Ryan Reynolds stars in this time travelling, sci-fi flick from Netflix, which packs several punches and carries a cargo of emotional baggage.
Travelling back from 2050, Adam (Reynolds) misses his desired time stamp and crash lands into the life of his younger self (Walker Scobell), who feels like perfect casting. Not only could he totally pass for a younger Ryan Reynolds, he conveys his comedic timing, one liners and mannerisms fantastically well. It doesn’t take long after their initial encounter before the two versions of Adam are bantering and throwing quirky insults back and forth. Little Adam undoubtedly vocalises the audience’s excitement over Big Adam’s futuristic weaponry and in particular, a very snazzy light saber look-a-like made me want to jump into the screen to play with it. He also brings along some not so friendly companions which draws in some backstory and guides the film along its path.
Yes, Ryan Reynolds delivers the charm and charisma we have come to expect from him, but what surprised me most is the amount of emotion the film conveys. While Little Adam is grieving his Dad, Louis (Mark Ruffalo), Big Adam is coming to terms with the loss of his wife, Laura (Zoe Saldana). However, the power of timey-whimey science allows for some reunions which results in some really great on screen partnerships. Zoe Saldana is Gamora levels of badass in this and really makes an impact given her short amount of screen time. Scientific genius, Louis and the two versions of his son make an awesome team and are fun to watch together on their mission to create a better future. The final scenes with the 3 of them are tear jerkers as the movie takes one last pull at your heart strings.
Many movies offer over complicated reasoning for concepts such as time travel, but this one benefits from quite a simple explanation. Keeping the formula and the story simple just gives you even more opportunity to enjoy what’s going on. The futuristic elements are really sleek and stylish and the element of a self destructive future gives the movie some purpose. Catherine Keener makes for a great villain and Alex Mallari Jr. offers a worthy foe for Big Adam and a pleasing final showdown. One of the movies biggest pulls is the reuniting of 13 Going On 30’s Mark Ruffalo and Jennifer Garner who plays Adam’s mum. It’s a such a shame that the movie didn’t allow for the pair to share a scene together, but in reality it wouldn’t have made sense for the overall plot.
Verdict
With some great action scenes, a simplistic but engaging story and a fundamental blend of heart and heroic fun, The Adam Project provides an enjoyable, time travelling ride.
