The Adam Project – Film Review

After accidentally crash-landing in 2022, time-traveling fighter pilot Adam Reed (Ryan Reynolds) teams up with his twelve-year-old self (Walker Scobell) for a mission to save the future.

What do you get when you combine Ryan Reynolds and Shawn Levy? You usually get a pretty darn good movie with tons of laughs, action, and some surprising emotional depth as well. Last year, we saw this in the form of Free Guy, which was one of the biggest surprise hits of the year, delivering immensely on humor and heart. Their latest collaboration, The Adam Project, is equally amazing.

One thing I love about this movie is that it could really be enjoyed by all audiences in a way. Sure, if you love sci-fi and space-related action films, you’re going to like this movie more than somebody who isn’t too big on those kinds of movies. However, what the screenwriters have done here, is they’ve ensured that the film has some great stuff for all ages. There’s a humongous sense of child-like wonder in this movie (mainly with the space aspect). There’s an older, grown-up-type movie here, talking about multiple dimensions and different universes.

Or maybe you just don’t care about any of that and you want to sit back, relax, and watch a hugely funny movie complete with some truly impressive action sequences along the way. Guess what? The Adam Project has all that. Of course, it’s not without its flaws and that’s okay. For one, the film does pack a ton of exposition with it, unfortunately. Almost all of the information in the film is blatantly told to us.

It’s technically being told to other characters, but we all know it’s really these characters explaining their scenario to us. I always champion visual storytelling over dialogue any day, and sadly The Adam Project isn’t too great in that respect. It’s also majorly predictable. You can practically guess where the story is going a mile away, but thankfully, that’s not a deal-breaker when it comes to this film.

In a way, it almost felt as if the screenwriters understood this but were still able to craft an entertaining movie regardless. As mentioned earlier, this movie is also surprisingly emotionally affecting which is something I certainly didn’t expect before going in. Certain scenes will leave you grinning with delight and then the next, you’ll find yourself reaching over for the nearest tissue box.

As always, Ryan Reynolds is marvelous. He isn’t portraying a new type of character by any means, though. Adam Reed is basically just like every other Ryan Reynolds character imaginable, but he still manages to portray this guy in a charming and completely likable way. His twelve-year-old counterpart Walker Scobell is equally amazing here, as well. Together, the two have incredible chemistry and they sell every single scene they share together, which is a lot.

If you go into The Adam Project with the right expectations, you’ll definitely find yourself having a great time. There are some elements of this film that remind me of classic 90s action entertainment, and I find that beautiful.