The Adam Project Review

Lately, Ryan Reynolds has been producing the kind of movies everybody’s inner-child wants to see. The idea about a non-playable character coming to life in Free Guy was as fun as it was well-executed. The Adam Project shares a lot of similarities with its predecessor and feels like a sister project in that sense. It evokes the same feeling of 2000s nostalgia and has the same director and lead actor. More than anything, the movie wants you to have a fun time. This tale centered around the concept of time travel isn’t the kind of film where you have to bang your head against the wall to try and figure out its plot. It’s the enjoyable sort, where you accompany a couple of lovable characters across space and time in cool spaceships, wielding even cooler gadgets.

The movie wastes absolutely no time getting into the thick of the action. The Spencer Davis Group’s “Gimme Some Lovin’” plays in the background as Ryan Reynolds masterfully maneuvers his spacecraft around hostile fire. The dialogue is what you would expect from a Ryan Reynolds movie. It doesn’t take itself too seriously and manages to get some laughs out of you. Adam is looking to jump back in time and is having a very difficult time doing it. When he’s finally successful, the movie immediately cuts back to a younger version of him running away from his bullies. This kid has a quick wit and a sharp tongue. One that regularly lands him in trouble, we assume. He’s also dealing with the loss of his father. As you can guess, things aren’t sunshine and rainbows for young Adam. However, he’s about to meet his older self, who’s a cool pilot! Everything isn’t as bad as it sounds.

The interactions between Ryan Reynolds and Walker Scobell are so fun to see. Ryan plays an older Adam that hasn’t quite come to terms with how annoying he was when he was younger. He regularly makes jabs at the expense of his younger self. Walker Scobell does an amazing job playing an annoying but lovable brat. In his head, he’s smarter than everybody around him and makes no effort to hide it. This is arguably why he’s so haunted by the school bullies. Young Adam continues to annoy his older self with what seems like a gazillion questions until he eventually comes around to believing him. At this point Older Adam is still reluctant to share all the details with his younger self, fearing it will damage the timeline. Instead, he just decides to hang around until his ship repairs itself. You see, he’s made a wrong jump and must remove himself quickly from this timeline lest “they” come for him. The repairs take longer than they’re supposed to, and this gives some time for Older Adam to warm up to his younger self. Details about his life spill, from his life as a pilot to his wife in the future who died in a mysterious crash.   

Credit where it’s due, Claude Pare has done an amazing job at the production design. The film features better than expected CGI that makes its world all the more believable. Time for a little criticism here, as I felt like the potential for Zoe’s Saldana’s character was wasted a little. For such a talented actress to make such a short appearance doesn’t make much sense. It’s not like she exists without purpose though as she serves as the primary motivation behind Older Adam’s jump and his conviction to erase time travel. 

Catherine Keener plays both versions of the big bad Sorian, who has monopolized time travel in the future, leading to very dystopian consequences. She’s so ruthless in her decisions that even her younger self seems to disagree with her ideologies. The Adams must join forces if they’re to stand any chance at finding their father and opposing Sorian. Louis Reed, the scientist who was behind the time travel technology and is Adam’s father is played by Mark Ruffalo. His character emanates a strong sense of justice. You can understand why the boys idolize him and he does have a lot of love for them but his personal mission to push science to new horizons alienates him from his family. It’s very heartwarming to see all three come to accept and forgive each other for their flaws.

Walker Scobell is a gem of a find. He complements Ryan’s worn-out energy pretty well with his wide-eyed enthusiasm. Mostly the scrawny kid just can’t believe he has guns for days in the future. The film balances its high-stake action sequences with candid heart-to-heart between the characters. These conversations also lend the film its heart and evoke sympathy for the characters.  Ultimately “The Adam Project” is a really fun watch with more than enough juice to power its proverbial jet.

Visuals: 4/5

Plot: 4/5

Characters: 3/5

Music: 4/5

Originality: 3/5

Seater Score: 3.6/5