Following the success of their 2021 action-comedy Free Guy, director Shawn Levy and actor Ryan Reynolds reunite for their newest movie, The Adam Project. This sci-fi action-adventure stars Reynolds as Adam Reed, a time traveler who meets himself as a 12-year-old boy after crash-landing in 2022 and enlists the help of his younger self for a mission to stop the creation of time travel and save the world.
In a blockbuster movie climate filled to the brim with superhero movies, many of us, myself included, have watched movies that came out in the ’80s and ’90s and thought, “Damn, they don’t make movies like this anymore.” However, after Levy and Reynolds cracked cinematic success with a new IP summer blockbuster hit in 2021, their newest project is the type of movie Hollywood doesn’t often make anymore. It may be a movie featuring the talents of the actors of Deadpool, Hulk, Gamora, and Elektra, but this is a refreshing film in the backdrop of never-ending superhero content.
This movie was everything I wanted it to be. It was a throwback to the whimsical adventures of decades past, with influences ranging from Star Wars to Back to the Future. The movie is unafraid to throw in quick references to its references, and it succeeds in recapturing the childlike wonder of that era. Adventurous and inspiring at every turn, this movie has space travel, time travel, and every type of travel that will keep you entertained throughout its exceedingly well-paced runtime.
Reynolds is electric in this movie as Adam, a fighter pilot who needs help on a journey through time. While Reynolds is an easy actor to poke fun at for always playing characters with similar personalities, his sarcastic humor leads to excellent comedic moments. This is an exceedingly well-written film as Reynolds isn’t spouting punchline after punchline, but every time he does, the movie becomes hilarious. He is matched by Walker Scobell, who portrays a 12-year-old Adam. Scobell is a star in the making, perfectly capturing Reynolds’s comedic timing and even recycling Deadpool’s “superhero landing” joke.
The action sequences are a thing to behold. Levy knows how to make the punches feel hard, and he throws everything he has at these sequences. There are fight scenes, a car chase, a jet chase, and every single one is marvelously helmed. In addition, the movie has fun with its science-fiction technology, with Adam using a weapon similar to a lightsaber but with a new twist. There are drones and invisible jets and many inventive ideas that lead to delightful action scenes.
While Free Guy felt like a movie made primarily for entertainment, The Adam Project goes a bit further by spending a surprising amount of time building character conflicts. Early on, we learn that Adam’s father died in a car accident, and as a child, Adam did not know how to process it. Having an older Adam speak to his younger self leads both versions of the same character to have revelations about themselves, revealing their deeply flawed core. The movie uses time travel not just for an enjoyable story but also to create a fascinating character dynamic.
The Adam Project is much more than a forgettable action flick with time travel. By using time travel to show a man seeing his former self make mistakes and doing everything he can to fix them, the film becomes about a person facing his younger self and his own problems head-on. The places the movie takes the character are awe-inspiring, and the film’s attention to fleshing out our protagonist is what makes the movie better than just another disposable Netflix movie.
Sometimes the best types of movies are the ones that do everything well. The Adam Project has equal amounts of action, adventure, sci-fi, comedy, and drama, complete with a splash of romance. We also have an all-star cast with Mark Ruffalo and Jennifer Garner in a 13 Going On 30 reunion, Zoe Saldaña as Adam’s wife, and Catherine Keener as the antagonist, Sorian. Unfortunately, Sorian may be the weakest link out of everything in the film, as the movie is so focused on the heroes that the villain is the most underwritten aspect of the film.
While Sorian won’t top any best villain lists, this is still a beautifully stylish movie with Levy’s excellent eye for excitement. It feels like a Spielberg film, the type of ’80s movie a child watches at a young age and grows up to have nostalgia for. With Reynolds’s big mouth, kick-ass action sequences, some great laughs, and even greater character drama, The Adam Project is a monumental success that you should recommend to anyone who wants a good movie to kick back, relax, and enjoy.
SCORE: 9/10
As ComingSoon’s review policy explains, a score of 9 equates to “Excellent.” Entertainment that reaches this level is at the top of its type. The gold standard that every creator aims to reach.
