Shawn Levy’s ‘The Adam Project’ combines a star-studded cast with sci-fi nostalgia
Maya Goosmann | Digital Design Director
Shawn Levy’s past success with crowd-pleasing projects like “Free Guy” and “Night at the Museum” and a newly-developed partnership with Ryan Reynolds are positive signs for the director’s future, Lechner says.
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If you were to ask a movie fan to name three genres that Hollywood loves to employ, adventure, drama and science fiction would be at the top of many lists. Well after putting these three into their algorithm, Netflix released “The Adam Project” on March 11, directed by Shawn Levy and starring Ryan Reynolds, Mark Ruffalo, Jennifer Garner, Walker Scobell and Zoe Saldaña.
This movie follows Adam Reed (Reynolds), a pilot from the future, as he tries to reconcile with his parents and prevent a catastrophe in the year 2050. Reed, however, accidentally lands in 2022 and meets his 12-year-old self, played by Scobell. What follows is a fun, emotional adventure where the two Adam Reeds have to work together to save the world.
As always, Ryan Reynolds delivers a very enjoyable performance. Similar to his roles in “Deadpool” (2016) and “Free Guy” (2021), Reynolds brings the perfect blend of charisma and wit, while being able to hold his own in any action scene. His chemistry with both Scobell and Ruffalo is the heart of the movie, and Reynolds is the perfect actor to blend with the other two lead roles. He also has an exceptional on-screen relationship with Saldaña, who makes a brief appearance as Reed’s wife, Laura. She is the only true love that Reed has ever known, and the two actors do a tremendous job of expressing the affection that the two characters have for each other. Like Reynolds, Saldaña is also very comfortable with performing in action scenes, and their fight chemistry together makes for some of the coolest moments in the film.
At the heart of this story is an emotional story of grief, as the patriarch of the Reed family, Louis (Ruffalo), has recently passed away in a car crash and the 12-year-old Adam has yet to fully accept the tragedy. Since the passing of his father, Adam has been getting into fights at school, not making any friends and he has had a troubled relationship with his mother, Ellie (Garner). Meeting his older self allows for Adam to gain new perspectives on his life and gives him a better understanding of how much his mother truly loves him.
In his debut performance, Scobell does an amazing job of presenting Adam as a real, three-dimensional character who is trying to suppress his grief, while also clearly being unable to move on from the loss of his father. Adam is a kid who lacks confidence and doesn’t have anyone to turn to for advice. Scobell does a fantastic job of playing someone who carries himself bigger than he is and, although he cannot fight, still talks back to bullies in order to form a false sense of pride. It is not until he comes in contact with his future self that Adam realizes how much he needs to change his mentality and focus more on what he does have instead of what’s gone, something Scobell expresses perfectly.
Rounding out the star-studded cast is Catherine Keener (“Get Out” and “Being John Malkovich”) who plays the villainous Maya Sorian. Although the performance is not terrific, Keener really seems to be enjoying herself. She brings the perfect amount of sarcastic drama that a film like “The Adam Project” needs, especially when she is interacting with the younger version of herself. Sorian is your cliche power-hungry villain who is actively trying to take over the power of time itself, however, Keener is still able to bring some charm to the character and adds herself to the list of likable characters in this film.
Even with so many big name actors, Levy is still able to create tremendous balance in his latest project. Levy has had success with large, crowd-pleasing films in the past, such as “Night at the Museum” and “Free Guy,” and he brings in similar elements from those films to “The Adam Project.” One of those elements is a plethora of references to past science fiction and time travel films, giving “The Adam Project” a real nostalgic touch that everyone can enjoy. Levy also does a great job of staging many of the big action set pieces without making them full of CGI. Although he is not a big, blockbuster director yet, I think that Levy will soon grow into one of the most reliable action directors we have, and his newfound partnership with a star like Reynolds also bodes well for Levy’s future.
Whether you are into time travel, sci-fi or just like to watch likable actors in a fun action movie, “The Adam Project” is truly the perfect choice for you and your whole family.
Published on March 21, 2022 at 10:04 pm
