The Adam Project debuts on Netflix on March 11, 2022.
There are some movies that stick with you from the moment you first see them. The Last Starfighter is one of mine. Growing up in the ‘80s, I knew the importance of an arcade high score and The Last Starfighter was the ultimate in sci-fi wish fulfillment. Many of us kids of that time dreamed of becoming a Starfighter. We watched Flight of the Navigator and E.T. in the hopes that we would one day get to experience an epic sci-fi adventure of our very own.
The Adam Project is this generation’s The Last Starfighter.
Ryan Reynolds stars as Adam Reed, a futuristic fighter pilot who’s stolen a time jet in order to leap back in time and save the woman he loves. It’s a neat, simple concept that’s made into something greater when he’s shot down mid-time-jump and ends up several years off course… and only his younger self (Walker Scobell) can help him get back on track.
The Adam Project is like a leap into the past – a film that revels in the sci-fi nerdiness of the ‘80s while packing epic adventure and heartfelt life lessons into a fun, time traveling yarn.
Of course, young Adam is suitably freaked out upon meeting his older self – at least at first. Thankfully, it’s not long before the two Adams are trading verbal blows, with Ryan Reynolds in top form, spitting out quips like they’re going out of fashion. But it’s not just more of the same from Reynolds.
Instead, there’s a subtle weariness to future Adam that hides decades of daddy issues, and while Reynolds plays his usual sarcastic shtick for laughs, he balances that out with a pensive, more restrained performance that draws out the real story – it’s all about their dad, played by the ever-charismatic Mark Ruffalo. The Adam Project 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.
Walker Scobell is an absolute revelation, too. The young newcomer 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 young and future Adam is just about perfect.
Their back and forth is truly inspired, giving the film a humorous edge as future Adam rediscovers what a dork he used to be. Scobell holds his own opposite Reynolds, too, matching his trademark acerbic wit pound for pound. He's the perfect young Adam to Reynolds' future Adam, and he’s definitely one to watch.
That clash of personalities extends to The Adam Project’s design choices, too, as director Shawn Levy walks an interesting line between ultra-futuristic and comfortably retro. It’s perhaps to be expected from a filmmaker who has brought us both Stranger Things and Free Guy, but the marrying of two different styles works incredibly well.
Future Adam’s plight has a lot in common with Minority Report as he desperately tries to alter his own destiny, aided by his ultra-futuristic, DNA-locked tech from a sleek and shiny future. But for young Adam, it’s more of an ‘80s romp.
The mysterious spacecraft crash in the woods behind his home has distinct Flight of the Navigator vibes, with Adam keeping his time-traveling secret from his mother like Elliott from E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Tugging at our nostalgia strings is the aim of the game here, and it works so well. Thankfully, it’s a lot more than that, with a stylish take on futuristic time travel that works incredibly well.
The Adam Project is also packed full of impressive action sequences. The fight scenes are furiously simple yet beautifully effective… and while future Adam may not admit that his energy stick weapon is a lightsaber, it really kind of is. And even though young Adam is no fighter, he too gets his time to shine with an impressively manoeuvred drone takedown that compliments future Adam’s fisticuffs.
You can feel a certain chemistry between Reynolds and his director, too, with Levy getting the absolute greatest out of his leading man. In fact, Reynolds is in the best form we’ve seen in a long while. A triumphant, sweeping score from Rob Simonsen completes the retro-futuristic feel, punctuating this feel-good adventure with epic crescendos and highlighting the mounting lit-by-flashlight tension with classic ‘80s synth vibes.
On the surface, The Adam Project is another attempt to hook us with nostalgia. The action-packed sci-fi adventure is straight out of our childhoods, and it will definitely resonate with viewers of a certain age. Thankfully, it’s a lot deeper than that. The Adam Project also tells a story about reconciling our past and really coming to terms with the life we’ve lived and the choices we’ve made.
The Adam Project is an absolute delight for those of us who lived through the ‘80s… or for those who wish they had. Its retro-futuristic stylings are kept in check by a laser-sharp script and some truly wonderful exchanges between Reynolds and his younger self, Scobell. Throw in a handful of epic action scenes and an almost-lightsaber and The Adam Project gives us a sci-fi epic that will really take you back.
from IGN Reviews https://ift.tt/E1aFwkn
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