The Adam Project (2022) Review!!

Synopsis – A time-traveling pilot teams up with his younger self and his late father to come to terms with his past while saving the future.

My Take – What would it be like if you get to meet younger self oneself? Hilarious and learning, according to this latest Netflix release, which sees director Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum) reunite with his Free Guy (2021) and the upcoming Deadpool 3 (as of yesterday’s news) lead, Ryan Reynolds, recycling his witty nice guy shtick, in a sci-fi action comedy that has the actor’s fictional protagonist time travel and team up with his 12-year-old wisecracking self.

Based on an original spec script written by T.S. Nowlin in 2012 titled Our Name Is Adam, and co-written by Jonathan Tropper, Jennifer Flackett and Mark Levin, the crowd-pleasing time travel film with a personal twist, at least aesthetics wise is not exceptionally original, a fact both director Levy and Reynolds (both co-producers on the film) seem to be aware of, hence agreeably play to their strengths.

By keeping the proceedings consistently engaging, thanks to its stellar cast, and going easy on the science, this fun and straightforward feature aims only to entertain its audience, and excels at managing to be fun, compelling, and to its eternal advantage, clings firmly to the sentimental elements, and successfully delivers a unpretentious ride that also packs quite the emotional hit. But most importantly never outstays its welcome.

The story follows Adam Reed (Ryan Reynolds), a time-traveling Air Force pilot from the year 2050, who while escaping to 2018 in search of his missing wife, Laura (Zoe Saldaña), in his stolen time jet, mistakenly crash-lands in 2022. In the turbulent present, an injured Adam with no choice in hand ends up risking the ordained timeline by seeking the help of his 12-year-old self (Walter Scobell).

A bullied and asthma suffering younger self who is still grieving the loss of his departed dad, and is giving his mother Ellie (Jennifer Garner) quite a hard time. But with the future on the line, especially in the hands of a self-serving corporate entity led by the greedy Maya Sorian (Catherine Keener) that manipulated a discovery that facilitated time travel.

The two Adams, must team up to zip back further and find their quantum physicist-professor-father Louis Reed (Mark Ruffalo), and seek his help to prevent the misuse of the technology he helped to create.

Peppered with wit and humor, the film is in the lines of a spirited 80s family-friendly sci-fi adventure. In fact director Levy even stages some action in a forest straight out of E.T. (1982). The film is packed with impressive action sequences. The fight scenes are furiously simple yet beautifully effective, including moments specifically designed to thrill viewers around young Adam’s age, like the scene where he takes down a gaggle of robotic bad guys with drones controlled by his VR helmet.

And while here are a lot of scenes that involve flying spaceships, what strikes you the most in the film is the emotional strife that Adam goes through. Here, the film manages to balance the bombastic and over-the-top concepts of time travel and future technology without forgetting the heart that is the true drive for the narrative.

No matter the stakes or the actions, heart is at the center of this story, and it uses that to present some thought-provoking scenarios. Like the scene with between the older Adam and his younger mother at the bar stands out not just for the performances but for the way it is written.

The film is as much about reconciling Adam’s own past as it is about saving the future, a neat touch that elevates this beyond a simple time-travel yarn and gives the film a lot more depth. The constant battle between guilt, regret, and the choices he made and flipping between parallel timelines makes the plot very engaging. All this combines creates a delightful while still profoundly compelling story that will leave one fulfilled and with a smile on their face.

This is just the sort of film that Ryan Reynolds is known to revel in. He does not have to break a sweat to get into the skin of a wise-cracking, self-knocking man. But while Reynolds plays his usual sarcastic shtick for laughs, he balances that out with a pensive, more restrained performance that makes his character all the more compelling.

In his first screen role, Walter Scobell is an absolute revelation and holds his own opposite Reynolds, matching him all the way. The young actor really digs into what makes young Adam tick, piloting his favorite video game like an ace while getting the crap kicked out of him at school. Best of all, the chemistry between the two is just about perfect.

While the ever enigmatic Mark Ruffalo appears on the screen for a lesser time than one could have expected, he does manage to raise the material with his unbridled glee and striking ease. In smaller roles, Jennifer Garner and Zoe Saldaña are terrific, while sadly Catherine Keener is stuck to playing a one dimension villain. On the whole, ‘The Adam Project’ is an action-packed sci-fi adventure that is funny, frequently heartfelt, and wildly entertaining.