrative seems to pull in several directions. Is it the story of a man reconnecting with his youth, searching for his missing wife (the “love of his life”), correcting past bad behavior towards a grieving mother, or meeting his dead father with the opportunity to say a final farewell? The Adam Project is all of the above, which means none of them are explored with any real depth, leading to superficial platitudes about love and heartbreak.

One of the greatest things about this film is the interaction between Adam and his younger self. Reynolds and Scobell make a great duo, pulling each other’s strings with sarcastic side remarks. There is a beautiful chemistry between the two actors. We get the feeling that young Adam and the eldest need each other to mourn the death of their father, Louis. The presence of Mark Ruffalo adds another layer to the duo. The roles seem to be reversed when the two Adams finally meet Louis. Boring young Adam suddenly becomes wiser and more understanding than his older brother.

Several times throughout the film, the precept that the historical timeline should not be altered is reiterated. This is the rule established by films such Back to the future about time travel. But what good is time travel if one of its fundamental rules turns out that the future must not be changed? Why time travel if you can’t save a loved one from death? The Adam ProjectThe climactic conclusion of would suggest that there is no point in time travel, other than to reflect on the past of one’s life.

The Adam Project is an entertaining movie to watch with the whole family, and has the potential to become Netflix’s next big hit. The film climbed to the top of Netflix’s Top 10 chart in countries around the world one day after its release on the platform.