A
film review by James Berardinelli for reelviews.net on Mar. 10, 2022.
The Adam Project has much in common
with last year’s Shawn Levy / Ryan Reynolds
collaboration, Free Guy (notably the
somewhat questionable science content
in the sci-fi tapestry and well as some dubious plot points), but this film has
a more serious tone and, as a result, gives Reynolds an opportunity to do some
real acting (rather than simply mugging for the camera). The film is
entertaining in the moment but leaves no lasting impression. There’s also a
sense that the overall story deserves a larger canvas (such as might be found
in a multi-part streaming series). There’s too little world-building for the movie
to have the desired heft and a reference to The
Terminator only italicizes how inferior this narrative is (both occupy
similar sci-fi corridors: time travel being used to alter an apocalyptic
future).
Old Adam (Reynolds) is a
resistance pilot from 2050 who uses time travel in an attempt to return to the
past and correct something that will
have a profoundly negative impact on human life should it be allowed to stand.
As he jumps into the wormhole, his ship is damaged by a pursuing space cruiser
commanded by Maya Sorian (Catherine
Keener), who has a vested interest in maintaining the status quo. Adam’s
intended destination is 2018 – the year he determined to be critical – but
haste and ship damage result in a 2022 landing. A series of contrivances forces
him to seek out his pre-teen self (Walker
Scobell), whose life consists mainly of coping with the recent death of his
father, Louis (Mark Ruffalo),
directing snarky remarks at his still-grieving mother, Ellie (Jennifer Garner), and getting beaten up
by bullies after school. Old Adam’s arrival changes things. Pursued by Sorian
and her underlings, the two Adams locate Adam’s lost wife, Laura (Zoe Saldana), then travel back in time
to connect with Louis, who holds the solution to Old Adam’s quest.
The
key to enjoying The Adam Project is
to not think deeply about things. Not only does the screenplay refuse to get
bogged down in details, it prefers to ignore them altogether. As time paradoxes
go, the ones explored by the film are on the hokey side and the filmmakers
don’t spend a lot of time thinking through the rules. It’s fine on a pure popcorn level, however. The action
sequences, although not high-octane, are competently choreographed and executed,
and there are some nice buddy scenes
between the two Adams. The supporting actors – Jennifer Garner, Mark Ruffalo,
Zoe Saldana, and Catherine Keener – are all underused, emphasizing the argument
that this might have worked better as a long-form project. Keener’s Sorian in
particular needs more development. There’s a sense that the character has depth
but time limits force her into a caricature’s mold with bad CGI de-aging.
The Terminator comparison is apt,
and not only because The Adam Project
explicitly references it. If one does a point-by-point contrast, The Adam Project rarely comes out on
top. Time travel is always tricky for writers to handle. Some take the easy
route – such as in the TV show Doctor Who
or the movie Time Cop. Others at
least try to build a model of consistency based on rules and paradigms. The Adam Project uses time travel as a
plot device and doesn’t bother to consider some of the implications of its
implementation.
The
production gives Reynolds a welcome opportunity to break from the snarky,
fatuous style that has informed a majority of his performances over the past
half-dozen years. Although Reynolds has always preferred lighter roles to those
involving heavy lifting, The Adam Project
gives him a chance to emote in a believable fashion. As his younger alter-ego,
Walker Scobell has studied Reynolds carefully as he incorporates many of the
older actor’s mannerisms (both physical and vocal) into his performance.
Overall,
The Adam Project suffers from many of
the same flaws that have characterized a lot of Netflix’s recent high-profile projects:
plenty of sizzle but little in the way of substance. The premise is intriguing
and the cast is top-notch but, taken as a whole, The Adam Project comes up short. As a way to fill an unpretentious
couple of hours, it’s fine (especially as part of a bigger streaming package),
but as a destination film, it’s a disappointment. [Berardinelli’s rating: 2.5
stars out of 4].
Labels:
action, adventure, comedy, sci-fi, space-time
IMDb 69/100
MetaScore (critics=54, viewers=67)
RottenTomatoes Averages (critics=62, viewers=80)
Netflix
Berardinelli’s review
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