What would you do if you could travel to the past and meet your younger self? Oh, hoho, there are just so many possibilities to be if that could happen.With knowledge of the future financial market, maybe you could invest in the right assets. One could better prepare for a global pandemic. And uh… maybe, you’d finally gather the courage to ask your crush out?
In Netflix’s “The Adam Project”, the stakes are higher, the technology is more advanced, and yes, meeting oneself is a very real possibility.
The year is 2022. Time travel has not been invented yet. A young and witty twelve-year-old, Adam Reed (Walker Scobell) lives with his mother, Ellie (Jennifer Garner), who tries her best to keep the family intact after the death of her husband Louis (Mark Ruffalo). However, he isn’t actually doing so well at school. He’s the nerd, the punching bag, and can’t stay out of trouble with his fast mouth.
Nevertheless, Adam’s life is about to change as he finds a strange injured man taking refuge in his house only to find out moments that the man is actually him. Him, as in Adam Reed from 2050.
From this point, the movie takes a jump through hyperspace and goes through the whimsical fantasies of time, choices, romantic dates and calendar dates. We learn the elder Adam is actually on a mission to try and save his wife, Laura (Zoe Saldaña). He believes she perishes during an interstellar scuffle back in 2018. However, he accidentally punches in the wrong time coordinates, sending him to 2022.
Of course, this is a film about time travel and this concept tends to be a little mind-boggling, opening up the unsanitary can of wormy paradoxes in the process – we’re looking at you “Tenet”. Thankfully, this movie ditches the “Endgame” Professor Hulk explanatory confusion and provides a simpler “Back to the Future”-esque code on how things work. It isn’t quite the same as Marty McFly’s misadventures and there’s no multiversal madness involved but the idea of how the past affects the future is fairly similar.
Now, as we all have been accustomed to Reynold’s signature quickfire snarks, it really, really helps that the young lead, Walker Scobell, keeps up to wit. It’s not a simple task to come back from a Ryan Reynolds burn. Nevertheless, since the younger protagonist is supposed to be the same character, he not only seems unfazed but manages to light some flares upon the elder himself. And yet, the scorn does not overstay its welcome as there are equally emotional moments between the two.
Ryan Reynolds has previously gone on record to say that he uses his motor-mouth skills as a defence mechanism. He let that “personality take over and run the show”. In this case, it makes Scobell’s portrayal even more of a personal take on Reynold’s experience as a kid. When they are both talking about being cornered, Reynolds is speaking from his real-life experiences.
One of the best moments of the movie comes when senior Adam is sitting down with junior Adam. They are discussing what the elder is going through. And during that moment, the juvenile wisdom comes forth, positing that there is actually a misconception of sadness with anger. That Reynolds’ Adam can’t move on properly because he was frustrated with his father’s death all this time.
Indeed, “The Adam Project’s” strength lies in its ability to tell a story about a family that transcends time. We see three generations of Reeds. The junior, the senior, and the father. Of course. when they come together, their egos get the better of them. But once they set all these aside, it’s where the magic starts.
Now, the only nitpick we might have from this film is the presence of Catherine Keener’s Maya Sorian who is the main antagonist of the film. The character itself is a little one-dimensional. We probably could have used a little more depth and connection to her character. The crime here is that she goes back in time to buy the right stocks. Well, okay, we guess it isn’t too bad because that’s what we would have done with Bitcoin if we knew of the prospects ten years ago. (cue snorting Biff Tannen*)
Part of us wishes we could watch on the big screen because, visually speaking, this movie is actually stunning. The idea of having a literal black hole/wormhole, like how it was “Eternals” and “Interstellar” portrays it is always welcome. The fluid fast-paced action is also a thrilling ride. And lightsabers. Yeah, baby!
Ultimately, “The Adam Project” is a movie that’s an all-around feel-good film that takes on serious themes of loss and love but never strays from the fun. “The Adam Project” is quite possibly, and we dare say, Shawn Levy’s best work thus far. “Free Guy” and “Night at the Museum” are madly entertaining pieces for what they are. Nonetheless, “The Adam Project”, man this is the bombshell right here. Indeed, it tells a more serious and personal story without taking away the fun and quirky aspects of its themes and performances.
The Adam Project premieres on Netflix on the 11th of March 2022.
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The Review
The Adam Project Review
"The Adam Project" is a movie that's an all-around feel-good film that takes on serious themes of loss and love but never strays from the fun.
Review Breakdown
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The Adam Project Review
